Vent-teen ruining towels

[Moxie]

DS has his own set of towels because he can't seem to wash all the acne meds off his hands with soap and water. One of my good towels accidentally ended up in his bathroom and was destroyed in one morning despite me asking him 1.3 million times to not use my good towels. I love my son, I love my son, I love my son...

[MomatHWTK]

Trying to get all that stuff off is almost impossible, IMO. I've ruined our towels the same way. They are just pieces of fabric. I've just decided that when this phase of life is over, I'll buy new towels again. If you entertain guests and want nice towels for that purpose, you could always keep one set put away and don't allow anyone to use them. 

[FriedClams]

Teen can replace said towel. I wouldn't even have then give you money, but go shop for the towel. They're old enough to know better but lazy enough to push the boundary.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I'm just planing on new towels once they are done with the towel ruining acne meds. Ours are covered in bleached out spots from the benzoyl peroxide.

 

I like getting new towels, so I am excited really.

[marbel]

Trying to get all that stuff off is almost impossible, IMO. I've ruined our towels the same way. They are just pieces of fabric. I've just decided that when this phase of life is over, I'll buy new towels again. If you entertain guests and want nice towels for that purpose, you could always keep one set put away and don't allow anyone to use them. 

 

This.  We have had t-shirts and sheets ruined because it rubs off when the kid is sleeping.   It's not necessarily laziness or a lack of  proper hand-washing. 

 

We have guest towels and family towels.   The family towels have acne-med-bleaching, laundry-mistake-bleaching, charcoal-from-the-art-student stains, mom's-haircoloring-stains...  they still work; they are just not pretty.    

 

ETA:  I keep the guest towels in a separate place so no one can accidentally grab them.   I wouldn't expect anyone, even myself, to always remember which towels are off-limits if they are stored with the "regular" towels.  

Edited January 24, 2017 by marbel

[Hilltopmom]

I used those meds as an adult & ruined all my towels, even trying really hard not to.

[ktgrok]

Two words. White Towels. 

 

Costco has packs of 6 for $23 I think. I love those towels, they hold up well, are not fancy, but are white and can be bleached, etc. All my towels are white towels, to prevent issues. 

[alisoncooks]

"That's why we can't have nice things!"

:D

 

Yep. My pillowcase looks awful from the bp bleaching.  So does DD's pillowcase and sleep shirt. 

Can you keep your special towels in a place separate from his towels? (or if you already do that, then continue your mantra, LOL!)

[teachermom2834]

I understand but I will say that this is the exact sort of thing I have let go of with my teens and chalked up to the cost/inconvenience of raising teens. Those creatures with the mind and judgement of a child at times but the independence seeking nature of an adult mixed with plain old brain fog.  I would have been annoyed and likely said "Dude...you are supposed to leave my towels alone" and moved on.  

 

I really save it for the big stuff with my teens.  Everyone is happier and they are still turning out to be wonderful, responsible, and respectful young adults. 

 

Also, it is really hard to not ruin towels with the OTC acne treatment I use and I am generally conscientious.

 

But I agree it is super annoying!  I was really annoyed when I ruined my own new towels.

[Ailaena]

Holy. Cow. You people just rocked my world. I have some towels that have bleachy spots and I could never figure out what happened! I never keep bleach in the house, or any products containing bleach, and I just said hm, and let it go. It's been 5 or 6 years and I still have a couple of them.

 

Now I know I can blame my daughter :p

Edited January 24, 2017 by Ailaena

[wendyroo]

Two words. White Towels. 

 

Costco has packs of 6 for $23 I think. I love those towels, they hold up well, are not fancy, but are white and can be bleached, etc. All my towels are white towels, to prevent issues. 

 

:iagree:

 

I only buy white towels.

 

TMI, but a stomach bug has been making its way through the kids over the last week.  Several towels have ended up covered in ick and each time I can just pop them in the washer on hot with some bleach and they come out good as new.

 

Wendy

[Library Momma]

They do sell bleach resistant towels that seem to work well.  I was having the same issues with my daughter's acne medication and my mother picked up the towels for me about a year ago.  I believe she found them at Homegoods.

[regentrude]

Almost impossible to avoid. Not the teen's fault.

Focus on priorities. It's necessary medication, not sloppiness or laziness. A towel is a piece of fabric. Not worth making a fuss over.

If "good" towels are important, put them somewhere out of the teen's reach.

 

I don't use white towels, because they seem impossible to keep white without using bleach. I try to limit the household chemicals I use. No need for poison just to keep towels white.

