all about bath towels

I’m in the market for some new bath towels. The plush, once white, wedding gift towels have grown a crop of mould like I’ve never seen, and it just keeps getting worse. It can’t be healthy. Moral of the story: don’t leave towels on the line in the rain for three days. 

I’ve tried everything to clean these towels: washing them in bleach, soaking them in bleach, rinsing them in tea tree oil, rinsing them in vinegar, hanging them in direct sunlight over the summer… all no good.

To me, towels are one of those items that are worth spending a bit more money and investing in quality. Quality towels dry better, are softer and last longer. You also don’t need to worry about good towels going rough and stiff. I have been waiting for the brand I know is good to go on sale, but after doing some research on what makes a good towel, I think I can venture out and look for other brand bargains.

Tips on buying quality bath towels

• The best towels are ones made from 100% cotton. Egyptian cotton is considered the best because it has longer, more fibrous thread, making it more absorbent.
• Towels have a fabric weight, measured in gsm (grams per square metre). The higher the number, the thicker and plusher the towel is. 600gsm is considered pretty good.
• If the towel doesn’t include it’s GSM, feel for long, dense pile. The towel should be soft but heavy.
• Look for combed cotton, which reduces pilling.

Tips on caring for towels

If you’re going to spend the extra a buy quality towels, it pays to look after them (I’ve learnt my lesson)!

• Wash separately before use. It’s a good idea to put some vinegar in the rinse cycle. Towels are often coated to make them look and feel good in store. Wash darks and lights separately.
• Don’t use fabric softener as it coats the cotton and reduces the towel’s absorbency.
• If you use a dryer, dry on a warm setting rather than a hot setting. This will help the towels last longer.
• Gently stretch the trim before drying to stop shrinkage (although I’ve found that quality towels don’t have this problem like cheaper ones do).
• Drying in direct sunlight is the best anti-bacterial treatment a towel can have. However, the colour of the towels will fade quicker when hung in sunlight.

Saving on towel purchases

• Understand how to spot a quality towel and then shop around for the best bargain
• Wait for the half yearly sales. There are often big bargains on towels at these sales. The last towels I bought were put on lay-by at the end-of-year sale.
• Shop online. A lot of the big brands are a fraction of the price online even with delivery costs thrown in.

Recycling old towels

With the mould in my towels, there’s not much I’m going to be able to do with them except maybe cut them up for rags. Here are a few ideas for recycling old towels:

• Use them as pet bedding
• Use them as weed mats or in the compost
• Cut them up to make nappies or nappy liners
• Cut them down to make hand towels, dishcloths, face washers etc
• Sew them into hot water bottle covers, pot holders or a tote bag
• Make them into a mitt shape to dust or clean the bathtub
• Cut them down into a mop pad.
• Or use as rags. Old towels are really good for cleaning out the fish tank.

---

Have you read these posts?

1. Handmade Gift Ideas Part 1 – Bath And Body