Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My Towel Philosophy!

I'm working on our Homemade Cleaners Post! It's almost ready :) It'll be up tomorrow!

In the meantime, I thought I'd share my philosophy on towels. Only a Housewife would have a philosophy on towels (or this housewife does anyways).
We use to have multiple colors of towels, yellow, green, blue, turq. Some with decorative trim, some with fancy stitching, none of them matching.
And since it's not good to wash towels with clothes (all the shedding fluff) I was having to wash small little loads of towels at a time, until I gave up and started washing all the towels together regardless of color and trim, a melting pot of towels as it were.
Pretty soon, i.e. after one wash, the colors all bled into each other and the dark towels ended up covered in white fluff, and the light towels ended up tie dyed.
After living with the consequences of my actions for a week I cut everyone up (rags for Lee in the garage) and bought all new towels, WHITE towels!
Now I can throw all the bath towels, face cloths, and hand towels, from every bathroom together in one load. I wash them in HOT water and even add a touch of bleach once or twice a year, worry free.
(Ignore the iron in the picture, I don't iron my towels, that's crazy!!!)
It sounds like a lot of thought for something as simple as towels, but it's the little things that make HUGE differences in our day to day life and washing towels was one of those things that was driving me crazy! It's been a full two years since I went on a towel chopping rampage and I've never looked back. Having all white towels has made laundry day a lot easier.
And there's something so serene about a bathroom full of freshly washed, and folded white towels.

The Towels we use around The Manor are the $2+ towels from Walmart. You know the super cheap $2 towels on their stands, those are our towels. Don't let their scratchy exterior fool you, once you get them home and in the wash with a little vinegar as a fabric softener, they are the Perfect towel!
Not too big, not too small, not too soft, not too hard, just right. That's right I'm the goldilocks of towels :)
I don't like big bath towels because I can't wrap one around my hair, and if you do get it to stay it's super heavy and hurts your neck!
I also can't stand big squishy towels that don't absorb anthing, and just push water around while you try to dry off.
If you sound like me Buy one, give it a try, if you hate it your only out $2. But I think you'll like 'em!

And that's my Towel Philosophy! All White makes for easy laundry!

63 comments:

  1. I hate big towels too...I often sneak and grab one of my daughters baby towels because they are easier on my skin and they absorb water like crazy. Thanks for sharing this tip because I am definitely going to try it!

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  2. Love that philosphy. I've just had a big clean out and although I can't quite justify turfing out all the sets I have just yet I am definitely going all white as the sets I have are relegated to the garage. They look lovely!

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  3. Love white towels! Kate has some colored, but I really have considered getting her white too. We purchased ours at Target, and they've held up nicely. I too only use bleach a few times, but do use oxi-clean and it works like a charm...they always come out nice and white and fresh smelling (my washer has a specific setting for oxi). Elie has the towels from Wal-mart and loves them. And, she doesn't feel bad when one of the dogs decides to get ahold of one! LOL
    Can't wait for the cleaner post (like this one was dirty? okay, nevermind). I am holding out on cleaning the house until you post them...just kidding ;-)

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  4. I switched to all white a couple of years ago and love love love it. One Christmas I asked the parents to just buy me white towels and I ended up with a great big set.

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  5. I changed out all of my towels a few years back to all white as well. It just makes a crisp, nice look in the bathroom. I haven't tried the Walmart towels yet. I usually head over to a store called Tuesday Morning in search of heavy, thick body towels at a discounted price. I'm with you on the white towels for sure!

    http://mtashie-theplace.blogspot.com/

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  6. I was thinking of switching to white towels too! I do have bed sheet philosophy though, white sheets rock! It feels like we're in a hotel plus so easy to clean too!

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  7. We could never do white because our water quality is bad and white stuff doesn't stay "white" for more than a year! But I could totally do beige or tan! But I suppose before I buy new towels I should get out all of the brand new ones we received as wedding gifts that I still have never used because our "college towels" were still in good shape. HA!

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  8. Have you tried Turbie Twist towels for your hair? You can find them at amazon.com, qvc.com, etc.

    Thanks for sharing all of your useful information with us.

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  9. I was actually thinking, "Really?! You iron your towels?!" Glad you cleared that up.

    And I use the "Aquis" for my hair. It's like a shami for your head. Absorbs tons of water.

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  10. We used to have colored towels and some of them got discolored. When we moved to our new house I got rid of them too and got white towels. I found some lovely ones at Target which I love so far!

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  11. What's your trick for getting the make-up stains off of them?

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  12. I agree! Wal-Mart towels are the best!!! AND they last forever!!!

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  13. Once my Walmart towels get dirty, nothing, not even bleach will get them clean again. I don't know why.

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  14. You also seem to answer questions for me! Thanks so much. I always eye them up in walmart and then think "nooo that's crazy" and keep pushing. I'm going to buy them now. We have 12 towels in the house and they're all a different color from our college days. They drive me crazy too!!

