Bath Towel Guide
There are many places to find towels, but how do you find the best towels for the best price? From super small hand towels to massive absorbent bath towels, you want a towel that will dry quickly, has a plush feel, is fluffy, and comes in various sizes.
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What are towels? Bath towels are sheets of material used for drying off after a bath or shower. They come in a huge range of different styles, sizes and materials. Read our handy guide to find out more information and become an expert in buying towels. |
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What makes a good bath towel? A great towel should be soft and have good absorbency qualities! You might come across some cheap towels in shops or online, but they won’t give you a great experience compared to spending a bit more on some more luxurious towels. |
When you buy a towel you want it to be a quality piece. Find products that have long-staple cotton, which create a stronger and smoother feeling, as well as single-strand yarns, to minimize damage. Aside from the cloth, you will be looking at the material if the towel is designed to be lightweight, able to absorb shock and other factors like length of loops, double sided edges, sustainability, care for and cleaning.
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Care and cleaning Over time towels can become contaminated and moldy. It’s wise to wash towels on a regular basis and have several in rotation at a time to stop over usage on a small number of towels. If possible air dry outside after washing. |
The weight of the towel (GSM) It’s likely a common thing for someone who uses different towels to see differences in weight. This depends on the towel’s weight per square meter. The higher the GSM, the higher the weight and usually the better the absorbency. |
Thickness & Absorbency It is not always possible that towels’ thickness can be directly related to their capacity to absorb water. Although the GSM indicates total absorbency, the fabric dictates the drying speed and the feel when using the towel. |
The Size of the Towel There are various towel sizes, from more miniature hand-sized towels to large bath towels and “bath sheets”. Most people like to have towels in multiple sizes for multiple uses. For the largest look for bath sheets. |
What to look out for when buying new bath towels?
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Is it good quality? |
What material is made from? |
How soft is it? |
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Is it the right size? |
How heavy is it? |
Is the towel good at absorbing water? |
Different types of towel material
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With various types of towels available, it can be challenging to know what material is suitable for you. Cotton is traditionally the most popular towel material, but there are varying differences between different types of cotton; for example, Egyptian and Turkish cotton give you soft and comfy towels with excellent absorbency. |
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The go-to option for comfort and affordability, cotton towels are natural and free of chemicals. Cotton is a breathable material with fibres allowing air to pass through, making it great at absorbing water whilst not irritating the skin. Advantages:
Disadvantages:
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Polyester Towels Whilst not the softest or the most absorbent, the biggest benefit of polyester towels is their faster drying time. Advantages:
Disadvantages:
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Microfibre towels Advantages:
Disadvantages:
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Raycon/viscose towels Advantages
Disadvantage
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Nylon Towels Advantages:
Disadvantages:
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How to stop fluffing coming off towels.
Buying new towels and the fluff coming off isn’t ideal. There are practical steps you can take to limit the amount of fluff that falls of towels.
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Freezing new towels or leaving them to soak in cold water for 24 hours can help reduce the amount of fluff that comes off. Complete this then wash and dry. |
Before using them, try washing with baking soda, vinegar or a combination of them both. Adding a cup of vinegar and baking soda can help your new towels become more resistant and anti-shedding. |
Don’t mix with other fabrics when washing. You don’t want towels rubbing against materials like denim and others in the machine, causing friction and will increase wear and tear. |
Use multiple towels. Ideally you want to be using about five towels in rotation to stop them from degrading too quickly. |
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Nothing is better for drying fabrics than being in the fresh air under the sun (be careful not to leave them too long as sometimes the sun can affect the colour of the towels. Drying towels outside provides the most natural drying process. Tumble drying is efficient, but it can cause the fibres to fray. |
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What’s the best GSM for towels?
GSM measures the weight of a towel, and the higher the GSM, the thicker and heavier the towel will be and more likely will absorb water more accessible. Generally speaking, towels with a higher GSM are of better quality. The more weight the fabric and the shorter the knot it will carry”. Standard GSM coverage ranges between 300 and 900; the higher the counts, the thick the towels. Having a low GSM does not mean poor quality, but towels are not super fluffy.
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Low GSM towels: 100-250 |
Medium GSM towels: 300-450 |
Higher GSM towels: 500-700 |
What sizes do bathroom towels come in?
You should also know the measurements because it’s an important thing to think about when buying towels!
