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How To Make Your Bath Towels Last Longer

Written by Team Havly — October 22, 2021

How To Make Your Bath Towels Last Longer

So you bought some spa-worthy, quality towels. As with all serious relationships, here’s how to take care of them to make the honeymoon last longer.

 

As advocates for better towels, we thought we’d drop some knowledge on how to take immaculate care of them so they keep looking and performing their best. Look closely at your towel. See all the little loops of cotton thread? They’re responsible for absorbing water off your body after a shower. The greater the number of loops per square inch, the greater the towel can absorb to get you drier. That’s why we put a lot of love into our Wünderweave technology, which has a gradient weave that blends both plush and absorbing threads that can last up to 1,000 washes—with the right care. So if you’re thirsty for info on how to keep those beloved loops fresh, soft and lasting their longest, read on:

HOW TO WASH WELL 

1.)   Keep ’em separated: Wash your white towels together in hot water—hot water maintains brightness. Wash colored towels in warm water, so the dyes don’t bleed into each other. Clothing loves to wage war on towels with things like zippers, so it’s best to keep them apart as well.


Havly Tip: The colorful D-Loops on our towels are bleach-resistant, so you don’t need to overthink it. Net net: if your white Havly towel has a colored loop, hot water will still work just fine. If you went for our Seriously Black towels, warm water is the way to go.

  

2.)   How often should you wash your towels? If you use daily, we recommend washing every 3-4 days for bath towels, and every 2 days for hand towels. Use 2 tablespoons of a heavy-duty detergent like Seventh Generation for each wash. For every other wash, add non-chlorine bleach such as OxiClean or Molly’s Suds to restore towels’ shine.

 

3.)   To avoid that dreaded towel crunch, use fabric softener once every 3-4 washes. For natural fabric softeners, either add a ½ cup of baking soda sprinkled on towels when they’re in the wash, or add a ½ cup of distilled white vinegar or sodium percarbonate (a safer alternative to borax) in the fabric softener dispenser. Vinegar is a great way to restore absorbency since it will strip towels of any mineral buildup or leftover detergent.

 

4.)   For musty odors, wash towels with a ½ cup of baking soda instead of detergent. Then wash again—with the detergent.

 

Havly Tip: Our fast-drying Wünderweave technology was created to assist in the fight against musty odors.

 

5.)   Your mom probably told you this, but it bears repeating: don’t toss wet towels into a hamper (they’ll start to stink) and don’t overload the washing machine. Always hang your towels in between washes.

 

Havly Tip: Our D-Loops were built to hang on doors and hooks (keeping shared bathrooms sleek and organized while they’re at it).

 

HOW TO DRY LIKE A PRO

1.)   Before you toss your towels in the dryer, give them a good shake—this will help restore fluffiness.

 

Havly Tip: As a sustainable alternative to dryer sheets, we suggest using wool dryer balls. While the chemicals in dryer sheets might give towels a softer feel, they also cause the fibers to repel water, minimizing their absorbent superpowers. Being MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®-certified without harmful substances, our 100% Aegean cotton towels are already fast-drying, and we recommend wool dryer balls as a chemical-free way to sustain their fluff.

 

2.)   Make sure towels are 100% dry—just a trace of dampness could lead to that funky mildew smell, which is a definite fail. When towels are fully dry, they’re ready to be folded and placed on the shelf. Don’t iron towels, as this will also reduce their full absorbent potential.

We celebrate your commitment to long-lasting towel-y goodness—when you give your Havly some TLC, it will hug you right back. Here’s to making a strong, plush relationship for years to come.

 

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