Edited January 24, 2017 by regentrude

[clementine]

Yep, here too.  I only put the ruined towels in my dd's laundry basket for her to put away in her bathroom.  I keep the good ones for us and will put one in her bathroom if we have company.  

 

This too shall pass & I'm thinking one day I'll miss seeing those towels and they'll bring me memories of when that crazy teen still lived at home.  ?

 

Tell me that's true?  :lol:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

It's happened here,too. After three years of using the acne med bleached towels, I finally went and bought some new ones on Saturday. I'm keeping the bleached ones for when DS visits for Spring Break.

 

I don't fault my DS for the bleach marks. I had a break out and used DS's prescribed acne face wash in the shower and rinsed and rinsed and the towel I dried off with still ended up having a bleach stain on it. It was the size and shape of my forehead. Those washes and topicals are horrendous. 

It's just too bad we can't claim towels as a medical expense.

[Kassia]

Yep, towels, pillowcases, even the carpet in one of the bedrooms somehow.  I think they are/were all careful, but it just happened.  We did use white towels with my sons when they were teens.  Didn't with my dd and her towel has the bleach spots.  

[Guest]

It annoys me because it is one more thing I have to do. Now, if I want my downstairs towels to stay nice, I guess it is my job to fold and put away the towels so they don't end up in the kid's bathroom. Great. Because DS can't be bothered to notice that the gray towel shouldn't be on his counter. Fine. I'll add it to the list of shit I have to take care of.

[ktgrok]

Almost impossible to avoid. Not the teen's fault.

Focus on priorities. It's necessary medication, not sloppiness or laziness. A towel is a piece of fabric. Not worth making a fuss over.

If "good" towels are important, put them somewhere out of the teen's reach.

 

I don't use white towels, because they seem impossible to keep white without using bleach. I try to limit the household chemicals I use. No need for poison just to keep towels white.

 

Bleach actualy isn't poison....it is irritatin/cuastic, but not poison. I know...my dad once drank some by accident! He was a commercial fisherman and would fill empty bleach bottles with drinking water. One day, he grabbed the wrong bottle and chugged down some before realizing it! Fun times. He stopped using bleach bottles after that, lol. 

 

It breaks down into basically salt and water. It's industrial bleaching that uses the toxic stuff. That said, it is irritating to many people, as far as fumes and such. But very safe otherwise. 

[marbel]

Yep, here too.  I only put the ruined towels in my dd's laundry basket for her to put away in her bathroom.  I keep the good ones for us and will put one in her bathroom if we have company.  

 

This too shall pass & I'm thinking one day I'll miss seeing those towels and they'll bring me memories of when that crazy teen still lived at home.  ?

 

Tell me that's true?  :lol:

 

Of course it's true!   :lol:

 

I'm not there  yet, and I doubt I will miss the towels, but I can't bring myself to get  upset over it.   If a kid's acne is so severe that those strong medications are required, then... the kid is not happy with the way they look.   I'm not going to fret over some towels or harangue my kid about using the wrong ones.  In the big picture of stuff I have to take care of, keeping a few towels separate is a pretty small thing, imo.

[Guest]

It annoys me because it is one more thing I have to do. Now, if I want my downstairs towels to stay nice, I guess it is my job to fold and put away the towels so they don't end up in the kid's bathroom. Great. Because DS can't be bothered to notice that the gray towel shouldn't be on his counter. Fine. I'll add it to the list of shit I have to take care of.

KISS is helpful. (Keep it simple). No need to make extra work.

[Guest]

I've ruined towels that way - I took a shower and dried off, a day or two after I had last used benzoyl peroxide. It stays in your pores a LONG time. Not his fault IMO.

[Rebel Yell]

Teen can replace said towel. I wouldn't even have then give you money, but go shop for the towel. They're old enough to know better but lazy enough to push the boundary.

  

 

I am a "tough" mom who give a lot of natural consequences and will make teens pay, replace, or work in exchange for some careless mistakes. But this medicine is nearly impossible to fully rinse off, and I would never punish a child for a medical issue.

 

 

It annoys me because it is one more thing I have to do. Now, if I want my downstairs towels to stay nice, I guess it is my job to fold and put away the towels so they don't end up in the kid's bathroom. Great. Because DS can't be bothered to notice that the gray towel shouldn't be on his counter. Fine. I'll add it to the list of shit I have to take care of.

