How to Pick the Perfect Bath Towel, Because It's Harder Than You Think
The first time (or maybe every time) you've purchased towels, perhaps you based your selection on 1) what is cheapest and 2) is it a towel. But as it turns out, if you are in a position where you have some flexibility in your towel budget (keeping in mind that they are an investment), you may be interested in learning more about the different types of towels out there.
Here's how to pick one that's best suited for your unique bathing needs, courtesy of Jackie Revere of Wirecutter in an article for the New York Times.
Figure out what you want from a towel
According to Revere, "a good bath towel should do several things at once-dry you off quickly, feel good (if not fantastic) on your skin, fit with your dcor, and be durable enough to last for years." So essentially, the same qualities you are looking for in a potential partner.
Terry cloth or waffle/lattice? That is the question.
What you think of when you think of a classic soft, fluffy towel
There is no standard size for a bath towel, but Revere says that a 28-by-55-inch towel should work for those of average height. And while towels may seem like something that should be one-size-fits all, they are not. Technically, if you are only using the towel to dry yourself off inside your bathroom, size does not really matter that much.
But if you want to do the thing people do on TV and in movies where they wrap a towel under their armpits and wear it like a strapless shift dress while dancing around their living room, those who are particularly bosomy or on the broader side may want to opt for a larger towel. Or, more accurately, a bath sheet-which is just a longer and wider version of a bath towel, Revere says.
If your bathroom has a certain style or color scheme, then you may want to consider buying towels that match your dcor. But that's not our focus today, so we will move on.
Sure, a towel might feel nice and soft when you touch it in the store (if that's still a thing people do) or when you first open the package when it comes in the mail, but Revere says that it takes a few washes before the towel reveals its true qualities.
So instead of buying a whole set of towels and finding out after washing them (at a point when it's unlikely that you will be able to return them) that they are not up to your softness standards, buy one towel of the brand/style you are considering and test it . Here's how Revere says to do that:
Then, once you've landed on a towel that works for you, Revere suggests buying at least three bath towels for every person in your household. "You should change your towel every two to three days," she writes, "so if you do your laundry once a week, that should give you enough to see you through between laundry days."
Why do bath towels stink if you don't dry it in time?
Mildew starts to grow
How do I stop my bath towels from smelling of mildew?
Add a cup of ammonia to your wash water. It absolutely eliminates mildew smell from fabrics
Do you wash your dish towels and bath towels together or separately?
We wash them together, but never with clothes. We use bleach when we wash out towels
New black bath towels are linty?
1 just give it some time... when there in the store, their fluff so they will sell. i think that it will go away in about a few days. i had the same problem 2 put them in the washer and hang them up to dry... the dryer loosens the fabric which allows lint to fall off.
Can I wash my white socks with my bath towels?
I personally would not . If you have enough white clothes to last 2 weeks than wait extra week. It is a personal Hygiene things with me. Plus if you use bleach with whites you could fade green stripes on white towels I would use colored bleach with those towels