    I wonder about their sheets too. I've heard some good things about their basic set... the ones where it's like $15 for a flat sheet and $15 for a fitted?

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  15. oh! sounds just like me re: the hair towel and i can afford to spend the $2+. the iron did scare me- as my MIL irons her bed sheets!

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  16. I've thought about going to white towels. Seems like it makes laundry day so much quicker.

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  17. Ha! I did ask myself quickly if you ironed your towels...too funny. I may just have to try this because we change our bathrooms sometimes and it would be nice not to have to change towels. I love a towel that has a little scruff to it :)

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  18. I'm in the market for new towels and had been thinking of going white. Thanks for the heads up on the Wal-Mart towels. I had been using their Better Homes and Gardens towels, but will try these cheaper ones (my wallet thanks you).
    Do you have a hint on how to keep towels from drawing up at the ends? I really hate that and haven't found any that don't after a while.

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  19. love this all white idea! question- why do you wash them in Hot water?

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  20. This is exactly what I do. But I do it with sheets and pillowcases too! And I buy them from Costco. Great towels and cheaper than walmart!!!

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  21. I know those towels are so good for exfoliating!Maybe this is a housewife thing as well but I love a freshly dried bundle of white towels! (I really should get a life lol!) I will admit we have a towel fetish so we spend a little more but we save colored towels for guest.

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  22. Mmmmm - luv me some white towels. It always feels like we're at a hotel. I know I've had guests complain about my white towels but I keep assuring them it's ok to use them! LOL

    Good thing to hold back on the bleach as over time bleach will yellow white. I occasionally add a bit of bluing to the washer (follow directions closely!) to keep them nice and bright. Drying them on the clothes rack whenever the sun shines helps keep them bright too (and smelling awesome!).

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  24. I agree! I have some towels that I'm still using leftover from college, but in the future I cannot wait to streamline my towels. I shared your post on my blog http://simplysuzanna.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-agree-with-this-philosophy-if-money.html

    Thanks!

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  25. I do the exact same thing! When I moved into the house I am living in now, which belonged to my late grandmother, I made sure to hang onto any and all white towels, washcloths, etc. because it would making washing a lot easier. Plus, have all white towels makes everything look so fresh and clean, like a spa! :)

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  26. Wow! Am I the only person who actually likes and uses big, colored towels? We still have and use some wedding towels (31 years ago now), but as the kids grew up I got them their own towels -- and they are color coded - have NEVER had a laundry problem -- and as teens they could only blame themselves if they didn't have a towel because THEY didn't put it in the laundry. They're grown now and gone, but that organization system worked wonders for us! Kids learned how to do their own laundry and learned the importance of doing it!

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  27. I have always believed in the white sheet and towel philosophy since they are the easiest to maintain. I always forget that I can use vinegar though so THANK YOU so much for the reminder! Another fabulous post! xoxo!

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  28. We are samesies! I have all white towels and a white bath mat. Once a week, everything goes into the wash (hot water, oxyclean and my regular Method detergent). They stay white and look great! I picked mine up from HomeSense. I also feel that with white towels, they don't need to match, exactly. so if I wreck one by accident (say, dye my hair and make a mess), I just replace it with another white one. Love it!

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  29. Love the philosophy!!! I am in the process of switching to all white towels. We received all different colors for our wedding and I just couldn't stand it anymore, plus they are way to big... neck pain for sure!! lol. Thanks for the tip on the walmart towels (although I would love some organic cotton ones I don't have the moola) think I will head up there tonight to pick up some white towels! Love it!! White towels and White sheets are a must!

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  30. We use all white towels now(but then my entire house is all white)Works fine now that it's just me and hubby...
    When my children where teens, I used all BLACK. Perfect for boys who play in the dirt and teen age girls who dye their hair!It made my life so much easier.

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  31. Love it! I don't know how many times I've had those towels in my hands and put them back afraid they would be awful! Thanks for the tip...will definitely pick some up next trip to wally world.

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  32. ha ha perfect timing for me, I am so sick and tired of all those odd colors towels and so thinking about doing nothing but white towels. Thanks for your post and telling us about those Wal Mart towels!

    Cristiana

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  33. I love this because I actually came to the same conclusion as you after washing multiple loads of towels. I'm slowly transitioning to all white towels too. I've got to try the WM ones, but if all fails the Marshall's ones work too.

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  34. LOL... I could have written this post pretty much word for word. Love the ease of only having white towels. Sometimes I'm out shopping and see all the pretty colors towels come in now and I think about buying some... but then I remember what it was like to try and get white lint off of brown towels and I nix that idea. LOL

    I also love the WalMart $2 towels and the $5 bundle of washcloths. I hate thick towels for exactly the reasons you listed.... but they also take longer to dry.

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  35. amen to that sister! when registering for my wedding last year we got 2 big piles of plain towels for easy washing!

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  36. I've never tried the $2 Walmart towels....thanks for sharing!

    I've used all ivory towels & bedding. Similar reason, but I don't have to worry about them looking dingy after awhile (especially with 3 kids). I was always worried about my whites not looking completely white after multiple washings.

