i used to use the paper towel. decided it was just plain unnecessary.
pop my seeds right into my root riot cubes. spray them with some water every day.
i give the seeds all the time they need. few weeks later, if they arent sprounted, i will dig in there and check. dispose of the seed if its not doing shit. have saved RR cubes before, but lately tend to just throw them away.
cubes dont take up any space, and you can still check for taproots in cubes, they are very spongy, and reform after any tears are made in the material.
but whatever works works.