While staying at my son's cottage in a remote area, I ran out of coffee filters this morning. It didn't take me long to try a basic (Bounty 1/2) sheet and it worked
I have done this in the past too and was told that paper towels are treated with chemical absorbents so they will pick up and absorb liquids better and these chemicals are highly toxic to humans. So even though they do work great in a pinch, really not something you should do long term.