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  37. I actually always wash towels with my clothes (whites) and would never not have big, colorful towels. lol. I've never, ever had an issue with washing my towels either. They still look mostly like new even though they are 3.5 years old.

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  38. I love nice, white towels too. Reminds me of staying in a hotel! One day when my towels have seen better days, I'll be investing in all white too. At the moment I have a full set of yellow and a full set of navy towels. Hubby made the mistake of washing them together at one point, and the yellow fluff on navy towels, and navy fluff on yellow towels did my head in! Luckily he only damaged a few.

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  39. I love white towels and need more. I will take your advice and buy the next white towels at Walmart. Thanks!

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  40. Answers to Questions:
    ~I've never had to deal with Make-up stains on my towels, but on my facecloths, I just deal with a few make-up stains. I reserve a couple of white facecloths for guests!!

    ~I definitely agree with darker towels for kids. I think the important part is having them all the same color so that you can wash them all together!

    ~We wash our towels and sheets in Hot water because, hot water is best for items that require sanitization, and germ killing, and I figure towels sit damp for a while so they could use it. Hot water also gets whites whiter!!

    I hope that answered all the questions :)
    ~Ashli

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  41. One of my favorite towels is a white towel from Walmart haha
    I've been seriously thinking about cutting up all of towels and buying all new towels haha

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  42. I have a top load washing machine - HE. When and how do you add the vinegar? I want to give this a try!

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  43. Ooops - scratch that - it is a front loading machine. I'm having a real moment here! So the question is how do I use the vinegar with my front loading HE machine? When in the cycle do you add it?

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  44. I put the vinegar into the fabric softener section!
    But you could also use a downy ball!
    Hope that helped!
    ~Ashli

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  45. I use vinegar in my Downey ball in every single load. I swear it makes the detergent smell better. When I used to use liquid fabric softener the smell was muted. I'll stick with my big fluffy colored towels as Lord knows I have way too many to start over even if wanted to. I also dry everything I can in the sun on our back deck. I'm sure I look like a hick doing that but nothing pleases me more than the feel and smell of laundry dried outside.

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  46. I was just at Sams Club yesterday and bought a huge pack of white bar towels and washrags for my kitchen. I never thought about the bathroom towels, but what a great idea!

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  47. I've been using white towels and white sheets for a long time to make things a whole lot easier! Every once in a while I'll buy some colored towels or something with a pattern to jazz up the bathroom but for decorative purposes only.

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  48. White is right !!! I bought some from Wal M for my guest room and was very pleased with the quality after I washed them !

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  49. We have never purchased towels until this summer (the ones we have were either hand-me-downs or presents). I tried ones from Meijers - I think they're like $5-7. I like them but maybe I'll try the WalMart ones. Anyway, I'm definitely going with all white ones for the same exact reason! I want to wash them all together!

    I do want to ask, do you change your towels after every use? Some people do and some don't, I just want to be nosy!

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  50. I had the thought that I hate all of my towels while I was showering today. My husband is obsessed with bleach so I decided I need to go white as well. Grey with bleach stains is jenky. Great post!

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  51. And its SO nice when you have guests (and yourself) to just be able to take their makeup off with them and they can just be bleached and never get ruined!!!

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  52. The best advice I got when registering for wedding gifts was "Get ONLY white towels". It's something I passed along to both of my younger sisters when they got married also! My husband bought a beige towel once and I sent him back to the store to exchange it for white!

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  53. haha.. I saw the iron and was like... "WHOA...she irons her towels".. glad I read on. :) I may just invest in the Walmart towels. I'm getting tired of the small loads as well!

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  54. I am moving into a new apartment from a house and have been following your blog for the past couple of weeks. We have very similar styles and you are giving me many ideas. My new bathroom is a retro mint and black tiled bathroom. I really like the white bath towels. I went to Walmart today and purchased 4. Like you believe in, I am also simplifying my life and with the little space I have, I, really, only need 4 towels. Thank you so much.

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  55. How much vinegar? When in the cycle do you put it in the washer?

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  56. Amen! Did this years ago, couldn't agree more!

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  57. Another thing we have in common! I love white towels! I buy mine wherever I find one at a good price. Because my towels are openly displayed, I like having a variety of textures because it looks so awesome and very spa like!
    Lynne

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  58. Another thing we have in common! I love white towels! I buy mine wherever I find one at a good price. Because my towels are openly displayed, I like having a variety of textures because it looks so awesome and very spa like!
    Lynne

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  59. Love this post! So much impact this will make on my life even tho the subject is so simple.

    I just found your blog last week and have THOROUGHLY enjoyed reading every post. So much honesty and money-saving tips. And the humor! I love your sense of humor. And I identify with everything you write. It's like you're in my head typing out my thoughts!!! :o) Thanks for all you do.

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  60. I've been enjoying your blog for a couple months. After I came across this post we tried the Walmart towels and they work great! For the price you can't beat it. Thanks Ashli.

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