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Original poster

Help me to cull the towel usage in my house!

96 replies

fedup21 · 22/02/2020 11:14

There are 5 of us- 11/15/17 and two adults.

All have a shower every day, DS often has a bath too. DDs will use a bath towel for hair and one for body each time. I have just done a tidy up and found one or two towels in every bedroom (some wet on the floor) and 5 (5!!!) hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I have no idea how many times they have been used and as I washed the whole lot of towels on Monday-am sick of this!

What happens in your house?
Own towels? Colour coordinated?
One use only and in the wash?
Own washing?
Fewer towels?!

Advice needed before the teens get back from work and the family meeting starts....

OP posts:
fedupandlookingforchange · 22/02/2020 11:18

Everyone has their own towels, different colours. Towels get used then put on electric towel rail to dry. If the towels are put to dry after use they’re fine to use for a week. If they’re left in a heap they start to pong. Towels washed weekly.
I prefer dark coloured towels

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 22/02/2020 11:18

Huge basket of towels in the bathroom that get used as and when. I wash towels that are on the bathroom radiatior or banister every other day.

There are 5 of you,there is always going to be a lot of everything to wash,best just accept it.

saywhatwhatnow · 22/02/2020 11:20

Everyone has a different pattern/size towel. Hung on heated towel rail after each use and washed weekly on a hot wash.

Binterested · 22/02/2020 11:21

Washing towels every other day Shock

Can’t believe this is necessary or advisable.

Jocasta2018 · 22/02/2020 11:23

Towels hung up to dry, washed at the most weekly - depends how much they've been used. They just get flung in with all the washing that's been colour sorted.

inwood · 22/02/2020 11:23

The kids and I have a bath towel and hair towel each and dh just has a bath towel.

Hung on the heated towel rail after use and was them once a week.

We all have different colours.

SciFiScream · 22/02/2020 11:23

Colour coded towels. Dry on towel radiator
Colour coded hand towels and face cloths too

TechnicalSergeantGarp · 22/02/2020 11:23

Own towels in different colours which we use more than once. I use a hair towels. You need a rota for other people to do laundry.

Washing two bath sheets per person, per day is 10 towels and more than one load.

AveEldon · 22/02/2020 11:24

One large bath sheet each - different colour for each person
Hair towel each for the long haired
Wash all once a week

Midnight0 · 22/02/2020 11:26

I have to say there are only 3 of us, but we wash our towels weekly, if they have been left to dry properly, they are good to use for a week. We have the same colour towels, but i have embroidered everyones initial on their towels.

TulipCat · 22/02/2020 11:27

Four of us here, all with short hair. We have one towel each, which we use for a week before washing. Hung up on the heated towel rail as soon as finished with, each person has a specific space on the rail.

ExpletiveDelighted · 22/02/2020 11:28

One bath towel each (colour coded), hung up or dumped on bedroom floor, user decides, washed once a week regardless. Spare towels are not kept in the bathroom so people don't help themselves to a fresh one if they've left theirs on the bedroom floor.

Whatsnewpussyhat · 22/02/2020 11:28

Get the girls smaller towels for their hair.

theneverendinglaundry · 22/02/2020 11:28

There are 5 of us, we all shower or have a bath every day.

Everyone has their own colour bath towel and they are hung up after use. As long as they are hung up properly they are used for a week.

We don't do separate towels for hair.

We all use flannels which are used once and then put in the wash.

I do a towel wash once a week, and the flannels get washed with tea towels and cleaning cloths as and when the pile gets too big.

TheLongDarkBreakfastTime · 22/02/2020 11:32

One towel each (all the same colour, but smaller for the kids as they fall over a bath sheet), kept on radiator in each person’s bedroom (you can buy a towel rail that attaches to the radiator which means it dries when the radiator isn’t on). Hair towel (special absorbent sort) for the long haired. Hand towel in bathroom. Wash weekly, swopping to other set in a different colour.

Sparklemummyx0x0x · 22/02/2020 11:33

There's 2 of us, me and son. So can't help with 5.
Hair towels I do recommend, used twice. They are easy and cheap to buy and saves using another towel. Bath towels used twice then hot wash.
That's just me though. I couldn't use more than that, only because of hygiene and the parts where the towels dry (intimate areas).

Using different colours for each person seems a good idea though. Nobody gets confused and everyone knows who's is who.

nixso29 · 22/02/2020 11:34

Get the girls into the habit of taking their dressing gowns into the bathroom with them to put on after their shower. Use the towel to dry their body, put on dressing gown then use the same towel to wrap around their hair. Means only using one towel instead of two!

ImFreeToDoWhatIWant · 22/02/2020 11:36

Four of us, a different coloured bath sheet each, hung to dry after each use, washed once a week. One hand towel for my hair, as above. Then the usual hand towels for the sinks in the bathroom, kitchen and spare loo, also washed weekly.

NotYourTypicalNerd · 22/02/2020 11:37

two teens, one preteen. all seem incapable, as is dh, of hanging towels. each day towels mouldering on the floor of bedrooms or the bathroom get gathered and washed. sigh. I didn't gather for a few days and then went hunting as we had run out... I retrieved NINE towels out of the ds's room! Shock

3teens2cats · 22/02/2020 12:00

Everyone has their own towel in different colours. They take responsibility for their towel. I have a few spares but not lots. If hung up to dry properly you can get away with washing them only once a week, maybe longer depending on how often they are used. Heated towel rail means the dry quickly and therefore don't smell.

TechnicalSergeantGarp · 22/02/2020 12:01

I shower or have a bath every day. I dry off lightly with a hair towel on and apply moisturiser whilst I'm still damp.

I've never dried my intimate area, didn't know it was a thing until just now.

My towel is barely used. OH's towel is very wet when he's finished, who knows what he's up to with it. DC leave their Ty owels in a heap so they get a bit musty. Regardless, towels last a week

Gadgnkk · 22/02/2020 12:04

We don’t have massive towels, they are Ikea medium size and hand towel size. All are in mid sort of colours so they can be chucked in with any wash as needed. I don’t do specific towel washes other than the dog towels which I wash as a separate load.

cheeseandcrackers · 22/02/2020 12:05

Thin microfiber sports towels for long hair. More effective, less frizzy hair and takes up a lot less room in the washing machine

PurrBox · 22/02/2020 12:11

Towels get used and hung up to dry in a good spot. They are shared among family members. They are washed when they start to smell bad, which can take a while.

I don't let our kids get away with leaving towels on the floor. I make them feel guilty about the environmental impact of unnecessary laundry, which isn't hard, as they are quite aware.

HeyMac · 22/02/2020 12:12

Towels washed once a week. Hung to dry after every use. Micro fibre towel for long hair.

I'd hate to be told to use my body towel to dry my hair as one poster suggested. It's hard to get dry with long hair dripping over you.