Towels - each person their own set, or take nearest (clean!) one from the cupboard?

[Ramekin]

Having just realised that some of our towels are over 15 years old (and our "new" towels are 9 years old, I'm planning to splash out (ha ha) on some new ones.

Current towels are various shades of blue, DH and I take clean one from the cupboard and use it for a week. DDs have smaller towels, again, next clean one from cupboard and use it for a week.

Now that I am buying new ones, I am considering bringing in a colour-coded "own towel" policy, everyone gets a different colour and only ever uses towels of that colour, we have a seperate colour for guests and handtowels and bathmats (and the ancient blue towels are relegated to swimming towels).
I think DD would be excited to choose her own colour, and I feel somehow this way is more hygienic.

DH is resistant and reckons it is unnecessarily complicated, and he won't be able to remember which colour is for what, and that when we wash all the towels together all the colours will run and they will look dingy.

What do other people do?

Big bath sheets are mine all mine
Rest of them are a free for all, but usually changed by me.
Clean hand towels are put out for visitors

monty "Apart from that they have been bought sets, and yes everyone sticks to their own in this house anal"

That's a good point. If you going to wipe your face with a towel that's previously been on someone's arse, it's better it should be your own.

Washing towels every day is unnecessary & environmentally selfish - such a waste of water & power.

Free for all when getting a clean towel, but you hang your towel on your own rail and re-use it (ugh to using someone else's used towel)

Washed every few days.

If theyve been used and dont smell clean they need to be washed - im certainly not going to risk ill health or skin infections to pass along ....my towels go in with whatever mixed wash im doing that day and a dryed in a variety of ways.

towels that have been used have skin cells on etc etc.

am i right in thinking this has been debated on 'ere before??

Yes, you would.

We have brown towels for dh, dark pink for me (they look like quite a nice contrast on the towel rail) and pink with hearts for dd, we each have two bath sheets, two hand towels and two flannels. I bought christy towels as they don't shred and stay lovely and soft, I wash them all once a week and I presume everyone uses their bath sheets on alternate days. Towels are the only thing under control in my house.

Ariel

Does anyone have M&S towels? They do some lovely patterned ones but I don't want to splash out (geddit ) if they are also 'shedders'!!

PigletJohn
'That's a good point. If you going to wipe your face with a towel that's previously been on someone's arse, it's better it should be your own.'

I think you see my point

Still in a lather of indecision . I am now leaning back towards everyone having their own colour, but carefully chosen by me so that they all co-ordinate nicely together. Do still have the issue of DH being a bit colour blind and finding it hard to remember which is his though, maybe I should make him have white.

As far as face/arse drying is concerned, DD and I have long hair, so we have separate head towels for hair and faces, my bath towel is for my body only! And so the only person wiping his face with an arsey towel is DH! Never thought of that issue before - no wonder some people like to change their towels every day! (Still think once a week is ample though - my washing machine would be going constantly otherwise)

Am a bit bemused by all this talk of arse-wiping. What are you people doing that soils your towels? Isn't a quick pat sufficient, and perfectly clean. I agree you don't want to share a used towel with someone else - but your own towel! Get a grip, surely?

It's a free for all here, unless someone is I'll with a tummy bug or something then it's separate towels. I change the hand towel at least once a day, usually more often as it gets knocked on the floor by the dds and bath towels probably every couple of days.

Colour coded.

If you're getting rid of old towels, it's worth phoning the local animal rescue place. Many will take them to use as bedding.

We all have a set of towels each, in different colours. Mine and DH's are in the bathroom and the DC's towels are on towel rails in their rooms. Their towels match their rooms. These are washed once a week.

I really think it is a ridiculous waste of water and energy to wash bath towels after every use. They are only used to dry water off a clean body and if everyone has their own there isn't a hygiene issue.