How long do your towels last?

[kalanamak]

I don't mean to the ragged end, but until you see there is some fray and fading.

 

I bought some closeout towels at BloodBath&Beyond and calculate I have washed each one about 300 times. They started getting very tired looking the last month or so. Is this typical?

 

(I'm asking if there is a MUCH better return for buying full-price name-brand towels.)

[Mrs Mungo]

I would say that is typical. I have a bunch of towels, so they get washed about once a week. They last about 5-6 years.

[myfunnybunch]

A friend of mine bought me full-price department store towels when I left my ex 14 years ago. I replaced the towels last year because they were fading and starting to fray a bit at the edges. They are still absorbent and feel thick, though they are not as cushy soft as they used to be. And they were not show towels, either. They were used often.

 

I haven't had any other towels that have lasted as long or held up as well.

 

Cat

[Mergath]

I'm still using some of the same towels I had in college. :D They're getting a bit worn out, but we're not picky. Plus we each use our own towel for a week before washing it. I mean, you're clean when you use it, so I've never understood using it once and then washing it.

[Jennifer3141]

I buy new toels for everyone every year or year and a half. They start looking tired and then they become cat and dog towels. :)

[Pink Fairy]

Wow, you guys get a lot of wear out of your towels! We wash ours every couple of days, so they only last a year or so. I've always thought I do something wrong, though, because they get that horrible mildewy smell before they start looking bad. I've tried hanging them outside to dry, and using a dryer sheet in the dryer, but no luck.

[Shellers]

My kids are still using towels I had when I was a kid (I'm 42). None of our towels are in new condition but they work so we keep using them. The majority of my towels are 5 - 20 years old.

 

I wash dirty clothes and towels everyday. We don't re-run towels.

Edited November 6, 2011 by Shellers

[chepyl]

We use towels for a few days befote washing. We have a lot of towels! We got them all as wedding presents nearly 11 years ago. They are still looking good and are pretty fluffy.

 

Sometimes they get a mildew smell, I put a cup of bleach in the wash. They smell clean amd It brightens them up a bit too.

[DaffodilDreams]

Mine were wedding gifts, so we've had them 16 years. They still look and feel great. They are a dept store brand.

[RoughCollie]

The towels I bought 6 years for $5 apiece, on sale at Penney's, are still in great shape.

 

The Lands End towels, which were more expensive, have not lasted as long in that condition.

[WeeBeaks]

We got sets for our wedding (14 years ago) and those are what we are still using, still in good shape with no fraying.

[Mimmy]

My BBB towels are 10 years old. In the last few months DH has remarked that they need to be replaced. They are not fraying and don't have holes but are a bit faded and not so plush anymore.

[keptwoman]

Our towels that were wedding gifts started looking a bit ragged at about the 14 year mark. I think that ours last well because we don't use a dryer, I can imagine that would be harder on them than line drying.

[Ellie]

I have some that are over 15yo. They were from a store similar to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

 

I also have some I bought at Kohl's seven years ago, and they're still looking good.

[regentrude]

Some I had 20 years. Some 10 years. And some children's towels since my own childhood.

Clothes dryer is hard on fabric. We dry clothes on a clothesline and I am sure this contributes to the longevity.

[kalanamak]

I'm still using some of the same towels I had in college. :D They're getting a bit worn out, but we're not picky. Plus we each use our own towel for a week before washing it. I mean, you're clean when you use it, so I've never understood using it once and then washing it.

 

Where I live, 9 months of the year that would mean mold. If I remember to pop them right in the drier, I'm fine, but I haven't trained the boys to do that, yet.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

pretty typical I'd say....I usually end up going through the towels once a year and replace as many as I need to (usually end up giving ragged ones for dh for gun-cleaning)......

[KungFuPanda]

I just started replacing all of our wedding present towels last year. I've been married 18 years and I've had a dryer for 17 of those years. We use towels several times before washing them. They were thick, but not too thick to dry between showers. I've never had a mildew-smell issue with them. I've washed them in the same top-loader machine for the last 18 years.

[Pretty in Pink]

I replace our towels annually. I buy large, fluffy towels on sale at department stores or TJMaxx. I buy enough for each person to have one towel so they get washed twice per week. They last about a year before the seams start coming undone around the edges.

[ZooRho]

I have had some towels since our wedding that still get used 26 years later. I have at various times bought some for the boys.

There are some that have worn better than others.

 

The better thing is though that we use to help run the neighborhood pool, Goodness some people loose some really nice towels.

 

Oh I only wash towels about once a week too.

[Puma Mom]

Most of our towels are from Lands End. The kids' towels (each has his/her own color) are 14 years old, and still look great. The only reason dh and I are using different ones than the ones I bought for us 14 years ago is that we moved and our bathroom colors changed.

[Susan in TN]

Wow, you guys get a lot of wear out of your towels! We wash ours every couple of days, so they only last a year or so. I've always thought I do something wrong, though, because they get that horrible mildewy smell before they start looking bad. I've tried hanging them outside to dry, and using a dryer sheet in the dryer, but no luck.

 

Put white vinegar in the softener dispenser of your washing machine. That should take care of the smell. Works great for clothes worn on Boy Scout backpacking trips as well :tongue_smilie:.

