I hate buying towels

When I visit certain relatives I always volunteer to do laundry, so I can run my towel through without fabric softener

sac said:
When I visit certain relatives I always volunteer to do laundry, so I can run my towel through without fabric softener

This is interesting... it has never seemed like a big deal to me, but now I realize I will have to try using towels that have not been dried with the fabric softener. Huh.

I have been on the same "journey". Finding the perfect towel seems to be a lifelong quest!

I do not like towels with a border at the end. I really dislike when the flat, non-plush, stripe near the edge shrinks and causes the towel to pucker! (I think the stripe has a name like Cam or Dobby Border.) I tend to buy only borderless towels as a result. Of course the pair of towels I got as a gift from Waterworks are amazing; now I have to find an affordable alternative so I can buy a dozen!

Remodelista has some FANTASTIC posts regarding towels. I have studied this one very closely:

http://www.remodelista.com/posts/10-easy-pieces-basic-white-towels

Here is the whole range of towel discussions:

http://www.remodelista.com/articles?sort=_score+desc&keyword=bath%20towels

I HATE that strip near the ends that is not terrycloth! I suspect they do it purely for aesthetic reasons, but WTF??? That is the part of the towel you are most likely to want to use to dry your hands when the towel is hanging up, yet it's also the part of the towel least likely to help with drying... why on earth???

And that Remodelista link just convinced me to buy some Garnet Hill Signature towels. No end strip!

I know the OP said no to Turkish towels, but I highly recommend these.

We bought them after remodeling our bathroom, and after a full year of use, they look exactly like they did the day they arrived. They're beautiful, soft, absorbent (more so after a few washes), and fast drying, with no puckering, no pulls, no fading.

Here is a picture of them in our bathroom:

harden said:
I hate that the bath towels are so small--54 inches. I like bath sheets --approx 70 ins and they are rarely available or ridiculously expensive. Anyone know where to find them?

Try Lands End supima bath sheets. They are big, soft and absorbent. If you don't like them, they will take them back. LE's return policy is excellent.

I keep forgetting that fabric softener even exists. Is there some really good reason for it?

I use fabric softener to get rid of static cling, but it's mostly important in the winter.

The Vera Wang towels from Kohl's are quite nice.

j_r said:
The problem isn't so much dryer sheets, but rather the fabric softener in the rinse water, which works by leaving a slimy residue. Makes clothes feel soft, renders towels waterproof. (Although I gather dryer sheets do the same.)

Liquid softner used in the wash can also leave a film on the lint collector in the dryer. Be careful of this.

I do use liquid softner, but only on occaison and almost always in the winter. I use dryer sheets more often, but again in the winter for static control.

I only remember dryer sheets/fabrlc softener when I am sitting next to someone who uses it... Never did use them.

JCSO said:
I keep forgetting that fabric softener even exists. Is there some really good reason for it?

Rivoli, I've been looking for those spiky rubber balls for the dryer. Have tried two Shoprites & Target but they didn't have them. I know I've seen them somewhere but can't remember where.

Mrs. GB

georgieboy said:
Rivoli, I've been looking for those spiky rubber balls for the dryer. Have tried two Shoprites & Target but they didn't have them. I know I've seen them somewhere but can't remember where.


Mrs. GB

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond, but it was several years ago.

kriss said:

harden said:
I hate that the bath towels are so small--54 inches. I like bath sheets --approx 70 ins and they are rarely available or ridiculously expensive. Anyone know where to find them?

Try Lands End supima bath sheets. They are big, soft and absorbent. If you don't like them, they will take them back. LE's return policy is excellent.

The regular Lands End towels are also larger than most.

Mrs. GB, I'm pretty sure I got my spikey balls from Amazon. They're called Blue Balls. *eye roll* but they get laundry dry and soft without the icky feel of fabric softener. And they're truly amazing with down-filled things. For tha alone, they're worth having.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/?ie=UTF8&k=Household+Essentials

We use a cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. It seems to soften just about as well, with no odor or residue.

elsie said:
We use a cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. It seems to soften just about as well, with no odor or residue.

How is it for static electricity? Same question regarding the "blue balls." (srsly?????)

I no longer shock myself, thanks to my (ahem) blue balls. I've only been using them since this spring, but they've really eliminated static electricity. The real test will be this winter, when there's no humidity in the air.

Peggy, I have seen some socks clinging to towels with the vinegar, but no significant static electricity.

I just read the title of this thread as "I hate buying vowels". If that part of the business was still in operation, I would have recommended going to (Wheel of) Fortunoff's for towels.

jasper said:
I just read the title of this thread as "I hate buying vowels". If that part of the business was still in operation, I would have recommended going to (Wheel of) Fortunoff's for towels.

LMAO!

BTW, I was shopping on a web site called Uncommon Goods today, and I found several versions of the dryer balls (blue and otherwise). The ones I ended up buying are made of wool, felted over and over and over until they become dense balls, about the size of tennis balls. They are said to be excellent for softening and reducing static, so I'm looking forward to trying them. They also last for something like 500 washes.

I'll post back after I try them!