Written by Susan Kelley, Owner of Kellsson Home Linens

I have been selling towels for over 30 years, and one of the largest complaints I hear, is that I just bought these new towels from another retailer, and they don’t dry me off, they basically just push the water around.  Why is that?

Over the years, some manufacturers coat their terry towels with a polymer to make them feel softer on a retailer’s shelf.  But that coating closes up the loops of the cotton.  The loops are important when it comes to water absorption.   Eventually, this coating will wash out.  How long it takes, is anybody’s guess.

If you want to avoid this problem, I suggest looking for good quality towels from Quality manufacturers, such as,

• Kassatex – manufacturers towels, in Turkey, Portugal, and China.  They use the latest technology to create soft towels in Bamboo, Organic Cotton, Turkish Cotton, Supima Cotton, Egyptian Cotton, and Ringspun Cotton.
• CalCot – manufacturers towels in Pakistan, using the latest technology, to create an exceptional quality towel from US Grown Supima Cotton.

After purchasing good quality towels, I suggest you put them in the washer with a cup of white vinegar, using warm water.  Why the White Vinegar?  2 reasons.  One the vinegar will remove any odors the towels have picked up during transit or while sitting on the shelf.  Two, if your colors are a little darker, then the vinegar will help set the dye.

After the wash, just run them on a warm cycle in your dryer.  This will remove some of the excess cotton (lint), and make your first use of the towels a much more pleasant experience.

Once you have your towels and start laundering them on a regular basis, NEVER EVER use fabric softener.  The softener works just like those polymers.  It makes the product soft, but closes the loops and reduces is absorption ability.   If you want fresher, non-detergent smelling towels, put that cup of white vinegar in with the final rinse, or just use a scented dryer sheet instead.

Following these few suggestions, you should end up with towels that won’t disappoint you again, at least when it comes to absorption.