Do This to Make Your Bath Towels Last Longer

Everyone wants to get the most bang for their buck, and that includes a good return on investment in linens. If you’ve noticed your bath towels seem to be a little worse for wear, there’s a way to prolong their life.

In order to make the most of your bath towels, you should be washing them alone, with little detergent, and no fabric softener.

Why wash towels alone? Won’t you save money on electricity by combining loads? You might save a bit, but you could also be shortening the life of your towels, so is it really a win? When you wash towels with items like jeans or jackets that have zippers or velcros, you run the risk of snags and damage. Washing alone prevents that. Plus, it keeps towel lint off other fabrics.

We know the allure of scented laundry detergent and fabric softener are hard to resist. When it comes to your towels, going light and skipping these laundry essentials will serve you well in the long run. Washing your towels with too much detergent can lead to build-up on the fibers making them scratchy and unpleasant to use.

As for fabric softener, it’s also guilty of coating towel fibers, but it does so with petroleum and oil. Over time, it builds up to the point that your towel is no longer absorbent enough—even if it does smell great fresh out of the dryer.

If you’re looking to put off buying new linens, remember that how you care for your towels is how you keep them.