 

Oh, and almost all our towels are 20 years old - all gifts for our wedding (nice department store quality) except for one that I bought when we were selling our house and another that we accidentally brought home from a vacation rental. Many are getting shredded around the edges and very worn, so for Christmas everyone is getting bath towels. :)

Edited November 7, 2011 by Susan in TN

[FairyMom]

Our towels are almost 19 years old. We registered for them at Dillards in late 1992 right before we got married. I haven't bought towels since (except for baby towels). Wow. Now I'm feeling old... :lol:

[momma2boys]

Sams Club has great towels.

[jhschool]

Our towels are between new and 15 years old.

 

The only nasty ragged one is the 15 year old one.

 

The a few years old (6 years old maybe) are pretty fine.

 

The 1 year old ones are perfect, like new.

 

We wash after each use and we have a lot--like 20 towels.

[Soror]

We have some dh bought before we married, so using for 12+ yrs now and the still all look great. No fraying, etc, I believe he bought from Penney's and probably the best they had. I don't wash my towels daily maybe a few times a week.

[Home_s_Cool]

The ones we received as wedding presents 22 years ago - most were from JC Penneys - lasted 15 years, maybe.

 

I bought kid towel sets from Lands End - the white ones with appliques and their name - those are still useable and it's been 8 years.

 

The ones I've bought at Target - are not wearing as well after 2 years - but still usable.

[kewb]

I have not bought towels since we got married, All my towels are about 19 years old. The majority of them still look great. There are a handful that are starting to really show their age. And 2 towels that I have been seriously considering replacing but they still work so I don't.

 

Beach towels, otoh, those get replaced every few years. Except for the ones that I have had when I was a kid. Those are still going strong.

[LaxMom]

We use towels for a few days befote washing. We have a lot of towels! We got them all as wedding presents nearly 11 years ago. They are still looking good and are pretty fluffy.

 

Sometimes they get a mildew smell, I put a cup of bleach in the wash. They smell clean amd It brightens them up a bit too.

 

Us too. The dark purple ones are probably not as dark as they were new, but they get bleached occasionally. (they're still eggplant colored, but not as deep) Otherwise, there are no obvious signs of wear. Compare those to lower end towels purchased between our wedding (in March 2000) and now, and there is obvious thinning of the cheaper ones.

[beaners]

 

Sometimes they get a mildew smell, I put a cup of bleach in the wash. They smell clean amd It brightens them up a bit too.

 

I do this also. Unfortunately my husband once volunteered to put the towels in the wash for me. I told him I just put in a little bit. He put in more than a little bit, and right onto the towels themselves. All of our towels have bleach spots now. We don't have "guest" towels, which is fine with me. I don't have room to store towels that we don't even use for ourselves!

[LostSurprise]

The really good (expensive) ones from Penneys lasted @10 years before unraveling and developing holes. The Egyptian cotton were worse (they lasted 7 years or so) than the others.

 

We have ones we got from Target 2 and 5 years ago. The 5 years ago ones are still very plush but they unraveled terribly. The 2 years ago ones we still use.

 

I have 2 towels that I bought from Walmart in 1991 for college. They aren't plush (weren't then either) but they haven't unraveled or developed holes. They're pink so I use them in the kitchen for spills (I'm the only female around here).

 

I wash towels multiple times a week. I can't get dh to remember to multi-use. He'll hang the up and forget the next day. He'll even get beach towels out instead of getting the one hanging up.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I'll join the crowd, we still use the towels we got for our wedding 20 years ago, have not bought any since, these are still nice and thick and we have had no problems with them. I assume they came from Penny's or Macy's someplace like that . I wash them weekly.

[nrg]

So, I am ready to buy towels after the benzoil peroxide towel-buying moratorium. Who makes the best, most long lasting towels? Land's End is usually my go to, but someone posted above that their towels raveled. Thaks for your help.

[chepyl]

Most of ours car from bed bath and beyond, a few from Penny's. All have lasted equally well.

[Wabi Sabi]

We bought new towels when we moved into this house 4 years ago. Within 6 months the ends were fraying (Martha Stewart brand from K-Mart). However, the actual towels themselves are still thick and have no wear. It's just the ends that don't seem to have been sewn properly.

 

That being said, we're still using them, LOL. I just trim all of the loose threads from the unraveling edges as needed.

[Lady Florida.]

Our wedding towels came from JC Penney, and lasted about 10 years before they started to fray. We replaced them with plush towels from Target almost 8 years ago. They still look good, and get washed about twice a week.

 

 

I've always thought I do something wrong, though, because they get that horrible mildewy smell before they start looking bad. I've tried hanging them outside to dry, and using a dryer sheet in the dryer, but no luck.

 

I had that problem and it turned out to be the laundry detergent (Arm & Hammer). Like you, I tried everything, even vinegar. Once I stopped using that brand, the towels stopped getting smelly.

[Slone07]

My favorite towels came from Costco. Their Turkish line, I believe. I looked just now and cannot find the color that we purchased, so hopefully they're the same, but with different colors. Best towels I've ever purchased. Were so thick and fluffy that I couldn't wrap my hair up in them (which is fine, I use an Aquis microfiber turban instead). Super absorbent, too. After a few years, they were getting stiffer than they were soft and losing their absorbency. I discovered that I was using way too much Tide and Downy on them. Halved the detergent and used vinegar for a rinse aide and softener every other wash and they are just like new again.

[twoxcell]

My towels are all pretty scary. Most of them came from our wedding 9.5 years ago.:lol: My mom gave me some fluffy pink ones she didn't want 1-2 years ago and they didn't stay fluffy long at all.