When looking at a towel, you may have wondered a few things, such as, “Why do I have to wash my towel when I only use it when I’ve literally just been cleaned?” and, “Huh, what the hell are those lines for?”
Another question people have post-shower or bath is; why do old towels dry you better than new towels? First off, you aren’t just imagining it, slightly older towels really are better at the job of drying you off.
How do towels work?
It’s a fairly simple question, but is important for figuring out why older towels dry you better; how do towels dry you?
“At a microscopic level, absorbent fibers are characterized by their ability to attract water molecules,” Absorbents Online explains.
“Natural fibers like cotton have a high level of absorbency due to their porous nature, allowing water to penetrate and be held within the fibers. Synthetic fibers, like those in microfiber towels, are engineered to increase surface area and create spaces between fibers, enhancing their ability to trap and hold moisture.”
Why are older towels better at drying you than new towels?
There are a few reasons for this. Number one relates to very recently purchased towels only, and is a reason why you should always wash it before your first use.
“Your towels probably felt great when you brought them home. But if you’ve ever attempted to use a new bath towel without first washing it, you probably noticed it wasn’t absorbing much water. This is because cotton towels are treated with a silicone finish at the end of the manufacturing process. This provides the perception of “softness” to customers who are touching the towel while shopping in retail stores,” linen manufacturer Fine Linen and Bath explains.
“In reality, that silicone coats the towel fibers and significantly diminishes their absorbency. To remove this silicone finish, and wash away any excess dye from a colored towel, you should absolutely wash towels before their first use.”
After several washes these chemical coatings, including softeners and sizing agents, are removed and the result is your towel becomes more absorbent.
Beyond that, further use can actually improve your towel’s performance.
“Most towels, including wholesale bath towels, are made from cotton or cotton blends because of their excellent ability to absorb moisture. Cotton fibers are naturally designed with a porous structure that allows them to trap water. Each cotton fiber has tiny loops that open up to absorb moisture from your skin or hair,” Towel Hub explains.
“When towels are used over time, these loops become more pronounced, which increases their ability to absorb moisture. New towels, however, often have tighter fibers, meaning they don’t absorb as much water initially. The fibers loosen with use, which improves the towel’s performance.”
But towels do not improve forever, becoming only more powerful with age like a vampire or Danny deVito. As the fibers become torn and clumped, and covered with oils and layers of fabric softener their performance can take a plunge.
“One of the most frequent reasons towels lose their absorbency is the build-up of fabric softeners and dryer sheets,” the Turkish Towel Company explains. “While these products make towels smell like fields of flowers, they coat the fibers with a thin layer of chemicals that reduce the towel’s ability to absorb water. Fabric softeners work by depositing a layer of silicone or oils on the fibers, which can lead to a waxy residue that blocks water from being absorbed.”
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to combat this. For one, many experts recommend that you do not use fabric softener on towels. While the result will be a soft towel, it will not be very good at drying you. The purpose of a towel is to dry you, not to be a nice soft thing to rub against whilst you’re soaking wet.
You can also rescue a towel’s absorbency with a few little tricks.
“If you have some towels that have seen better days, there are a few things to try before you assign them to the rag pile. Try adding about half a cup of ordinary household white vinegar to your towel wash, which will help pull any build-up of chemicals and residue off the fibres,” Clean Services explains.
“You should notice a difference after a few washes. Bicarbonate of Soda is another alternative to try, with the added benefit that it also removes any odours from old towels. Be careful not to use these two at the same time, however, as they react with each other!”
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
Source Link: Why Do Your Towels Dry You Better When They're Older?