I know this was a vent post, but you didn't specify "JAWM" so...

yes, I agree that it is annoying and I sympathize. We actually only have one set of towels that are "guest worthy" and I got them at my wedding shower 23 years ago. We never used them because they are a sickly shade of pink and I hate them. All of our other towels are white, except for beach towels.

 

BUT when they are used for guests, if I don't get them out of the dryer fast enough and the girls are fishing in the laundry for bath towels, if this one is the first bath-sized towel they pull out they will use it. They are not lazy or anything else, they just want a towel and the status of "guest towel" is not even a thought for them.

 

And FWIW if a wrong color/ guest towel ended up in their bathroom counter, they would probably assume I demoted it to "family towel"

 

So yeah, if certain nicer kitchen or bath towels are important to me AND not a big deal to others then it kinda is my job to either fold and put away all towels or check on the work of those I delegate it to.

 

Same way I am THE ONLY ONE who sorts laundry... in either a rush or wishful thinking ;) too many people assume that "just one time" through the dryer won't hurt the drip-dry-only clothes. And maybe ONE time won't hurt them, but when "just one time" is every week, then it's a problem. Want the nice $60 bras that actually fit? Separate it and drip dry, or you're back to the $9 sport bra three packs at Walmart! Like those $60 dance leotards? DRIP FREAKIN DRY THEM!!! Like I said in response to the first post quoted, I would not replace items like that. But again, medical stuff like prescription creams... I'll deal with it the best I can.

 

And OP, I hope you find a solution that works, and may your son's face clear up quickly! :)

[Guest]

I've ruined towels that way - I took a shower and dried off, a day or two after I had last used benzoyl peroxide. It stays in your pores a LONG time. Not his fault IMO.

I get that the medicine is the culprit. But, this is his fault. He has a set of his own towels and this has been discussed many times. He knows that the gray towels go downstairs.

[MomatHWTK]

Well, what is it? A few more years and you won't have a teen in your house messing with your stuff, right? 

[Anne in CA]

Bleach actualy isn't poison....it is irritatin/cuastic, but not poison. I know...my dad once drank some by accident! He was a commercial fisherman and would fill empty bleach bottles with drinking water. One day, he grabbed the wrong bottle and chugged down some before realizing it! Fun times. He stopped using bleach bottles after that, lol. 

 

It breaks down into basically salt and water. It's industrial bleaching that uses the toxic stuff. That said, it is irritating to many people, as far as fumes and such. But very safe otherwise. 

I learn something new on the board every day!

[Jacbeaumont]

No matter how well I wash my hands I ruin towels. I now keep a special white towel to dry my face.

 

The worst is when I was a guest at someone's house over night. I ruined their beautiful hand towels. Yikes! They were pretty understanding, but I felt terrible.

 

Sent from my U9200 using Tapatalk

[ktgrok]

I learn something new on the board every day!

 

Yeah, bleach gets a bad rap!

[Denise in IN]

I get that the medicine is the culprit. But, this is his fault. He has a set of his own towels and this has been discussed many times. He knows that the gray towels go downstairs.

 

I get the frustration of not having the few things I'm trying to preserve as nice not taken care of by the teens. 

 

Perhaps I am the mean mom, but in this situation I would require him to pay for a new towel.  The issue is not the medication; the issue is his failure to pay attention to which towel he was using after it had been addressed repeatedly.  Teens are old enough to take some responsibility with these things.  I wouldn't make a big deal about it (okay, at least not after I expressed my great irritation upon finding the nice towel ruined!).  Just require payment, remind him of his responsibility, move on. 

 

Hope your day gets better from here!

[Moonhawk]

I'm sorry about your good towel! Despite the excitement of replacement, it still stinks in the meantime :\

 

I've switched over to using disposable face towels for taking off makeup, medicine, anything with pigment.  [My NY resolution is makeup everyday, it took me 2 days to go out and buy a new set of the disposable things]. All of our towels are white, for the express reason that we can bleach them to get rid of whatever, but I can't stand seeing smears of stuff in the meantime.  My pillowcase is also betraying that I take midday naps with makeup on, and it's driving me nuts. Again, all sheets in the house are white, but I can't be washing my pillowcase every day or every other day, lol.  

 

[theelfqueen]

I switched my kid to white pillowcases and towels when he was using strong meds

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Amy in NH]

When we hit acne years we switched out all our colored towels for white.

[happypamama]

Fwiw, I try to be careful of bleach because of my septic system and the good bacteria in it.

 

Moxie, I understand. I'd be annoyed too, and yeah, is figure out that I needed to put old towels or something in the teen's bathroom, but like you, it would be one more thing that *I* would need to think about and maintain, and I already have a lot of small things like that. It's tiring.

