Washing Towels

[funkymunky]

Thinking while in the shower earlier today, why do we have to wash towels when all we use them for is to dry our nice freshly cleaned body?

My usual routine is to use a towel once and the next time i shower using it a second time to stand on while using a fresh one to dry off again.

How many times do you normally use a towel before washing it or for some people i have encountered on my travels how long until you burn a stinky towel before you buy a new one?

Edited July 21, 2008 by funkymunky

[Naam]

Thinking while in the shower earlier today, why do we have to wash towels when all we use them for is to dry our nice freshly cleaned body?

My usual routine is to use a towel once and the next time i shower using it a second time to stand on while using a fresh one to dry off again.

How many times do you normally use a towel before washing it or for some people i have encountered on my travels how long until you burn a stinky towel before you buy a new one?

if your towel stinks after using it twice or thrice you either did not clean your body properly or your body emits a stink whether it is cleansed or not

[popshirt]

I voted "thrice" but often use a towel more often than that without washing because I notmally take more than one shower per day.

However, I have found that the thinner the towel, the longer it lasts before needing washing. The fashion of "thick, fluffy towels" in the west doesn't work well in Thailand because of the humidity. I now buy the very inexpensive towels at Tesco and after showering they dry in an hour or two, thus avoiding mildew and mould. I also only buy light colours in order to tell if the towel is soiled and needs washing.

My other Thailand tip regarding towels is to not use fabric softener with them as this product reduces absorption in the cotton fibre.

[PhilHarries]

A while back a lot of hotels were running a scheme where if you wanted a fresh towels every day you just left the used ones on the floor otherwise you hung them on the rail. A good scheme given the volume of detergents used and released into the environment daily especially in seaside resorts. How many of us at home wash the towels out after only one use?

[chiliwasabi]

Voted thrice as the choices were limited. Are you showering or having a mud bath?

[sweetchariot]

About once a week. Well it's not dirty is it, just wet. And however fluffy your towel may be it will still dry in a couple of hours out here. Back in the UK I used to change it every couple of days - it had less use (only 1 shower a day), but would not dry properly and then became a bit stale.

God, I must be bored this morning - or still p1ssed

[Naam]

I voted "thrice" but often use a towel more often than that without washing because I notmally take more than one shower per day.

However, I have found that the thinner the towel, the longer it lasts before needing washing. The fashion of "thick, fluffy towels" in the west doesn't work well in Thailand because of the humidity.

this "fashion" works quite well if your home is airconditioned

p.s. i hate thin towels and we buy since many years only towels from certain suppliers which serve top hotels. at one time (years ago) my wife managed to buy a dozen towels from the Holiday Inn, Kuwait. unfortunately we never found the same quality again

[zaza]

I ticked 4 cause I want to dry naturally like a dog

Facts :

• First:the more you rub yourself by a towel to dry ;the more you get wrinkles on your skin.
  
• Second: when you leave the water on your skin to dry naturally, it'd work as a hydrating factor to keep your skin moisten.
  

[PhilHarries]

I ticked 4 cause I want to dry naturally like a dog

Facts :

• First:the more you rub yourself by a towel to dry ;the more you get wrinkles on your skin.
  
• Second: when you leave the water on your skin to dry naturally, it'd work as a hydrating factor to keep your skin moisten.
  

The facts may be true but isn't it a bit of a bind standing around in the aircon room waiting to dry off before you get dressed or go to bed?

Or do you go and stand out on the balcony?

[wolfmanjack]

I ticked 4 cause I want to dry naturally like a dog

Facts :

• First:the more you rub yourself by a towel to dry ;the more you get wrinkles on your skin.
  
• Second: when you leave the water on your skin to dry naturally, it'd work as a hydrating factor to keep your skin moisten.
  

The facts may be true but isn't it a bit of a bind standing around in the aircon room waiting to dry off before you get dressed or go to bed?

Or do you go and stand out on the balcony?

Yeah it is kind of hard pulling my jeans on when i am wet.

[Mighty Mouse]

As we are talking Thailand here and as I only travel to Thailand as a tourist, I'll answer the question as a hotel user.

I voted 'once' on the assumption that the hotel's laundry service is of high quality....but....

I know that the quality of the wash from most LOS hotels leaves a lot to be desired.

The room maids use your used towel to wash the bathroom floor and to wipe down the sink and toilet. The hotel guests use the towels for all sorts of sexual things and heaven only knows where some of the horrible stains comes from.

Many of the towels that come back from the laundry still have these stains in them yet they are put in your room as a 'clean' replacement. For this reason I never wipe my mouth with any hotel towel.

The hotel that I stay at has the air-conditioning unit on the balcony. These are great for drying the washing. Whenever I get an unmarked, clean looking towel, I usually hang onto it, wash it out myself and dry it on the balcony. It saves the hotel the laundry cost and I know it has been washed properly.

[zaza]

I ticked 4 cause I want to dry naturally like a dog

Facts :

• First:the more you rub yourself by a towel to dry ;the more you get wrinkles on your skin.
  
• Second: when you leave the water on your skin to dry naturally, it'd work as a hydrating factor to keep your skin moisten.
  

The facts may be true but isn't it a bit of a bind standing around in the aircon room waiting to dry off before you get dressed or go to bed?

Or do you go and stand out on the balcony?

Turn off the AC for 10 minutes only