They never use my guest towels!

[MargeretIntheWood]

I have various guests popping in and visiting my home, often unannounced. For this purpose I purchased a collection of "guest towels" from M&S.

I keep a clean towel hanging on a dedicated hook next to the bathroom sink so it's ready when visitors just pop in.

BUT... no-one ever uses it! I discover my guests have used my personal towels to dry their hands (which they have to walk across the room to do); my bath mat, my flannel or they come back into the room wiping their hands on their clothing.

How do I get people to use my guest towels? I was considering purchasing a paper towel holder like they have in public loos but that seems excessive.

Are the towels too nice? Do they look like they might just be decorative?

Or are they not displayed nicely enough so look like they're personal ones?

My aunt's bathroom is so pretty I'm scared to use anything in there so I dry my hands on my cardigan, whereas my friend's bathroom is a bit grubby and I'm not sure if any towels are for general use so do the same there.

Not suggesting yours is grubby!

Have a twee little sign above them that states 'Guest towels'.

Speak up - "I've put a new hand towel for guests next to the basin".

Does it really matter though? They're only drying their newly-washed hands.

Just be grateful they're washing their hands.😁

The only towel I have in my bathroom is the hand towel perhaps keep your personal towels separate, although everyone in this house uses the hand towel to dry their clean hands so I do not have a special one for guests. I do make sure it’s clean though each day.

While could possibly give a shit which towel gets used? They all get grubby, all get washed and all get put out again.

If you have one you're using for your face, you maybe don't want guests drying their arse with it.

Why would they be wiping their arse on a towel? 😳

After they've washed it. Not straight off the loo!

@Precipice

After they've washed it. Not straight off the loo!
Pretty sure the OP means day guests. Not over night guests. No bum washing. Just hands 🙌🏼

Have you used them much? Have they been washed a few times? Very new towels can be better very poor at absorbing water, it may be that they've tried to dry their hands on them but have had to use something else as well because they're just not doing the job. Wash them a few times (without fabric conditioner) - that's assuming they're cotton if they're some kind of man made material they'll likely never be absorbent.

I never knew that a towel to dry your hands was called a 'guest' towel! Just assumed it was a 'hand' towel.

That aside, is the towel grubby or wet? Maybe people aren't used to seeing a towel hanging from a hook, and expect hand towels to be on a rail next to the sink? Maybe they assume its your cleaning cloth or has another use? Have you asked them?

I dunno, judging by some mn threads which reveal some very convoluted bathroom habits I would no longer presume anything 😆

You're just going to have to ask

Yes, one of the things I’ve learned from Mn is that some people have incredibly odd bathroom habits and hang-ups.

I never knew that a towel to dry your hands was called a 'guest' towel! Just assumed it was a 'hand' towel.

There are guest [hand] towels and [regular] hand towels. Guest towels are a bit smaller than hand towels, presumably because you change them more frequently.

@DisplayPurposesOnly Thank you for explaining. I'm looking at buying new towels so at least I know what is what now. 😊

Paper towels

What are they doing washing their arses in someone elses house?

I assumed these are day guests?
Staying over guests get given their own towels

how do you know which ones are being used?

just point it out before they go in, “feel free to use the towel on the hook to dry your hands “

Why not get a hot air hand blower fitted? Less washing.

Can you show us a pic of your towel and it's placement? My hand towels (they're for all of us not just guests) get used. They are on a ring next to the sink and they aren't fancy or in display mode or anything, just functional hands towels.

I don’t understand this.

so the family, the ones who live in the house, do they all dry their hands on their own individual towels in the bathroom? They have to ‘walk across the room’ to do that? Or is there a hand towel for everyone to use, including the guests? I just have people’s body towels handing up, then a small one next to the sink that’s the hand towel for everyone.

Some people wash after bowel movements. Although sometimes that's with wet toilet paper outside the house.