[Seasider]

Two words. White Towels.

 

Costco has packs of 6 for $23 I think. I love those towels, they hold up well, are not fancy, but are white and can be bleached, etc. All my towels are white towels, to prevent issues.

Yep, we are also a boring white towel family.

 

On the bright side, there is something spa-like about clean white towels.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Seasider

[mamaraby]

Sad about the towels. I have a kid who breaks dishes while doing the dishes. It really used to bug me and I'd get upset with ds. Then dh pointed out that the enameled cast iron sink probably contributes along with the brain fog. He also said his grandfather was always on his case about being a "bull in a china shop" and how he felt it was so unfair at the time. He admitted he probably was more likely to break things as a kid, but just didn't see it at the time.

 

I don't want to add dishes back on to my plate, so I laugh and buy new ones. I usually buy cheap-ish ones and then I don't feel so badly about the expense or having my nice stuff broken. Sure, I wish the kid was more aware of the details that are important to me. On the other hand, it's just stuff. I have accepted that this is the season and that someday he'll no longer be here everyday and unlikely to break my stuff.

 

So....white towels? And I'll be looking for a softer sink. Maybe rubber? :p

[Ali in OR]

Ever since reading Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts I have tried to get white towels--she says that's the way to go so that you CAN bleach them. I too love the Costco ones for the kids' bathroom. We don't have much acne medicine use around here--we have mascara and other makeup, and that really shows on white washcloths! But I don't even worry about it enough to bleach them. The same 6 washcloths get used over and over (that Costco pack comes with a lot--16? 20?) and when I wash them I just put them on top. There's still a bunch of white ones underneath if I ever need them.

[happi duck]

I am so brainless with towels that I have accidentally dried my hands on dh's clothing that was hanging near the hand towel. For my brain it is all about location and *what* it is doesn't register.

 

I do not understand the things I am and am not observant about.

[FriedClams]

 

 

I am a "tough" mom who give a lot of natural consequences and will make teens pay, replace, or work in exchange for some careless mistakes. But this medicine is nearly impossible to fully rinse off, and I would never punish a child for a medical issue.

 

Nobody is punishing for a medical issue. It's about the use of towels the teen knows they're not supposed to use. I have two teens. I can see them doing this. It has nothing to do with a medical issue and all to do with not respecting mom's request to not use the "good" towels (and in my opinion, not respecting other people's property).

[Granny_Weatherwax]

The best advice I had for towels (and didn't take but should have) was to buy white towels for hands and body and to buy black wash cloths for the face, esp. for makeup wearing girls. I've even seen black wash cloths embroidered with "Make Up Removal" on them.

[G5052]

Yes, we've had that happen.

 

I bought cheap Costco towels for the DC when they developed acne with the idea that they'd ruin them no matter what. My oldest is Mr. Clean to the hilt, and he was horrified when he bleached his despite being careful. It's pretty much unavoidable with that type of wash.

 

I have a different color that is hidden away for when guests come.

 

It was DH who bleached the nice towels! He decide to use the same stuff the DC use for his face and didn't tell me.

 

So now we all use cheap Costco towels. Every other year or so, I replace them. 

 

No white towels here. We're on a septic field, and I'm not fond of using bleach unless I have to anyway.

Edited January 24, 2017 by G5052

[Guest]

When I was a teen, I ruined washcoths with my makeup. OTOH, it did bother me to see the washcloth get smeared up with makeup, but OTO, I didn't have a better idea.

 

Now I always use those cotton rounds to remove makeup.

[MomatHWTK]

Sad about the towels. I have a kid who breaks dishes while doing the dishes. It really used to bug me and I'd get upset with ds. Then dh pointed out that the enameled cast iron sink probably contributes along with the brain fog. He also said his grandfather was always on his case about being a "bull in a china shop" and how he felt it was so unfair at the time. He admitted he probably was more likely to break things as a kid, but just didn't see it at the time.

 

I don't want to add dishes back on to my plate, so I laugh and buy new ones. I usually buy cheap-ish ones and then I don't feel so badly about the expense or having my nice stuff broken. Sure, I wish the kid was more aware of the details that are important to me. On the other hand, it's just stuff. I have accepted that this is the season and that someday he'll no longer be here everyday and unlikely to break my stuff.

 

So....white towels? And I'll be looking for a softer sink. Maybe rubber? :p

My guy doesn't know his own strength. He'll push a dish onto the shelf and accidentally shatter it. He gets so upset. I'll admit, I've kind of given up on having him put breakable dishes away for awhile. He just doesn't remember how big he is now. 

