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Original poster

Tell me the lifecycle of a bath towel in your house.....

30 replies

Legacy · 01/04/2007 09:35

After stuffing another pile of towels back into the airing cupboard I've realised that although we buy new ones occasionally, I don't think we EVER throw any away ...

So in our house it's something like this:

  • NEW TOWELS - bought to co-ordinate with new bathroom decor etc. Used regularly (if not in wash) and ESPECIALLY for guests
  • Previously new towels - used if new towels not available. Regular family use.
  • No-so-new towels - used for kids swimming/ going to the gym
  • Old towels - used to keep in car/ dry off children in the garden etc
  • Very old towels - kept in garage and used by DH (goodness knows what for!)

But I don't think I've ever thrown one away! I still have a towel from my uni days kicking around (it has my name on a nametape)

How do people with pristine towels for every occasion do it? DO they have a 'towel amnesty' every 12 months and chuck tem all away and buy new??
(I always look rather enviously at those people who don't seem to mind taking big fluffy towels to the gym to get ruined with chlorine )

OP posts:
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 01/04/2007 09:42

New towels - bought once in a blue moon or for wedding present used til they are threadbare THEN they become a dog towel

EasterSparklerEgg · 01/04/2007 09:44

Pretty much the same as monkeymonkeymoomoo -

except

New towels - bought once in a blue moon or for present used til they are threadbare THEN they become a DH garage towel. Although I did find the strength in mmyself to bin a couple of threadbare tea towels the other day.

TrinityRhino · 01/04/2007 09:45

In the last 7 years I have bought 2 new towels. One each time I've had a new baby cause the manky old ones always seemed to scratchy for the teeny baby.
So all I have are manky towels for all occasions, except the one I just bought to use for Gecko which isn't going to be manky and old for a while yet.

Imawurzelcoveredinchocolate · 01/04/2007 09:49

Ours are only 3 years old. So not thread bare yet.
We have only lived together for 3 years.
Been together 4.
But mine would prob be the same as legacy, when we have kids/dogs/garage.
Have none of those so far.

shonaspurtle · 01/04/2007 09:55

My mum has every towel she's ever been given/bought. The last time I was through my brother's old baby hooded towel (32 years old) and my old swimming towel (25 years old) were hanging on the line because she'd used them with my nephew.

Somehow she manages to keep them looking less grey and knackered than the towels we got for a wedding present (3 years old) although that could be because my dad doesn't hide wet towels at the bottom of gym bags with muddy football boots .

roisin · 01/04/2007 09:57

I also have 20 yr-old towels in the back of the cupboard

Original poster
Legacy · 01/04/2007 09:59

Well exactly Roisin! What IS it that stops us from throwing them away???

OP posts:
JackieNo · 01/04/2007 10:00

I'm still using DH's towel from when he was at school when we go swimming - it's got a name tape with his name on, and he's now 42.

JackieNo · 01/04/2007 10:01

I think it's the thought that we might have a flood or something - it's useful to be able to grab some old/grotty towels to mop floors with if the worst happens (and in our house it has happened a couple of times[sas] - though not recently).

Original poster
Legacy · 01/04/2007 10:01

Phew Jackie! At least I'm not alone on that one!

OP posts:
SimplySparkling · 01/04/2007 10:02

I had a good sort out of towels recently because I've been buying new but not getting rid of old. I asked MIL if she wanted the old ones for beach/kids playing towels and she did. There were 3 bin bags full! It was the first good sort out in over 10 yrs. I've kept a number of rough towels for the dog/outdoor stuff still.

wheresthehamster · 01/04/2007 10:20

Exactly the same as you Legacy.

But I don't like fluffy towels to dry myself with so I have old rough ones in daily use.
(One, my grandmother bought me when I got engaged to someone over 30 years ago).

There are so many uses for old towels that there is no reason to throw them away.
E.g. Mopping the trampoline, drying the bikes off and flicking away the cobwebs (they're kept outside), when all and sundry come and use the paddling pool, washing machine flood, bathing pets - in fact, thinking about it I don't have enough!

gladbag · 01/04/2007 10:26

I last bought towels when ds was born, three years ago. As a first time mum I took the advice of having dark coloured towels for after the birth very seriously, so bought some. That year we also got a couple for the new house and guests. Before that I bought some when I moved away from home and started my first job (early 90s). Dh came with a few.

