Towels.

[mattl]

It's been a looong time since I bought towels, maybe 15 to 20 years. I guess that disproves the label "Shredmore" for Kenmore washers... Anyway, since I redid one of the bathrooms I no longer need or want a shelf full of assorted pink towels.

I picked up a towel here and there recently and pretty much hate them all. They are all cotton but they are too "slippery" for lack of a better word. Smooth is not what I'm after in a bath towel. Most of my towels are Sears Best vintage and soak up water quickly and while not rough they have a texture that feels good drying off after a shower.

I like Big Thick towels, any recommendations?

 

[sudsman]

Sams Commerical Hotel style towels

Are thick heavy and very good quality. and priced right.

 

[frigilux]

I was just about to make the same recommendation, Lee!

I've been using towels from Sam's Club for years. They wear well, are heavy, and don't feel too "smooth". They soak up water efficiently. They're only $7 or $8 each.

As with all my kitchen, bedroom and bathroom linens, they are white.

 

[autowasherfreak]

We were looking at towels for the new house at Wal-Mart and they were thick heavy towels. They came in black and white and several nice colors in between. I don't remember the prices since I was half out of it due to lack of sleep that day. But they were very nice towels, they also have the matching rugs and tank and seat covers too.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Towels...

I am generally not a Wal-Mart fan, but last summer I bought about 6 white towels with color insert stripes on the outer extremes of the towel. They were incredibly plush and heavy, and the price was less than $4. I couldn't resist, and tried a couple. The results were good enough to lead to a total of six.

The towels gave off an incredible amount of lint in the first couple washings, but now they are soft, thick, totally not slippery, and I really like using them. I saw them in the store about 6 weeks ago, so if they're still there today, I would strongly recommend them. The white towels had blue, red, or brown border stripes, as well as solid colors too.

Gordon

 

[xraytech]

I prefer the JCPenney towel,
I believe it comes in 26 different colors and has matching rugs also. Mine are antique gold and rust. They are a little slippery at first but after a few washes they loose that feeling and are nice and absorbent, bu they give off tons of lint at first. They are very durable and long lasting, my grandmother is still using the JCPenney towels she bought in the early 80's

 

[mattl]

Thanks for the leads, I've got to go to Sam's soon and I'll try one of those. Next time I'm at the mall I'll check out Penny's towels too.

I'm after just basic white this time round so It should nto be too hard to find something.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Gordon, my roommate's mother gave us the same towel you mentioned one had green stripes and other had tan stripes and a matching wash cloth for each, they are my favorite towels to use thick, heavy, and oh so soft!

 

[sudsman]

Any towels will lint a lot

For the first 2 or 3 washings this is normal Just loose fibers from the mills nothing to be concerned about at all. The "slick" feeling is due to the treatement they are given so they sew and go thru the looms fasters.. It is a type of wax. That is also why they will not be so absorbant until the 1st or 2nd wash. also just normal mfg. process.

 

[rayjay]

Hotel Towels

Macy's makes a great towel 'Hotel". I have had them over three years with constant washing, and there are no signs of wear. I think they are microfiber cotton.

 

[mrb627]

New Towels.

I have been hemmin' and hawin' over buying new towels for some time now. It is down to the Landsend towels or the macy's Hotel line. Just gotta go take the plunge!

Malcolm

 

[rayjay]

Malcolm. Wait for a sale and coupons. These towels are made very well, their washcloths are really hemmed nicely. No raveling.

 

[polkanut]

I've been finding some nice vintage towels, and washcloths at estate sales. Not necessarily colors that are "in" now, but great quality nonetheless.

 

[mattl]

Went to Sam's today, picked up a towel. They only had on type available, several colors though. It's pretty heavy for the $5.99 price, I'll wash it a few times and see how i like it.

 

[sudsmaster]

Towel Test

I bought a bunch of bath sheets at Costco about 10 years ago. Egyptian cotton. Very well made, you cannot pull the loops out of the base fabric, unlike some other towels. They've held up very well, the only wear problem has been some unraveling of some of the edges, which I'm addressing with a zig zag stich. Might eventually sew in a strip of all cotton "ribbon" if it persists.

They are not the softest of towels, and I don't recall them giving off much if any lint. This I attribute to their use of longer staple cotton, which is less linty, longer wearing, and not quite as soft as a cotton with shorter and more linty fibers.

These days Costco has some very plush and soft bath towels, but I read the fine print on the label, and it said "do not pull on loops". Sure enough it was very easy to pull a loop out (I'm bad). I passed on that purchase.

 

[danmantn]

Looks like Lands End towels are half off till the 27th...if these are the ones you want.

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[whirlcool]

A couple of years ago we bought some towels at Walmart. Just pure white towels. Even now they are rather scratchy even after heavy use. They are nice and thick and fluffy, but never have softened up.
In my towel research, I have found out that some towels are made this way. They are used for exfoliating the skin. These kind will never get soft. Spas use these kind of towels, susposedly.
I wonder if they were marked as such? I don't know if Karen read the label before purchasing?

 

[mysteryclock]

One criteria...

...is, can they take a hot water wash without "pooching" in? For example, some towels I have have decorative trim that must have been made of some non-cotton material that really seized up when washed on hot, leaving the towels very irregularly shaped. Others I have could probably be boiled and they wouldn't change shape a bit.

Anyone know if the Sam's/Penny's/Land's End/Macy's towels can pass the hot wash test?

 

[sudsmaster]

Never seen towels marked "exfoliating" but like I said, I think that longer staple cotton tends to give a more assertive finish to the towel loops. And probably a longer lasting towel as well.

I would avoid any towel that indicates it's got polyester. 100% pure cotton is the way to go, IMHO. Perhaps the towels that "pooch" are shrinking the cotton while the polyester stays original size. Polyester is also more abrasive than cotton (for example, it will scratch a car's finish).