Question of a rather person nature: how often do you replace the towels in your bathroom? I don't mean laundering them, I mean how often do you buy absolutely new ones? #towels
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Basically never. I have some of my mum’s 1970s hand towels which are still going strong. Most of our towels are either ones we got for going to uni in the 90s, or wedding presents from 2007.
I do like a white towel..in a hotel. Mine are all coloured. I predict the latest ones will be lucky to make it to two years (they snag easily) but they are a lightweight quick-drying cotton and polyester combo so have other benefits.
A friend of mine used her flat as an air b and b and said white towels and sheets were expected. She used a laundry service but said the real problem was people going to bed after a night out, in full make-up.
I've still got towels that were part of my wedding presents in 1997. One is currently on the bathroom towel rail, although the smaller ones have morphed into kitchen use/colour catcher for pre-washing deep fabrics (and are interesting shades of not white). The newer ones are ~ 10 years old.
I was looking at my towels, which are white, and thinking they are a bit dingy when damp, and then I thought they are about 4-5 years old but not fraying. So then I had a look to see how long towels are supposed to last and some websites are trying to tell me to replace them every TWO YEARS. WTF?
When a special someone comes to stay the 2nd time and you'd quite like them to keep on visiting and you realise that a certain student son has nicked more and you don't have anything matchy.
I don't have a guest room so the various towels get piled up together and then they disappear. Nearly always the nice ones. My swimming/camping towels are safe from the marauders. Funny that.
I had a 'guest' staying with me for a couple of months and when she left she took one of my nice pink towels with her. I got it back, though. Cheeky light-fingered madam.
M&S St Michael towels I got for university in 1996 are still very much in use, as are some more recent M&S and BHS towels (bought 2001-2006ish). I keep thinking I should replace them but there's nothing actually wrong with them other than being old.
Amazed to realise our current set is probably more than 10 years old. We’ve bought new ones, we just never use them. The old ones still seem absolutely fine.
I last bought new towels in 2021; previous to that it has been in 2014. I am profligate as I get new towels if I decorate, but do give the old ones away.
I got rid of a lot of stuff when I moved, which is four years ago last August. I can't actually remember when I bought the current towels, but I think it was shortly before moving.
I use my husband’s old towels as I moved into his house. Some he’s had from youth (40+y) some from when he moved in (25+y). I don’t think we have anything under 10/20 years.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has decades-old towels! I’ve recently been thinking I may have to buy new ones…maybe in 5 years or so I’ll get to it…unless there’s a sale.
My longest-lived towel was a gift from my German friend when I was 13, I bloody left it behind in a pool changing room when I was 26 and they obviously decided it was junk and dumped it because they denied all knowledge.
We’ve got some that I know are more than 45 years old and still going strong. Some of the newer ones look older and worn, which puts me off wanting any more.
I can't justify getting rid of perfectly good towels to landfill, so never. Some of ours are 30 years old and still fluffy. We also have some holey 60 year old towels in the garage for DIY uses.
My Mum, who is 98, finds modern towels too heavy and cumbersome. She uses a lighter, (still white) towel that my Grandmother bought for my father in 1949, the year my parents got married.
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My stash is not overused as plenty to go round for guests etc.
Fluffy towels - look good, useless at fulfilling their basic role. The space cadets of the bathroom world
#towels
Save a fortune on all that exfoliating stuff, just rub with a sandpapery towel!
The towels in my guest room are still full of dusty pink gloriousness but then they only get washed three times a year.
Same for my mum’s towels.
Why do you ask?
although I am having to dry indoors at the moment, I am using a dehumidifier for it, not a tumble dryer