Caring For Your Towels

Whether you use your towels to wipe hands, dry-off, or lay in the sand, we know that towels definitely get a daily work-out. Good laundry practices will help keep your towels looking fresher and lasting longer. Here are some helpful tips to keeping your towels in tip-top shape.

WASH BEFORE YOU USE

If your towels never seem to look as good the day you bought them, here's why: towel manufacturers have a sly little secret; to get their towels to seem extra fluffy in the stores, they coat them in special fabric softener that gives the fibers a super plush feel to the touch. The downside to this marketing effort is that the softener they use inhibits the towels ability to absorb. That's why it is essential to wash, at least once, all new towels before you use them. We advise using a mild laundry detergent and washing towels in warm water (only white towels should be washed in hot water). Also add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to this first wash cycle after the washing bin has filled with water (pour the vinegar into the water and not directly on the towels). The vinegar works to set deep tones dyes and helps prevent fading.

LESS IS MORE WHEN IT COMES TO SOAP

As Mae West once said "Too much of a good thing can be taxing." Oddly enough, this rings true for towels, too. Stay stingy with soap (mild soap is recommended for luxury towels). Use about half the amount detergent you would normally use.

SKIP THE SOFTENER

Softeners are a big no-no if you want your towels to be as absorbent as they can be. Fabric softeners may be good for bringing that supple feel back to your favorite clothes, but when it comes to towels, softeners actually prevent the towel fibers from being able to absorb moisture.

SORT AND SEPARATE

Divide and conquer your loads of laundry every time you wash. To keep your light colored towels bright and your dark color towels deep, you'll want to avoid combining loads, since towels like to absorb water and color if given the opportunity.

DRY THEM OUT

Towels don't dry well left in a heap on the floor or shoved into the bottom of a hamper. Be aware that towels will mildew quickly unless they dry completely, so hang all towels out to dry after each use, unless you plan to launder them immediately.

KEEP YOUR COOL

Turn the dial on your dryer to a cooler temperature or an intermittent setting to avoid damaging the fibers and any decorative edging. We don't recommend cooking your towels in the dryer. Treat those delicate towel fibers with the same care you give to your hair.