I like good cotton absorbent bath towels. I bought two different kinds at Costco, and they both are very thick and soft, but fuzzy feeling and they don't dry very well.

I've had some in the past that I like, but a lot of them don't hold up well. They all seem to have some decorative stitching near the ends, like bands of a very tight weave, and these bands tend to shrink a lot more than the rest of the towel, so they end up getting out of square. I have some that held up well, but I can't tell the brand.

It seems like it takes enough cycles through the washer/dryer that by the time I can tell which is good and which is crap the labels are illegible.

Anybody have recommendations for a good solid white cotton bath towel?

I have some nice towels and some cheaper ones. While the nice ones are fluffy most don't dry you off well. The cheaper ones that are a stiffer and less fluffy dry well.

I also have a few white hotel towels. They also dry you off very well.

Make sure they are 100% cotton and never use fabric softener on towels. It can leave a coating that makes it more difficult for the fabric to suck up water.

I’ve always had good luck with JCPenney’s bath towels. They seem to hold up well for me.

One thing I’ve learned not to do is wash bath towels with fabric softener. It tends to lessen the absorbency of the towels.

We like Costco towels.

Don't ever use fabric softener. Instead, Run a wee bit of vinegar in the wash cycle. Gor-on-teed to help!

My Pottery Barn towels are by far my favorite, and on sale really not that expensive. I buy the medium grade ones because I don't like the softer towels all that much, doesn't feel like I'm drying off.

As also noted - DO NOT use fabric softeners. They decrease water absorbancy.

LL Bean. Ours are so soft and nice we don't use them lol.

We still have and frequently use a couple of 29 year old monogramed towels we got as wedding gifts. They were made in the USA, I think. They are getting kind of ratty looking, according to my supervisor. The newer towels we’ve bought since then are pitiful by comparison. Either too small and thin, but absorbant, or big and luxurious but non-absorbant. And we never use softener. I hear it keeps towels from absorbing water.

I'll bet the new towels that people are complaining don't absorb water have some coating/treatment on them. Especially if they are all cotton. Wash them (without fabric softener) and perhaps with a little vinegar and see if they are better.

Fabric softeners are chemically hydrophobic. They repel water. This is not a property you want in towels.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Don't ever use fabric softener. Instead, Run a wee bit of vinegar in the wash cycle. Gor-on-teed to help!

Exactly. Fabric softener makes them fluffy but it messes with absorbency.

Wish i had started this thread a year ago!
The spousal unit started bitching about the towels and i started collecting expensive 'worthless' towels of all kinds in search of the right one.

Now you tell me about the softener, just the opposite of what i was,doing!!!!

A new era starts from now on...

SF rocks! Thank you guys. Life saved once again.

0-0

Hotel Collection at Macy’s. When they are marked down and on sale with extra discounts

quote:

Originally posted by Jamess1:
Hotel Collection at Macy’s. When they are marked down and on sale with extra discounts

They actually dry you off, and hold up well? No shrinkage at the ends?

quote:

Originally posted by TexasScrub:
My Pottery Barn towels are by far my favorite, and on sale really not that expensive. I buy the medium grade ones because I don't like the softer towels all that much, doesn't feel like I'm drying off.

They actually dry you off, and hold up well? No shrinkage at the ends?

I’ve been using American Craft sold by Bed Bath & Beyond. Many different colors and combinations. It indeed is American made and is very absorbent. I’m happy with them.

I bought some Holiday Inn Express bath towels once and they were great.
The wife wasn’t all that impressed with the style but they felt great.

Hotel towels are the best, but they can be hard to find for sale at reasonable prices and/or in small quantities.

A few years ago, Mrs.BurtonRW and I decided to start using hotel towels for all of the reasons stated, and when we couldn't find any that weren't too expensive or only came in bundles of 100, I bought us a set of Target's house brand offerings.

We get them in white (so we can keep them sparkly new with a little bleach added to the wash). They're thin and absorbent. Best part is, they're also dirt cheap. We replace them about once a year (usually four sets of towel/hand towel/washcloth) for less than $50 total, and the old ones make great scrap terry cloth.

They're not quite as nice as most hotel towels for sure, but they're extremely affordable and convenient.

-Rob

I have had some Ty Pennington Style Bamboo bath towels I bought at Sears, they're 5 years old now and holding up extremely well. But they're excellent, dry well and are soft. Some of the Hotel collection ones are very good as well.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
I’ve always had good luck with JCPenney’s bath towels. They seem to hold up well for me.

One thing I’ve learned not to do is wash bath towels with fabric softener. It tends to lessen the absorbency of the towels.

This completely. JC Penny towels, and no softener sheets while drying.