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Face towels: 30cm x 30cm |
Bath Towel: 70cm x 140cm |
Queen Towel: – 76cm x 143cm |
Bath Sheet: – 90cm x 160cm |
Jumbo towel: 100 x 200cm |
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Face Towels – 30cm x 30cm Face towels are essential for your morning routine, and they help keep the skin clean and keep it in perfect condition. That’s assuming you use one a day, of course. |
Hand towels 45cm x 65cm These are often white (available in many colours) and small! They’re perfect for drying your hands after washing them in the kitchen or bathroom. |
Queen bath towels 76 x 143cm These are the most common towels. They’re not too small and not large, the perfect size for drying your whole body after a shower/bath. |
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Large Bath towels 90cm x 160cm These are for people who want to feel like they’re in the spa all the time and are perfect for larger bodies! They’re noticeably larger than the average towel and usually thick. If you’re going to wrap yourself up after a bath/shower thoroughly, these are perfect. |
Jumbo bath towels 100cm x 200cm If you want a towel that you can wrap around your entire body or wants a more oversized towel, these are for you! They’re humongous and are usually referred to as bath sheets and are perfect as beach towels too. |
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What is a waffle bath towel? Waffle bath towels look a bit different from traditional towels, which can give you a SPA-like experience. They are just like a regular towel, but they look like they’ve come out of a waffle press. The tiny crevices help the towels to have several benefits; |
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Super absorbent |
Fast to dry |
They exfoliate |
Easy to store |
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How to keep new towels looking their best: Towel care is vital to note when using your new towels because they won’t last as long if you don’t give them the proper care. Remember to always dry on low heat and try not to use fabric softener as it makes them fall apart way faster than expected! |
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Why are Egyptian cotton towels so popular? For many years now, Egyptian cotton has been known as one of the best quality cotton’s available to buy. Cotton is grown widely worldwide, but it always seems Egyptian cotton is what we want when buying our towels, bedsheets, and more. We’ve all heard about Egyptian cotton, but why is an Egyptian cotton bath towel considered better than other cotton types? This is all to do with the fibres used to create the cotton, and they are much longer than in other cotton, meaning they have more strength. More threads can be used when creating the fabric, which makes it denser. |
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This helps an Egyptian cotton towel to:
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Feel more luxurious |
Have more strength |
Feel lighter |
Absorb more liquids |
No piling |
How to wash bath towels
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Wash with similar colours |
Wash between 30-60°C (check the label) |
Limit fabric conditioner use (they make the towels less absorbent) and don’t use the first few times. |
On colours, try to use no added bleach detergent to retain the colour for longer. |
Avoid using a fabric conditioner the first few times you wash new towels. |
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Turn on the washing machine and add the recommended amount of your favourite detergent. It is best to avoid fabric softener as this can reduce the towels absorbency. Do not overload your washing machine, and ensure you have enough room for the towel rotation cycle. Once complete, remove the towels and rinse thoroughly. It must be noted that once wet towels do get quite heavy, so it’s best not to put too many towels in the washing machine. We’d recommend just washing two to three towels at a time, with that being either two larger towels or three smaller towels for average-sized washing machines. If your machine is larger than the standard (so say around 8kg+), you might get away with doing a few more. For best results, dry your towels on a clothesline, which will help them maintain their fluffy texture and natural softness. |
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What’s the difference between Egyptian cotton towels and Turkish cotton towels? Egyptian cotton is made from fine-textured long-staple cotton fibres. It is renowned for its exceptional strength, durability and quality. Turkish cotton refers to the spinning yarn used to weave towels and is exclusively grown in Turkey. |
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What’s the best way to store bath towels? If you wish to store your towels for long periods, it is best to fold them in half. Some people like to roll them up; others prefer to fold them up; it’s all about fitting them into the space you want. Also, ideally, store your towels outside the bathroom; because of the amount of moisture present, they’ll stay better quality and fresher away from the bathroom. |
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How many bath towels do you need? Take into consideration how to combine towels and the choice of matching sets. The towel bales are a cost efficient package which typically offers 2 face towels, two hand towels and 2 baths. If your bathroom sheets need a larger size you need an individual towel. You have to ensure that everyone has 2 towels to clean while the other is in the wash. Hand towel size is limited to 1 per room, and always carry plenty of towels of any size. |
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What is the best bath towel colour? White towels give the bathroom an elegant and luxurious appearance that matches any colour scheme, dark or bright and are a popular choice. However they can be a magnet for attracting dirt and obviously show dirt easier than say blue or black towels. If you use your towels often and smear make up on them or you’re playing sports and getting filthy, darker colours are a better option. |
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What to do with old towels? You can quickly turn a towel into a dish towel or cleaning cloth when a towel has passed its days, or it can be convenient to have a few old battered towels on hand just in case, for example, if you need to unplug the washing machine. When water leaks, it needs soaking up; old towels are perfect for this. |
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