I guess they are called:      

[Dish towels ][1],: 


> - a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping



>  - **A tea towel or drying-up cloth (English), or dish towel (American)** is a cloth which is used to dry dishes, cutlery, etc., after they have been washed. 

>   - In 18th century England, a tea towel was a special linen drying cloth used by the mistress of the house to dry her precious and expensive china tea things. Servants were considered too ham-fisted to be trusted with such a delicate job, although housemaids were charged with hand-hemming the woven linen when their main duties were completed.Tea towels have been mass-produced since the Industrial Revolution.

(from [Wikipedia][2]) 


  [1]: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dish+towel
  [2]: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel