May I ask a really dumb (but important to me) question about towels? Advice needed.

[Michelle in MO]

I bought some really good towels, on sale, about six months ago (probably for a January white sale), from a catalog. (I don't like shopping in malls!) These towels were for my girls' bathroom; they really needed towels, and I figured since they were older they could take care of them fairly well. The sale price, including some shipping coupons, etc., brought the towels down to a decent price. (BTW, they're green.)

 

At any rate, within a week or so of using the towels, they started developing yellow spots in places. I asked my kids, "What are you doing with these towels?" Well---after trying to figure it out, I honestly couldn't think of anything that they were doing wrong with the towels, except that they might occasionally have a little soap on their hands or bodies while drying off, or might have a little saline solution (for contacts) on their hands while wiping them off.

 

I called the company and explained the problem to them. I asked if getting a little soap or saline solutions on the towels should bleach them yellow. They said, No---that shouldn't happen. They agreed to take the towels back and replace them. Oh---I should mention that I was very careful to use a good laundry detergent like Cheer; it has something called Color Guard which is not supposed to bleach or fade your laundry. I also followed directions for washing the towels (i.e., cool water).

 

At any rate, they sent a new batch of towels; different color of green, but OK with me. A few spotted here and there, but nothing bad, so I ignored it.

 

Now they're getting some major spots on them, like huge yellow stains, some of them obviously from drying off heads or hands. I don't think we use any shampoos or soaps that have hydrogen peroxide or other bleaching agents in them.

 

So---what should I do?

 

* Chalk it up to experience: never buy decent towels for your kids, because they'll inevitably get ruined?

 

* Call the company again and tell them about the problem?

 

* Try to get my money back, or try to return the towels again?

 

* Another option?

 

I hate to post about something like this, but I could use some friendly advice. For the life of me I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong that is ruining these towels. Shouldn't regular bath towels be able to handle a little bit of wear and tear, i.e., a little soap or shampoo on them?

 

If this is the best I can do with decent towels, I think I'll go back to Target or Wal-Mart and get some cheaper ones. Maybe they won't stain!

[Danestress]

I bought nice towels for all the kids for Christmas one year - from Lands End, monogramed for each boy. Within a month, they all had bleached spots. I could not figure out what was happening for ages.

 

Apparently, my son was putting acne medication on his face and then wiping his hands (or maybe even the face?) on the towels. That stuff is lethal to towels!

[Brenda in FL]

I bought nice towels for all the kids for Christmas one year - from Lands End, monogramed for each boy. Within a month, they all had bleached spots. I could not figure out what was happening for ages.

 

Apparently, my son was putting acne medication on his face and then wiping his hands (or maybe even the face?) on the towels. That stuff is lethal to towels!

 

Yes, I was going to ask if they are using products with benzoyl peroxide - because that will bleach towels and sheets as well.

[Mom2boys]

I am having the same problem with my navy blue towels and can't figure out the source either! I thought maybe my bathroom cleaner was accidentally getting on the towels when I clean the counter tops or shower, but I can't figure out how. I'm hoping someone can solve this mystery for both of us.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

You know, this happened to me too. I had gotten new towels (not super fancy ones, probably from Wal-Mart or K-Mart). They were better ones from there though, nice and thick. My sister and a co-worker came here to stay while taking a course for work. They both have contacts. After they left, the brand new hand towels had spots on them! I wonder if it has anything to do with their solutions? Hmmm, not the towels, but what are on the hands that are wiped on the towels perhaps!

[newbie]

I bought nice towels for all the kids for Christmas one year - from Lands End, monogramed for each boy. Within a month, they all had bleached spots. I could not figure out what was happening for ages.

 

Apparently, my son was putting acne medication on his face and then wiping his hands (or maybe even the face?) on the towels. That stuff is lethal to towels!

 

 

It just might be your bathing products. Shampoos or soaps, if its not acne products. And yes, if good company they should return them, they need to know their towels are bad.

 

Jet

[Michelle in MO]

using an acne medicine and wiping her hands on the towels, and I knew that that would bleach the towels, so she was very careful to get out an old towel and wipe her hands on that.

 

So, everything was fine for a while, but one of my girls recently grabbed a bath towel and wiped herself off after her shower. There were several large, yellowish stains, like "head sized", after that! Could it be our shampoo? It's a good brand of shampoo---I'll check the ingredients, but it's possible. It was the same thing with a hand towel. We use that Dial foaming pump soap, which seems to be just regular----soap. So, if the kids wash their hands and have a little left on their hands (you know how kids are), should that bleach the towels?

 

Still---why should I be having these problems with a little soap or shampoo?

 

I almost feel like I want to put a sign on the bathroom that says, "These towels are here just to make the bathroom look pretty. If you need to dry off your body or your hands, please use the old set in the corner."

 

What's the deal?

[newbie]

The sign is a good idea. I have pretty towels and daily towels. But yes, soaps and shampoos that are not all natural can carry all kinds of nasty stuff.

 

I would experiment with all natural for a little while. Just might be the ticket.

 

That reminds me of sis, the other day her boyfriend said quit cleaning with those chemicals, my lungs are burning. And I asked, why dont you buy all natural and she said if she cant smell that bleach smell, she doesnt think its clean. I chuckled.

 

Jet

[karensk]

I hate to post about something like this, but I could use some friendly advice. For the life of me I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong that is ruining these towels. Shouldn't regular bath towels be able to handle a little bit of wear and tear, i.e., a little soap or shampoo on them?

 

If this is the best I can do with decent towels, I think I'll go back to Target or Wal-Mart and get some cheaper ones. Maybe they won't stain!

 

I talked to someone who's worked for years in the linens department of a department store about this. She told me that there is a range of quality for the dyes used in towels (and sheets and clothes). The cheaper dyes start coming out after several washings and make your colored towels look splotchy. The more expensive dyes don't lose their intensity/vividness and don't turn splotchy from uneven fading, even after years of washing. This isn't an issue for white towels, of course.

 

I asked her what brands use the more expensive dyes, and she said Polo Ralph Lauren and Hotel brand at Macy's. I've never tried Hotel brand, but I have a set of deep sunny yellow R. Lauren towels from 1985 that still look as vivid as when I got them, no splotchiness and no warped edges (poorly made towels get warped and crooked on the ends where the hem is), and its been through hundreds of washings.

 

I've now started noticing that some clothing fabrics fade more quickly than others, making the clothing look old & worn out (and not in a good way) after just a few washings.

 

HTH!

[Michelle in MO]

I talked to someone who's worked for years in the linens department of a department store about this. She told me that there is a range of quality for the dyes used in towels (and sheets and clothes). The cheaper dyes start coming out after several washings and make your colored towels look splotchy. The more expensive dyes don't lose their intensity/vividness and don't turn splotchy from uneven fading, even after years of washing. This isn't an issue for white towels, of course.

 

I sometimes wonder if this isn't what's happening. The towels were from Restoration Hardware---after all the coupons, sale prices, etc., they were affordable. I would think they would use a better dye! I may call them and ask them. I'm a little embarrassed to ask them to take the towels back after six months.

 

Newbie, I'll check the labels on the shampoo bottles. It's a good brand of shampoo, and doesn't seem like it would be full of harsh chemicals, but I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip!

[battlemaiden]

What about sunscreen? That stuff has messed up plenty of my shirts, perhaps it messes up towels?

[karensk]

Just wanted to add that the bright yellow towels I mentioned have been in a household with kids (who don't always rinse off all the soap), contact lens users, and hair product users (gels, mousse, etc., from the pump-up-the-volume days). So I don't think the color has to be affected by these things.

[elegantlion]

I sometimes wonder if this isn't what's happening. The towels were from Restoration Hardware---after all the coupons, sale prices, etc., they were affordable. I would think they would use a better dye! I may call them and ask them. I'm a little embarrassed to ask them to take the towels back after six months.

 

Newbie, I'll check the labels on the shampoo bottles. It's a good brand of shampoo, and doesn't seem like it would be full of harsh chemicals, but I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip!

 

I wonder if Restoration Hardware buys towels with some sort of organic dyes? Would that make a difference? Only a thought, I didn't know if those would fade more quickly.

[Mamagistra]

It's not a dumb question at all. I'm no help because I only have white towels at the moment. :tongue_smilie: I would, however, contact the company.

 

It's truly disheartening that so many of the things we buy are of such poor or unpredictable quality. :glare:

[serene]

can cause these 'bleach' spots on towels and linens.

 

Perhaps that is your culprit?

[DB in NJ]

I bought nice towels for all the kids for Christmas one year - from Lands End, monogramed for each boy. Within a month, they all had bleached spots. I could not figure out what was happening for ages.

 

Apparently, my son was putting acne medication on his face and then wiping his hands (or maybe even the face?) on the towels. That stuff is lethal to towels!

 

This would be my guess too because it's happened here to our navy blue towels. both ds and dd have been using acne meds, and it bleaches the towels something AWFUL! If they wash their faces then wipe them on the towels or, especially this: they put the meds on their face then wipe their hands on the towel -- WITHOUT WASHING THEM FIRST! Grrrrrrr....

[Michelle in MO]

It's not a dumb question at all. I'm no help because I only have white towels at the moment. :tongue_smilie: I would, however, contact the company.

 

It's truly disheartening that so many of the things we buy are of such poor or unpredictable quality. :glare:

 

considering that they're not cheap nowadays! Yes, I got them on sale, etc., but they still cost $$$. I should go to all white, right? :D

 

Paula, I wondered the same thing about the dyes---maybe the dyes are just not that strong. You would think they would design towels to go through a family, right?

 

I think I've finally gotten my kids past the "wipe the mouth off on the towel after brushing teeth" stage.

 

I almost feel like if we want nice towels, we shouldn't ever use them! :mad:

 

It's a stupid thing to be bothered about. My rant is over. I think I'll call the company and at least tell them about it, and then perhaps resign myself that, as long as I live, my towels will look crummy. :001_smile:

[Holly IN]

:001_huh::001_huh:

 

I never had problems like that with my towels so this is a very interesting thread!! :D I buy towels from walmart and khols and never had the problem you guys are having. It has to be something you are using to wipe off the towel??

 

It can't be the dyes or the cost factors.

 

This is a mystery that boggles me. Wow!

 

Holly

[CactusPair]

I thought this thread was fascinating! I never had a problem like that either. I use really junky towels or the ones hanging around from my wedding shower a billion years ago.

 

I'd be really disappointed and get my $ back. Or get yellow towels so the yellow spots don't show:D Or maybe yellow towels would spot white or even green!:001_smile:

 

Very interesting.

[Tap]

A few things have happened here over the years

 

Acne products-face washes or topical treatments (could be a friend who stayed over too)

Anti aging face lotions

Lotions that have alpha-hydroxy or retinol

tooth whitening products

gel deodorants ( I have had shirts beached by Mitchum and Almay)

vinegar can be hard on some dyes but I would expect a more gradual fade.

 

Swimming pools can be a major problem too.

 

 

Do you use cleaners in the shower, on the counter or floors? If you don't rinse the area after use, when the kids get the spot wet again, the chemicals can reactivate and cause the bleaching.

 

Do you wash towels after a load of whites? or do you throw cleaning rags on top of the good towels in a load of laundry or in a hamper?

 

 

I agree about Ralph Lauren towels being very color fast. We have some swimming towels that are RL and they still look good after being in heavy chlorine.

 

Good luck figureing it out,

 

I have green towels with orange spots after I acidentally added bleach to them about 2 mths after I bought them. :0) so I know the beutiful color combination your talking about!

 

Tap

[Parrothead]

I'd contact the company again. They may not take the towels back after so long, but they might want to know what is happening to their product.

 

As to the possible cause, I've got nothing to contribute. I've never had that kind of problem. I get my towels at J.C. Penney during the white sale.

[Vida Winter]

and as a result a bunch of our towels (and sheets) got bleached in spots. I use the stuff myself, so I'm as much to blame as anyone. I only buy white towels now, Costco Kirkland brand has some a) very nice ones and b) super nice ones. Now when I go to buy sheets I'll only buy white or off white.

 

I guess bathroom cleaner could do this but I'd bet on the acne medicine. It's *hard* to wipe from your hands, you need to scrub it off and if you touch your face again, it's on your hands again. I had to bleach a whole set of monogrammed Lands End towels for my dd because of this problem.

[Nestof3]

It's probably toothpaste. This happened to my purple and green towels. I now use only white towels.