Or is DP a little bit nuts (teatowel related)

[LilaTheTiger]

Conversation went

Me "next time I'm anywhere that sells teatowels I'm buying 10 new ones and throwing all these grotty ones away"

DP "Oh no, don't do that, there's ones I want to keep"

"Really? Ok, not the ones you got from attractions then"

"And a the ones my mum bought me. Because my mum bought them"

"... "

DPs mum is not dead or dying or even a bit poorly, she is a very young 71 and fit and healthy and she would not entertain a grotty teatowel either.

WTF?

[TheToys]

Maybe you could ask for a new set from DP's mum? But how do tea towls get grotty? Surely you dry either clean dishes/cutlery or clean hands on them? And you wash them evety once in a while (I do approx weekly, as have a dish washer, so tea towels get used less than they would with hand washing and drying).

[LilaTheTiger]

That's the plan I suppose. Yes. She'll gladly but teatowel I'm sure. But I'd actually quite like to choose my own

I've no idea what happens to the teatowels, but they're grim

[TheToys]

Tell her you would like good quality all white ones, so you can bleach them and/or boil wash them if necessary. They will be both stylish and never grotty. Unless you are fervently opposed to white, of course!

[LilaTheTiger]

White would be lovely. But possibly black would be more sensible looking at the state of these.

We are agreed he's MAD though, right? He's lovely, but completely mad.

[AdoraBell]

Completely mad, of course

Has his DM seen the state of the teatowels? Is she type to inwardly tut at a dingey grimy teatowel? If so display them proudly (you can pretend for an afternoon, can't you?) and innocently explain that "DP is rather attached to these because you bought them"

I would also buy the ones you like.

[TheToys]

Mad, yes. Sentimental, yes. Probably quite a sweet character.

[lavenderhoney]

That's quite sweet:)

I would just but some new ones and put the old ones away. And tell his DM- she might like that thought, that her ds is attached to tea towels. Could you make them into a big comfort blanket?

[Standingonmytippytoes]

But how do tea towls get grotty?
Well if OPS are anything like mine they're covered in coffee stains and bleach stains I have no idea what dp uses ours for but he has them ruined and this is after I replaced the grotty ones. I had to throw out any bleach cleaner because he kept wiping it up with tea towels

[TheToys]

Black will get grey and show stains. Also any bleach around will mark them. White ones are easy to keep stain free with bleach. Also when /if they get too dull or greyish in the future, you can dye them any colour you like.

[shazzarooney99]

Maybe hes in touch with the fact that his mum could die anytime and they have a sentimental value to him, my mum died in october she was 63.

[TheToys]

I clearly love my white towels and sheets..

[BlueMoonRising]

Wash them, fold them and then hand them to DH to store with his belongings if he wants to keep them.

Get new ones.

[FinallyFreeFromItAll]

If it meabs that much too him: Wash them with 1cup of soda crystals in the drum (no wash liquid or softener). Then do another wash with 1 cup white vinegar in the drum (again no wash liquid or softener). That should make them go back to being clean and fluffy and as a bonus is a good clean for your washing machine too.

[FinallyFreeFromItAll]

*means that much to him

[Lweji]

Put them in bleach for a week. No more worries.

[5Hearts]

I agree - that is quite sweet!

I like all my tea-towels to match - I have very recently replaced 20 ecloth blue check tea-towels for 20 ecloth black tea towels (still kept the old ones for cleaning up floor spillages/leaks etc). I obviously recommend the ecloth tea towels!

[Abraid2]

Old tea towels dry far better than do new ones. I only throw our old ones out when they look like lace.

[BreakfastAtStephanies]

Thanks for that tip, FinallyFree ! Am gonna try that soon

[serin]

LavenderHoney, That is genius! OP please sew them together into a comfort blanket

[hefzi]

Finallyfree I get confused with all the different types of soda - is that the one you also use to clean drains etc? Brilliant tip - but I just want to make sure I don't blow up my washing machine

[BertrandRussell]

We are still using a very inefficient pepper mill because it's the first household thing we bought together 30 years ago and dp can't bear to get rid of it.

[hefzi]

Bertrand I think that's really romantic! (Though I appreciate it might be irritating when you're trying to grind the pepper )

[WitchWay]

My husband would have said exactly the same - anything that was ever a present even a grotty tea towel has to be kept for ever

I've learnt to be sneaky

[Oldraver]

I wondered how your tea towels get grotty as I have had some years. Then I remembered that OH has taken to using them instead of oven gloves.

It does make me cringe everytime I see one over his shoulder but stop myself from saying anything

[Seeyounearertime]

We bought new tea towels recently. they're about as absorbent as my arse hair and push the water around more than soak it up.
Damn wilkos cheap jack rubbish.