You bought a bath and hand towel and enjoyed its effectiveness for about four weeks after purchase, after that your towels stop feeling their best. Oh! How disappointing that is. – But relax as there is a right way to wash your towels to make them last longer.

How To Wash Towels To Make Them Last Longer?

When it comes to improving the longevity of your hand and bath towels, there are some things you need to have in mind and put to practice. The way you wash, and how often you wash your towel, the washing machine you use, the amount of detergent, and more goes a long way to helping your luxury bath towels last longer.

Below are the helpful washing tips to keep your high-quality hand and bathroom towels feeling and looking new after many months of use:

11 simple but helpful washing tips to make your towels last longer

1. After purchase, wash the towels before use – this is a tip that most people don’t take seriously. You hit the store, bought a bath and hand towel, and the next morning you start using it. Apart from the fact that it isn’t good for your health, it may take a toll on your towel too. When you bring your bath towels home, the first step to take if you want to maximize their efficiency is to wash them. The finish of most towels blocks absorbency but washing your bath and hand towels will help open up their fiber and improve the absorbency.

2. Use the proper amount of detergent with vinegar - do you remember the saying “too much of everything is bad”? Yeah! Too much of detergent is bad and can affect the fibers of your towels. When you add excess detergent, the residue accumulates, and over time it will attract dirt and other contaminants, which can take a toll on the longevity and effectiveness of the bath and hand towels. If you want to wash your towel, we will encourage that you use half of the recommended amount of detergent. Then add ½ to 1 cup of vinegar to the water. This helps to remove the excess detergent and also set the colors of the towels.

3. Replace fabric softener and bleaching agent with vinegar – bleaching agent can destroy the color of your luxury bath towels and fabric softener causes waxy build-up that can improve the effectiveness of the fibers of your towels as time passes. So, don’t use them. Instead, make use of white vinegar. It will help you loosen the stiff fibers of your bath and hand towels to make it more absorbent and fluffy without losing their color.

4. Wash your towels in warm or hot water not very hot water – no doubt, hot water kills some bacteria and germs on your towel, you need to be very careful with the temperature of the water you use in washing your towels. Even though there are some top quality hand and bath towels that can survive cold, warm, and hot water during wash, you are encouraged to use warm water. Using very hot water can deteriorate your towel fibers and make it fade. But using warm water with help maintain the softness, durability, and absorbency, therefore, contributing to the towels longevity.

5. Use baking soda when washing – chemicals, dirt, grime, and other contaminants can also reduce the lifespan of your hand and bath towels. Using baking soda can help get rid the contaminants and musty odors and put your luxury cotton bath towels on the right path to longevity. Adding ½ to 1 cup of baking soda should help you get the job done.

6. Don’t wash your towel with other cloths – “my bath and hand towel has the same color and feel with my clothes so I can wash them together” of course, you can, but it is not advisable. Your towel may be at the receiving end. How do we mean? When you wash a cloth that bleeds with your towel, it can affect the color of your luxury soft towel by changing its color. Also, if you wash your towel together with cloths with hooks, pins, and other features that can pull the fibers, it can cause damage to your bath towel. So, the trick is simple. Give your towels their load! It will help you avoid stains from other cloths, hardware that can destroy fibers, and help you adjust the setting of your wash according to the towel.

7. Choose the perfect washing machine and right cycle setting – the type of washing machine you use, and the cycle selection can help keep your hand and bath towels looking their best. Washing machine with different cycle setting can be a good choice. The perfect cycle setting for your towels is a delicate cycle. This will help prevent ripping and stretching of the fibers. But if you think your luxury cotton bath towels need a stronger wash to get rid of dirt normal cycle setting should do. Additionally, we often encourage people to go for an ultrasonic washing machine such as Sonic Soak, because they are very gentle on towels, reduce and kill 99.9% of bacteria, and maintain the effectiveness of your towel.

8. Wash your towel at the right time – even though some high-quality luxury towels that will tell you when they need a wash, most towels don’t. To help make them last, you need to know when to wash them. So, when is the right time to wash your bath and hand towels? The best technique is to wash your towel every three days or at least once per week. Note that the perfect time to wash a towel may vary according to some factors.

9. Give your towels a shake – each time you wash your hand and bath towels, and you are taking them out of the washer, shake them out. It helps to keep their fiber fluffy, improve absorbency, and their luxury feels, and also makes them serve you longer than expected.

10. Wash many towels at once? No! – Don’t put too many hands and bath towels in the washing machine. Each time you want to wash your towels, group them according to color, size, decoration, or how dirty they are. When you lighten your load, you will be able to create enough room to rinse out all the dirt and detergent that can take a toll on the longevity of your luxury cotton bath towel.

11. Rinse the towel properly – when you are done washing your high-quality hand towels and bathroom towels ensure you rinse them thoroughly to get rid of detergent or soap residue. Use enough water, add ½ cup of white vinegar, rinse, remove the towel, dispense the water, and use another clean water to rinse the towel again.

How to Dry Your Towels to Improve Their Longevity

Knowing how to wash your towels is not enough to make them last longer. You must know how to dry them properly. There are two ways you can dry your bath and hand towels properly. You can either tumble dry them or hanging them to dry.

1. For tumble drying – once you have washed, rinsed, and shake your luxury soft towels properly, toss them in the dryer. Then set the temperature according to the material they are made of. Towels with fragile decorative trim and linen towels should be dried at a cool setting while cotton towels can be dried at high heat. However, we often encourage people to dry their towel at medium heat (cycle setting between cool setting and high heat setting). Drying your high-quality bath towels at high heat can damage the fiber and reduce their effectiveness and lifespan. Immediately the drying cycle finish and your towel are confirmed to be properly dry remove your towels fold, and store.

2. For line drying – this works for those without dryer. When you are done with the washing, as a usual, rinse and shake the towels, then wring the bath and hand towel to get rid of the excess water. Shake again and spread them out to dry. Don’t leave your towel out for the sun to beat down upon it constantly. It can harm the fiber. Also, don’t spread the towels on each other. Create a breathing space between towels. When the towels are dry, fold and store them as soon as possible.

Take note that buying quick dry cotton bath towels such as the Mizu towel made of Japanese cotton is the best decision you can make when purchasing a towel. They dry faster than an average towel. It means they don’t need too much heat to dry and also don’t need to stay longer in the dryer or the sun.

Fold Your Towels to Make Them Last Longer

Here is our recommended method to fold your bath and hand towels and make them serve you for long.

Look for a flat surface and lay your luxury bath towel on it.

Fold the longest side of your hand or bath towel in thirds

Now take the short side of the towel and fold it in half

Repeat the third step, and you should have a square shape

Then you can store it on the shelf

Some people want their towel rolled not folded. Below is how to go about it.

Form a square with your towel by folding the towel in half

Take one corner and fold it into the center of the square

Do the same thing for the opposite corner

Make the folded corners face down by flipping the towel

Tightly roll the towel from one end to another.

Storage Improves Longevity of Hand and Bath Towels

This may look or sound like it’s not important, but it does. How you store your bath and hand towels will tell on them and take a toll on how long they will last.

For your towel to last longer, you need to store them in your linen closet or basket in an organized way. Don’t overload the shelf or basket. Doing so can result in mildew, unpleasant odors, or wrinkling.

Also, when you store your towel, make sure the recently laundered ones are at the bottom of the stack. This will prevent you from overusing a towel. Additionally, let the towel outer edge face the front so you can easily remove it without damaging the fiber.

Other Tips That Can Help Make Your Towels Last Longer