Tips On Looking After Your Towels

By Author: Nate Rodney
Total Articles: 499
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Bath towels are often the unsung heroes of the hospitality industry. However, it doesn’t pay to skimp on them and investing a little more for them offers you a better return. So, here are some tips on how to buy and look after both.

How to Buy Towels:
When looking to buy cotton towelling, remember it is measured by threads. This is calculated by the number of threads in the cloth within a certain area and can range from around 200 as an average to over 300, which is a significantly higher quality. Higher thread counts make for softer and more durable cloths. It’s easy to see – just hold the cloth into the air and the less light that shines through, the higher the thread count. This ensures you get a longer period of wear from the towels and linen and also guarantees that they are more comfortable to use.

The more cotton and the higher the thread count; the higher amount of liquid that can be held. This is because higher quality bath linen and towels have longer threads and so can hold more water. This also means the towel doesn’t suffer from piling and it also lasts that bit longer. Furthermore, ...
... as the towel absorbs more and is softer, you have a more comfortable, practical towel.

One thing to note is not to purchase towels based on softness as this can often be down to the treatment and softeners the towels have been preserved with during factory washing. Also note that towels with tightly packed loops are more absorbent than double stitched ones and heavier towels also have a tendency to be better and longer lasting, than lighter towels.

Of course half the battle with keeping towelling at its best is based on how you look after the towel. Washing towels will cause them to fade. So, we would advise, if you have found a rare colour that matches that of your décor, to purchase extras if you don’t intend on changing the décor again soon.

How to Maintain Towels:
Before you use towels, makes sure to wash them first. One old maid’s trick is to add some vinegar as this colour fastens the towels and helps set the dyes, preventing them from fading. This can increase longevity.

Don’t use too much detergent; usually half of the recommended amount of detergent suffices. Towels are seldom really dirty and will clean quite easily.

Never use bleach on your towels, as it is hard on the fabrics and the dyes and will encourage premature wear and tear. Interestingly, you should also never use fabric softeners with your towels as they will limit the amount of water that can be absorbed by the towel. Anti-static sheets however will aid softness but have no impact on towels ability to absorb.

When drying your bathroom linen, do so in the dryer for extra softness. If you do it outside on a washing line they have a tendency to become hard and stiff and will end up scratching your skin.

Follow the aforementioned advice and you can’t go too far wrong.

Mitre Linen is a leading ready-made bespoke soft furnishings and wholesale bed linen suppliers to a wide range of customers in the UK and overseas. We manufacture curtains and many other items such as hotel towels, hotel bedding, hotel linen etc.