On bath towel softness...

[sudsmaster]

The harshness of towels seems to have a lot to do with the type of cotton used to make the towel. I have a set of bath towels made of Egyptian cotton I acquired about ten years ago, that have always been on the harsh side if not washed with fabric softener. These have gradually worn out, with frayed edges and reduced heft, so I recently replaced them with "Hygro" cotton based bath towels, that say the loops "bloom when washed". So far, so good. These remain soft enough even when line dried. In fact my main complaint after purchase in the winter and machine drying was that they were too soft.

 

[58limited]

The softest towels I've ever used are 100% cotton towels purchased at Anna's Linens. They are "Regency" by Beverly Glen.  They are inexpensive - about the same price as the cheap Wal-Mart towels I had before. My niece bought one for summer camp. I used it when visiting my sister last year and immediately went to Anna's Linens to buy myself a set. Anna's discontinued them last fall and switched to an Egyptian cotton towel that I have not tried yet.

 

[bugsyjones]

I'm not entirely picky about towels, but I do prefer higher-end quality. I do notice a difference between box store brands and boutique brands. The weaving and assembly is somewhat crude in the cheap towels. It's almost like brushing a scouring pad on your skin. I also find cheap towels lose their color, fade and distort sooner than the higher-end ones.

I go to Tuesday Morning and buy them on discount/clearance for cheap.

I find the softest towels I've used are made with bamboo. They have a plush carpety feel. Like a stuffed animal.

Bamboo towels would be great to use as guest towels since they are so soft and nice. For everyday use, a nice cotton towel will do.

~Tim

 

[arbilab]

I bought a Kmart towel once. Anything you washed it with for the first 2 years turned the color it was, green. I still have it. It quit oozing dye and got softer but from the lint in the dryer trap it's falling apart. I expect it to vanish altogether one of these wash cycles.

I love the feel of softernized towels. But be advised, that the same chemical that makes them soft makes them waterproof. Interesting that there are inherently-soft cotton formulas. If you can line dry a towel and it doesn't feel like a scouring pad, you're on to something.

 

[mattl]

My favorite bath towel came from Sam's.  It's got a bit of heft to it, no lightweight and is nicely absorbent. not too soft but far from scratchy...

 

[paulc]

BugsyJones

What detergent do you use on your bamboo towels? My partner had bamboo underwear and T-Shirts, I used one of P&G's "actilift" formulas on them and they developed holes all over.

 

[sudsmaster]

The brand on these new towels is Charisma. I expect them to last a long time, perhaps longer than the previous set, because all the edges are folded over twice and then hemmed.

The older, harsher towels only had the narrow ends hemmed, and the sides were just the base fabric, which eventually frayed almost beyond repair. I was able to fix the hemmed ends by restitching, and I tried stitching up the sides with a kind of zig-zag basting stitch, but some threads still come loose with washing. I figure the price of new towels was less than the cost would be of getting a machine that can do serged edges and the thread etc. I'll keep the old towels for wiping down cars and things after they've been washed.

I figure ten years is probably the usual max lifetime for a bath towel that gets regular use. Yes?

I have some bamboo bath rugs, and they are quite soft. I like them because they have a backing that doesn't deteriorate - it's kind of a rubberized texture to the backing, not a layer, so it doesn't flake off in the washer or dryer, and it doesn't seem to get brittle with age.

I wash the bath towels in the Neptune on the boosted hot setting, with Kirkland HE free and clear liquid. After washing, I air fluff them for 20 minutes in the dryer, and then hang them up to line dry, weather permitting. If necessary, after line drying, I'll run them through another air fluff after line drying.

PS-I remember there were some issues with some European detergents with a phosphate substitute leaving holes in fabrics that had certain sorts of dyes on them. Perhaps that was the problem with the P&G Actilift and the bamboo undergarments?

 

[bugsyjones]

paulc

The bamboo towels are white so I wash them like any other sturdy linen. Mexican Ariel detergent, hot water, and a little chlorine bleach. They've held up very well after three years. They haven't deteriorated or developed holes at all. They look as they did when new.

I dry them in the dryer with dryer sheets. I find that on bamboo towels, using a liquid softener gives them a 'wax job.' They become non-absorbent and water beads up on the surface and never absorbs into the towel itself. If I use liquid softener on a normal everyday towel, it doesn't get soft enough and feels scratchy even after machine drying. Also, I detest the floraly aromas of liquid softeners so I use it as infrequently as possible. I always use dryer sheets first.

~Tim J.