I have also been known to take an assortment of old towels, which are vaguely similar colours, and dye them all so that they become a matching set . I have never knowingly thrown one away.

In our house the pecking order is....
guest use
every day
swimming/haven't kept up with the washing
beach
guest dogs/boot of car for emergencies
garage

WanderingTrolley · 01/04/2007 10:48

I have some antediluvian towels lurking at the back of the hot press, which I suspect are holding up a shelf. They are really there "In case of an emergency." What emergency can be calmed by something rock hard and scatchy I have no idea.

I bought a big batch of cheapo towels from Ikea about7 years ago and they're still good enough to hand out to guests.

I have an assortment of miscellaneous towels, whose origin is a mystery, that do for swimming/beach/other.

Judy1234 · 01/04/2007 10:51

We still use some bought for our wedding in 1983 - the one I'm thinking of I use when I dye my hair. There are a few for swimming which aren't quite as old and then the rest are on weekly cycle and were bought about 9 years ago - white one week, navy the next.

Chandra · 01/04/2007 10:52

They start as New towels to coordinate decor then they are demoted to visit towels (mainly because they are always clean and ready because we don't use them), then they become dog towels, and finally they end in the rubish bin. I get a new set of towels every 2 years at the minimum.

ghosty · 01/04/2007 10:56

I don't like brand new towels. It takes ages for the fluff to settle and I can't stand drying myself then ending up with bits of fluffy new towel fluff all over me ...
I like old slightly stiff towels. Am I odd?

Anyway, last time we got new towels was for wedding presents (9 years ago).

And they are still our fluffiest softest 'best' towels

Can't be bothered with the 'matching' the decor thing. All our bathroom towels are plain colours anyway - dark blue, dark green, cream. Any patterned towels seem to be used as swimming/beach towels anyway.

mytwopenceworth · 01/04/2007 10:56

new towels are for LOOKING AT ONLY!!! open the airing cupboard door and see them, pat them, smell them and feel good about the world.

get laid out in a relaxed manner for guests - oh this? nah, all our towels are like this, white and fluffy and fresh and.....

after a bit they go a bit flat and then we can use them.

then they go a bit grey and get shoved in a cupboard for emergency use only

then they get holes in and are for laying out outside to sit on

then they get ripped and the kids can use them for tug of war, or superman capes or whatever

then they get cut up for scrubbing cloths

then they go into the washing machine one day, having been used to scrape grease out of the cooker and they disintegrate in the spin cycle and go to towel heaven.

Anna8888 · 01/04/2007 12:49

Everyone in our house has their own towels, face flannels, sheets, dressing gowns and they get changed every couple of years (I would guess) when we update bedroom decorations or we're fed up and want something new to brighten our lives.

And then the old ones get put in the recycling and are never seen again.

99redballoons · 01/04/2007 16:04

Just a thought, my mil gives her old towels to a local cattery/doggery as they always need them. Might be a good home for the threadbare and dh/garage towels?

motherinferior · 01/04/2007 16:37

We have towels. No idea how old they are or how posh they are. Just towels. Quite ropey towels, some of them. No wonder DP's posho rellies scarper when they invite themselves to stay.

cece · 01/04/2007 16:41

New towels - for family and guest use
older towels - gfor when newer towels are in wash
brightly coloured towels - for holiday use only and swimming pool - which we go to about twice a year
towels getting a bit scabby - DH uses for sport
old towels - for cleaning up spillages on floor (washing mahcine?), wiping wet things at park in garden,
cut up towels - washing car etc

lostinfrance · 01/04/2007 16:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

noddyholder · 01/04/2007 16:48

All white here too although I must admit I wash tham a lot as I can't bear grubby towels.Dp would use one until it walked to the washing machine itself he never sees them as dirty!

hana · 01/04/2007 17:03

we're still using towels from our wedding nearly 8 years ago, have bought a couple new ones since then. beach/pool towels are prints, all rest are white. But we have no guest towels, they just use what we use! clean of course!