How often do you replace your towels?

[BigPinkBall]

Both DM and MIL are quite house proud, always cleaning and buying bits and pieces for their homes but both have got an airing cupboard filled with manky old towels, they’ve all been used to death, feel like cardboard and are frayed. They’re all random patterns and I’m sure most are from the 70s & 80s.

My DM was with me recently when I was buying some new towels and was horrified I was buying white ones as she reckons they’ll get marks on them and white wasn’t a good colour for towels. It seemed beyond her comprehension that I would just buy some new ones when these start to look worn out.

How long do people expect towels to last?

DS is currently using my M&S Snoopy beach towel from the early 90s as a swimming towel!

Other than that - the white towels I've only just thrown away a couple of the set of white towels I bought when I moved into my second year student house in 1997, and they were still an acceptable shade of white, but had started to fray!

We have two sets of main towels one are 10 years old and one about 5 years old.

Had a throwout when we moved after 20 odd years. All coloured ones which had faded, OH took them for his workshop. All white now, hotel quality ones I had to buy from a hotel supplier. They have to be super long lasting because a) they are changed daily and b) industrial laundries give them a hammering. I love the size of bath sheets so cosy in the winter. I think they will see us out

We use them until they are worn out, then they go in the textile recycling bin.
We've still got towels that my MIL had had for about 15 years before she gave them to us as we were skint and couldn't afford much.....we've had them for nearly 25! They are still in good shape, in fact better shape than the ones we bought about 15 years ago.

I hate a crispy towel! I always put fabric conditioner in and tumble dry them, I know people say that makes them less absorbent but I’ve never had any problems with them.

I’ve got a couple of old ones stashed away for mopping things up and taking to the pool but they were the best looking ones out of the old batch. I never keep bedding that long either, I like it to be bright white and soft so I usually buy a new set in the sales and chuck an old one out.

All my towels are different colours and ages, although I do have one matching bath sheet, smaller towel and hand towel (wedding present) and those live in the spare room. (Fancy).
My oldest towel is one I got out my mum’s airing cupboard, it’s velveteen with turquoise roses on it. I’d guess it’s over 40 years old.

I also like a ‘firm’ towel.

Thinking about this, I know my mum kept old towelling nappies to use as general clothes LONG after me and my sister were out of nappies! But they were absorbent and bleachable which I suppose is useful for cleaning and for sick children. I think by my teens they’d gone.... (my sister is only 2 years younger than me).

I keep them until they are frayed. but they keep ages, our oldest are 30yo.

they harbour loads of bacteria! they don't if youwash them hot enough.

We have towels ranging from 30 years to 2 years in age. The more you move to the present time, the incrementally tattier they are. They all get used about the same amount and are washed very regularly. I've always purchased in the same relative price range but I find there has been a steady decline in quality over the years. The ones I purchased two years ago look awfully bedraggled and the thirty year old ones still look almost new. The same can be said of sheets and duvet covers IME.

I buy a couple of new ones each year but we still have loads from when we bought our first house in 2005!

We've still got some that DH had before I moved in. I've been here nearly 7 years.

I dyed some of mine and being all cotton was so pleased with the result

I've got some that my mum gave me when I moved out aged 23 , I'm 54 now . They are still going strong ( good ol Marksies)

I love a rough towel , I exfoliate and dry at the same time !

We replace ours once a year when the White Company sale is on. I like a new, bright white towel.

I donate the old ones to our vets.

I own towels older than I am, & I'm 47!

My mum chucks old towels my way periodically.

I have 3dc, live in a hot country so we swim a lot, have pets...

Basically, towels get washed & used in this house until they fall apart - then they get bunged to local animal charity or used as rags.

The only time I've ever bought towels is when we first moved here & had none. Since then we visit the UK twice a year which seems to coincide with my mother buying new towels & piling our suitcases with her old ones.

I like them crispy, line dried & threadbare tbh.

We have a load of very expensive johnewis ones we got when we were married.

Hot wash and line drying and they're still really white and work just fine. Not so soft but that's ok. I'm going to get new ones this year....so they're 15 years old. Not bad going really.

I'll still keep using those....but the old old ones we also had (some dating to the 90's!) have now been cut up to be used as cleaning cloths as they were getting very tired.

We've got towels which are from the early 80s. There is a photo of me sat on the beach on one as a toddler.
They've just been relegated to DIY towels after going to uni with me and swimming pool towels for years.

My parents still used towels they had as wedding presents some 45 years later.

We still have in daily use 2 bath sheets that we bought at a street market in Portugal 31 yrs ago on our honeymoon. They cost just a few escudos each (around 4 quid) and, although one edge is beginning to fray, they have still got their colour and absorbancy

Other towels we use daily range from 20 yrs old to about 5yrs old

Most of mine are ancient, I never buy white and actually prefer a slightly 'crispy' towel as they dry (you/one) much better .

Oh god I googled this question and a few links about how often to wash towels turned up too- every 3-4 days apparently, as not all our bacteria gets washed off. I’ve brought extra washing on myself

White towels are actually a good choice as you can wash them hot and bleach them to remove any stains if necessary and you can use wash whitener treatments to refresh them without worrying about affecting the colour.

That's why hotels use them