Bit of fun....how old is your oldest towel?

[MollsDolls]

I've towels we got as a house warming gift in 1999 and they're still going strong.

We have our first 2 bathsheets from ikea in 1992. They are still in use.

All I know is my mum gave me my most of mine when I separated from ex 6 years ago and they came from her considerable pile of towels dating back to the 70s!

You should never use fabric conditioner on towels. Tumble drying is not great either.

I line dry mine as much as possible and if I have to use the tumble dryer I only give a short time on a lowish heat and finish drying them on radiators

I have a towel that was my nans, not sure how long she had it but I have had it for 30 years myself....! I stopped using it and its in a keepsake box now as I dont want to ruin it.
Plus, its BROWN. A brown towel!

Wait, this is brand new info. Whats wrong with fabric conditioner?

Towels all between 5/10 years. Have some Harvey Nicks bedding from 1989 though.

I still have the towels I bought to take to university in 1992. Nothing wrong with them. Towels I've bought more recently have not been nearly as durable.

It reduces the absorbency. White vinegar is recommended to use in the final rinse but I don't use anything

I have a towel that has a label made in the EEC…..

Fabric conditioner repels liquids, which is the opposite of what a towel should do.

I don't use fab conditioner on towels (and I don't have a tumble dryer.) I recently got new bath towels (John Lewis), because the Debenhams ones which were about a decade old were fraying round the edge (unlike the 1990 Debenhams hand towels that are still in daily use in the kitchen,) and I am wearying of the blue dust all over the bathroom, but I guess a couple more runs through the washing machine will stop that.

Now a dog towel but we have a towel my grandfather (b. 1904) took to boarding school; it was second hand then (has another label on it as well as his).

Regularly use tea towels given to my husband’s grandmother as a wedding present in 1937 (this is a cheat tho as she was given so many that some came to us unused…)

1973. Wedding present to my mum and dad. They're thinking and faded but ideal for travelling as they roll up so small.

My swimming towel was bought for me after I did a one week crash course aged 5, and got my first badges (10m and 25m) to sew on it. That was in 1989.

For towels in regular use, I still have one from ~yr 9 at school, which would have been 1997/8. Most of our other ones are newer though - wedding presents from 2011!

My oldest ones are about 10 years old, so relative youngsters compared to.some.of the ones on here.

My MIL, however, has kids printed towels that her kids used...my husband clearly remembers using them as a 4/5 year old and he is nearly 40. Her grandkids now use them when they stay over at hers!

20 years old at least.

Around 75yo.
It was a wedding present for my grandparents who never used it.
It's beautifully soft and folds up tiny.

I've got a "pit towel" that was my Grandads - we still use it when we go camping!! I reckon it's coming up for about 90 .........

Wow!
I have tea towels from the 50s and 60s, but 30s is quite something!

I kept seeing this thread in active and thinking, how do people even know?

Then I remembered I have one passed on from my mom - it used to be one of our holiday beach towels - it's from Menorca, and I believe we went there when I was about 4, so it's over 40! 1982 I would guess?

It wasn't the fluffiest in the first place but it's perfectly serviceable! It has bull fighting on it so it's in bad taste (to my view) but it's a part of my family's history. DH has been warned not to give it to the dog.....

Probably about 12 years old. It's a bit crispy though. 😂 I do have some pillow cases that were my late DM's. They must be at least 65 years old.

I'd say about 6 years. I only use them to dry my hair as they are too threadbare for drying my body now.

Wedding present from 1992! Debenhams.

My kids go swimming with the towels that me and my DB used for our swimming lessons when we were kids. I'm 46 now so they are nearly 40 years old. They still have our name tags sewn in them 😁

When I was a girl, the usual "minding" for a young couple about to be wed was either a pair of pillow slips or a pair of pit towels.

The toughest pit towels seem to be the original type - white with stripes - those from the 60s are more floral. I'm assuming that yours is one of the originals.

Mine is a sports towel that came in a gift pack with cleanser, toner and moisturiser when I was 12. I'm 56 this year. It looks much less threadbare than I do.