How To Wash Towels

Following these simple tips will help to preserve your bath towels for years to come:

Initial Wash Of New Towels:

Have you ever noticed that brand new towels never seem absorb water?  It is because new towels have a waxy coating left on the cotton fibers from the manufacturing process. This coating causes the towel to repel water instead of absorbing water. While the new towel feels silky-soft, the feeling fades after a few washes and the towel finally will soon start to absorb water as it was designed to. Instead of waiting several washes for the towel to fully be absorbent, we recommend following this process for all new towels as the initial wash prior to use.

• Step One: Wash your towels in hot/warm water (not scalding) with one cup of white distilled vinegar.  

• Step Two: Run a second time with only a half-cup of baking soda.                    

Do not add laundry detergent to either wash and do not dry towels with fabric softer sheets. You will notice that your towel feels especially clean once the waxy coating has been stripped from the towels and will be absorbent from the first use.

Towel Wash Process:

After the initial wash has been done, we recommend the following process for all future towel washes:

• Set the wash machine to include a cold pre-soak and using a mild liquid detergent. As the wash basin is filling, be sure to fully unfold your towels.

• Do not pour detergent directly onto the towels; rather, add it to the water as the wash tub fills, or dilute detergent with water and then add the towels. Unless the towels are very soiled, you need only use half the recommended amount of detergent.

• Never use fabric softener with any towels, as it coats and weakens the natural fibers. Your towels will continue to soften naturally with frequent use and additional washes.

• Never use chlorine bleach with any towels as it also weaken natural fibers and may cause them to yellow. If towels do require bleaching, we recommend using an oxygen-based bleach.

• Avoid launderingtowels with other items, especially those containing polyester, and items made of heavy material, rivets, buttons, zippers, etc., as these can pull threads, damage fibers and causing pilling to occur on the towels.

• Do not overload the washing machine, as this can cause unnecessary abrasion and tear the towel.

• Dry towels on a high setting for the first 20 minutes and then change the setting to medium heat for the remainder needed. Do not add any dryer sheets as doing so will cause a wax coating to be distributed throughout the towel and the towel will not be as absorbent as is should be.

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