[marbel]

Nobody is punishing for a medical issue. It's about the use of towels the teen knows they're not supposed to use. I have two teens. I can see them doing this. It has nothing to do with a medical issue and all to do with not respecting mom's request to not use the "good" towels (and in my opinion, not respecting other people's property).

 

IDK.  I have a hard time seeing this as a respect issue.  Maybe it's because one of my kids had seriously bad acne (to the point that they needed accutane) and it was a tough time in so many ways.   It just didn't make sense to me to burden the kid with keeping track of which towels were OK to use and which weren't.  It was far easier on all of us if I just kept the good/guest towels in a different place.   To me, the towels in the linen closet are "family property," available to be used by anyone.  If it's important to me to have some that no one can use, then it's up to me to keep them out of the family's space.

 

I guess I also see that sort of thing as a poor marker for respect.  Or maybe it's because I mess up too, and don't always remember to do things I know to do. 

 

My husband has asked me repeatedly not to let knives (like the nice chef's knife) soak in dishwater.  Over time it loosens the rivets, I guess.  But, when I'm in a hurry, trying to get something done, sometimes the knives ended up soaking.  I don't lack respect for him.  I even get it, at a philosophical level, that he's right and the knives are better off not soaking.  But, I don't always take care.  I've apologized for my lack of care for the knives, and he doesn't say anything anymore, because he knows that in the long run, it's not that big a deal.   

 

(BTW, he issued gentle reminders, not commands.  He was very nice about it, not scoldy.  :-) )  

Edited January 24, 2017 by marbel

[katilac]

Sad about the towels. I have a kid who breaks dishes while doing the dishes. It really used to bug me and I'd get upset with ds. Then dh pointed out that the enameled cast iron sink probably contributes along with the brain fog 

 

Forget the kids, I'd be the one breaking every dish in the house if we had an enameled cast iron sink!

 

We do use Corelle, which cuts down on the amount of breakage, but when they DO break it's a mess. They tend to shatter.

[MomatHWTK]

We sometimes pull the "it's our stuff" (because we paid for it) line here, but not often. I don't really understand the whole "the house is mine and the kids just get to live here 'til 18" thing. It is our house, my kids are always welcome and there isn't much that is "mine." Now, of course, they aren't allowed to touch my scissors or my stapler... 

[Guest]

Forget the kids, I'd be the one breaking every dish in the house if we had an enameled cast iron sink!

 

We do use Corelle, which cuts down on the amount of breakage, but when they DO break it's a mess. They tend to shatter.

When they hit our slate floor the explosion is epic. Ugh.

[Rebel Yell]

Rebel Yell, on 24 Jan 2017 - 11:42 AM, said:

I am a "tough" mom who give a lot of natural consequences and will make teens pay, replace, or work in exchange for some careless mistakes. But this medicine is nearly impossible to fully rinse off, and I would never punish a child for a medical issue.

 

Nobody is punishing for a medical issue. It's about the use of towels the teen knows they're not supposed to use. I have two teens. I can see them doing this. It has nothing to do with a medical issue and all to do with not respecting mom's request to not use the "good" towels (and in my opinion, not respecting other people's property).

Ehhhh I see what you're saying, but it's still medicine he's using on his face, it might not be the same as other medical needs, but it's not really a choice to use the medicine that has an unfortunate "side effect" of bleaching towels.

 

I feel the same way about makeup stains on washcloths, but we don't buy expensive washcloths- I think I got a dozen at Walmart for about $5. They get replaced every year or so. Clean skin is more important to me than unstained washcloths.

 

But don't get me started on nail polish spills on towels! ;) I just gotta keep reminding myself to be glad they used a towel when they were doing their nails in the dang living room! (and they do nails in the living room because it has the best ventilation with windows and doors)

[Vida Winter]

White Costco towels and sheets! Bleach! No problems!

[KungFuPanda]

My daughter ruins towels when she dyes her hair. She seems incapable of controlling drips. I just moved the better towels to a place that's less convenient for her and put the B-string towels in a closer location. Teens default to convenience, so moving the good ones solved this problem.

[edelweiss]

My daughter has her own bathroom and her own towels, so she has only ruined her own, but I can identify with how annoying those stains are! I would definitely not be pleased if she were grabbing towels that I had told her not to use.

[ktgrok]

FYI...I was at Target today and they have sheets and pillow cases that are labeled Benzoyl Peroxide resistant.