Do you have a towel management system?

[PeaMcLean]

Do you fold up the towels after they've been used and use them again?

And whilst hanging them up to dry, where do you put them? Let's say you've all had baths or showers and there are four towels? Do you really have enough space in the bathroom for them?

Do you keep to your own towels? Perhaps a colour coded system?

Do you share?

If reusing, how do you make sure towels get washed often enough? Do you literally just wait until they're smelly?!?

Just wondering how other people manage their towels.

Aside from the spectacular waste of water/energy involved in washing towels after every use, where do people find the time for that much washing alongside normal washing and ironing for a family?

OMG at this thread

Well we have two towels put out on a Monday. If they start to smell then I do change them mid week as well.

Everyone uses them.

After use they are either hung to dry on towel rail - can be folded or scrunched back on - or left on the floor of bedroom/bathroom or left screwed up on a bed to dry . All depends who last used it

I didn't know it was so necessary to put so much thought into towels

Duvets inside out as they are easier to put back on that way. Oh and that is how they end up when I remove them so that is how they stay!

Ahhhh...just had to join in here though haven't time to readall the thread....personally, I don't have ishoos re towel sharing, after all towels are for after you've washed...and I don't favour over frequent laundering on enviromental and laziness grounds...BUT I have BIG ISHOOS with towel hoarding. (3, soon to be 4 teenagers here). So, I thought I'd sort it out by embroidering everyone's initials on the towels- everyone has 2 bath towels, hand towels to STAY in bathroom, shared. Do you think it worked????

for about a week.
what a waste of my time.
still at least the finger of blame can be more accurately pointed. Fat lot of good that does, too.

We don't share bath towels or flannels.

Flannels & bath mats get washed every 1 or 2 days on average.
Kitchen towels washed daily
Hand towels washed weekly.
Bath towels hung up and dried after each use and washed every 1 or 2 weeks

OMG - bath mats every 1-2 days!

more slatterns here - we have three towels in the bathroom - I use one for drying me aftr my bath, the other one for when I have washed my hair as it is lighter on my head. DD uses the same one as me. DS still uses the hooded ones. DH - cant comment, but when he has had a shower, you 'know' - the towel and bathmat is soaking wet, left on the side of the bath - and that is when they get washed - so at least once a week!!

Been looking at new towels - I do quite like the idea of colour coded towels - but DH wouldnt remember which was his - unless I kept mine not in the bathroom!

...bath mats...they get washed when I remember

We're not colour code but we are location coded (but then ther are only 3 of us).
Sharing = no thanks
Washing = ahem, once a week

Wow this is incredible! I am also wondering how on earth anyone has time to wash towels every day?

I try to get each member of our family to use their own towel for about a week then I wash all in one go. Some of us alwasy seem to forget which is ours that week and use the wrong one but it more or less works. They hang on radiators or are dropped by dcs on floor in between times, I do try to pick them up. Hand towels I change twice a week if I remember. Swimming towels dry on radiator and are used a few times before washing.

wow!!! so many people who actually have a towel management system of some sort!! (me included)

new hand towel every day in bathroom, bath towels we each have our own of for 2 or 3 uses then put to be washed and all washed on fridays along with bathmats and kitchen towels on a hot wash

I'd love threadworms as I'm on a diet, so will continue my towel-mismanagement.

Utterly gobsmacked by the towel management system instigated by some domestic godesses here.

We have 2 communal towels and 1 hand towel in the bathroom at any one time. (DH, toddler DS and me)

They get washed once a week, or more if they look grubby (DH is a VERY grubby mechanic..)

Never had threadworms, impetigo or any other horrors mentioned here.

Yes fold them up and put on towel rack.

Put Dh's which always seems wetter on radiator (not on atm of course).

Yes everybody has their own towel at not doing this. Avoids problems with eczema, threadworms, impetigo etc. Have two of each colour plus some spares in my and Dh's colour.

I wash them every Monday. Only Dh's is really in need (sometimes change his midweek). DCs' are fine.

There Is No Need to wash towels daily. {irate}

Thread reminds me of Monica off of Friends' 11-category towel list

This is brilliant!!!!
I always get a fresh towel for me, if I can find one, and I'm not sure what the rest of them do. DS is allergic to washing (he's 14). DD in shower frequently, and I have 2 students staying at present, and I gave them towels, but have not seen them again, so assume their using our others, in the ottoman in bathroom. So everyday, I jus pick up what lying about upstairs, try to remember to wash and dry them within that same week...see my new blog for funny student stories....