Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

To think you bring towels with you?

57 replies

polargrape · 01/08/2019 15:56

Have a Swimming pool in the garden, so over the summer we invite dc's friends over each week and they go in the pool. Some of their friends don't bring towels, just their swimming costumes and goggles, so they then ask me to provide them one of my own towels for them. Aibu to think that you should send your child with their swimming costume AND a towel? I know you can forget but some of their friends are always not bringing a towel with them, which is adding to my washing pile. Especially love it when they leave the soaking wet towel around the garden, leaving me to go pick it up at the end of the day.

Petty thing to be annoyed about I know, but some days I have no towels left! Should stop inviting the ones who turn up with no towel!

OP posts:

escapade1234 · 01/08/2019 22:22

Yes I would send a towel.

However, it DOESN’T matter. Just give them a towel and shove them all in the wash at the end.

How is that a hardship for you?

likeafishneedsabike · 01/08/2019 22:34

I don’t know the right people! I’ve heard of hot tubs but people having a pool in the garden?
Speechless.

steff13 · 01/08/2019 22:37

We always bring a towel. But if we had a pool (hopfully putting one in next year), we'd have plenty of spare pool towels as well as bathing suits. They're really inexpensive at the end of the season.

Wakeupalready · 01/08/2019 22:40

I wouldn't be bothered.

We live in Australia with a pool. Spring and Summer sees our house often overrun with groups of teenagers and tweens.
Some bring towels, some don't. Some can't even remember swimmers.
I just stand in the hallway near the linen cupboard flinging towels at them, and raid my sons and husband wardrobes for swimmers.
And get on with it afterwards. They're having fun.

My sons have gotten good at getting everyone to both hang the towels up between swims, and getting their mates to pick all the stuff up from the ground and put things in the laundry, or they know they will be doing it alone when every one leaves.

BoomBoomsCousin · 01/08/2019 22:44

I think you just need to point out that you'd like them to bring one.

I wouldn't have thought to take a towel. We don't have a pool but we have had people over to splash in the paddling pool and I've always provided towels, doesn't happen a huge amount though. So I can see, now it's been pointed out, how it would create too much work if it were a common occurrence. You just need to educate people.

SpeckledyHen · 01/08/2019 22:44

No pool here but rural living meant 6 - 8 on very regular weekend sleepovers for both my boys’ friends when they were teens , and nobody ever brought their own towels / sleeping bags etc . Just became part of life :)
No problem to wash all the extra stuff.

EdWinchester · 01/08/2019 22:46

Yes weird. We have holiday home with pool. I would be irritated to provide guests with towels.

stucknoue · 01/08/2019 22:47

It seems odd but if they are used to being members of a private gym/swimming pool towels are provided. It's been years since we had friends with a pool (we moved) and they always said don't being towels

applepieicecream · 01/08/2019 22:51

We never take towels to friends with pools. We used to but now they always say not to bother as they have loads that just get bunged in the wash

Nomorechickens · 01/08/2019 22:52

Of course it's a problem to wash all the extra towels, it's an extra load of washing, hanging out, putting away... Just ask them if they have brought a towel when they arrive, and if not, tell them to bring one next time. Every time.

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 01/08/2019 22:53

I wouldn't send my children to someone with a pool without a towel.
However, if I was lucky enough to have a swimming pool I'd probably provide them.

Coffeeandchocolate9 · 01/08/2019 22:55

Doesn't really need to be a post surely, just tell everyone to bring a towel and tell toe kids if they invite ppl to tell them to bring costume and towel too
I'd have a big laundry bin in the garden too and all home towels go in the on their way out and shameless prompting occurs.

Atalune · 01/08/2019 22:59

I think this is a bit of non issue.

Just give them a towel and then let it line dry for the next couple of goes. We have a big trug full of goggles, water pistols, snorkel stuff and floats.

We have a pool and we have some big beach towels. Kids use them for a max of 30 second and then we whack them on the line. I wash them every few days. No biggie.

At the end of the session, they all pick it up and have a tidy.

Having a pool and a big lovely garden is a summer pleasure!

chickenyhead · 01/08/2019 23:04

Maybe some of the parents dont have towels that should leave the house???

tinysnickersaremyfavourite · 01/08/2019 23:11

My mum has a small pool - she's not minted before anyone asks.
If we have a run of nice weather there can be 8 of us extra family members swimming every day and we always take our own towels, I'd never expect her to wash 8 extra towels per day!

LifeIsGoodish · 01/08/2019 23:16

I have a different approach. I leave a bunch of designated 'pool towels' out on the washing line. They all get washed about once a week. Otherwise they stay on the line - sunshine sterilises. If you want your own towel, or a clean one from the cupboard, you have you bring it yourself. Some of the kids are happy to use our pool towels, some always bring their own.

As for the clearing up, making my kids do it with me in the evening, even if they have to come out again to do so, has had a wonderful effect. They don't want their evening disrupted, so they get their friends to help tidy up when they're finished. Well, sometimes!

Chochito · 01/08/2019 23:32

What MrsExpo said:

Make a new rule - no towel, no swimming. If they "forget" then send them home for one. Or make sure you make it clear when inviting friends round that you say "bring a towel" as part of your invitation.

katewhinesalot · 01/08/2019 23:51

So many pool owners on here.

We have one of those air dry machines...

Northernsoullover · 01/08/2019 23:58

It could be one of those mahoosive paddling pools.

hadthesnip2 · 02/08/2019 00:02

I think that if you have a pool you can afford to buy half a dozen cheap towels from the market & have the put by just in case.

fedup21 · 02/08/2019 00:17

Maybe some of the parents dont have towels that should leave the house???

Then presumably their kids can never go to a public swimming pool ever!

chickenyhead · 02/08/2019 00:20

Unfortunately some kids dont. Sorry, but true.

Cosentyx · 02/08/2019 00:28

Easy fix: when you issue the invitation, TELL them to bring a towel!

I have family in a place where having a pool is common, most people have a stack of pool towels, but it's common courtesy to ask if you need to bring one or bring one so I don't really buy the 'you can afford a pool so provide towels!' You're not running a gym!

Just tell them, please bring a towel with you/send a towel with X for him/her to use, thanks!

AnnieOH1 · 02/08/2019 00:35

IKEA Nacktan range approx £1.90 for a bath towel and £2.40 for a bath sheet in white. Have little ribbon hooks already fitted and are perfect for things like this. For £20 you can kit out the poolside. They also do guest towels for around 30p.

TriciaH87 · 02/08/2019 00:40

When they turn up ask if they have a towel, if it's a no say sorry my spares are all in the wash from last time you won't be able to go in I'm affraid.

Flip

1 2 3