OT - Do you recycle your towels?

[TotalSnowWhite]

I just keep thinking that after I've used a towel to dry myself off in some certain "regions" that are albeit clean, I don't want the same part of the towel drying my face next time. KWIM?

So are you a towel recycler?

We're recyclers! As far as the point I quoted, and I'm sure it's part of my OCD, I use the corner of the towel nearest the tag to dry my girly parts (mostly just a little pat, pat here and a pat, pat there, nothing that would really warrant "dirtiness"). The rest of it is free reign. I use a t-shirt to dry my hair (no frizzies, more absorbent) when I wash it (naturally curly, dry hair, so I only shampoo a couple times a week). Everyone has their own towels.

My daughter and I both use new towels everyday. i can't imagine using a dirty towel.
My sons bathe together and will use the same towel, the get baths every other day now that its winter.
My husband will use whatever is on the top of the hamper. He comes from a family that reused.

I only do 4-5 loads of laundry a week for the 5 people living in this house. Granted I have very large machines, but really I don't think they cause that much excess laundry.

Your boys must not get as messy as mine! He's got to have a daily bath, mostly due to the sandbox at school!! Hehe!! He's got curly hair and the sand just loves to get stuck in those locks. He gets rubbed down with lotion (so he still smells like a baby post-bath! ), especially in the dry air months.

Yes, at least once a week, more often if it is cold all week. Maybe my kids are just messy!

We are in Texas, so we only really wear a jacket for 4-5 months of the year. A lot of times at school, the kids wear their jackets on the playground once it gets cooler. After about 30 seconds, they take them off and they end up hung up on the fence. Another 30 seconds later, the jackets blow down off the fence where they land on the ground. The jackets are definitely pretty grubby after a day or two.

My jacket only gets washed once or twice during the winter.

I am totally NOT a neat freak, I promise!

Same here! I'll wash coats when they're visibly dirty or, um, smellibly smelly. Other than that, he's wearing at least one layer of clothes underneath, so they don't get too yucky (even with all his boy germs! ).



I also take my own towel to hotels or if I will be staying in others' homes. Well, unless it's family. I shared drinks, food and who knows what else growing up with the fam, so I can use their laundered towels. I only use hotel towels as a bath mat. I also take a sleep sack. Is my OCD showing??

Funny thread. I love how people will share anything on the DIS.

 

[nosy parker]

We're recyclers! As far as the point I quoted, and I'm sure it's part of my OCD, I use the corner of the towel nearest the tag to dry my girly parts (mostly just a little pat, pat here and a pat, pat there, nothing that would really warrant "dirtiness"). The rest of it is free reign.

OP here:
I just about spit my coffee all over the keyboard!!
I'm pretty sure that I'm quite OCD in this regard. Don't know why it's an issue, but never the twain shall meet.

Funny thread. I love how people will share anything on the DIS.

Yes, absolutely hilarious! I'm amazed this thread has gotten to 6 pages!!


And ya know, I have to say that I never imagined the 're-users' would be ahead by such a large margin. I mean, I know that people do it, but never thought it was the majority of people. Genuinely surprised.

Let' see.... hmmmmm.... what other silly question could we possibly ask...??

 

[GothTink]

I can't imagine how much your laundry costs must be.

We reuse.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

OP here:
I just about spit my coffee all over the keyboard!!
I'm pretty sure that I'm quite OCD in this regard. Don't know why it's an issue, but never the twain shall meet.



Yes, absolutely hilarious! I'm amazed this thread has gotten to 6 pages!!


And ya know, I have to say that I never imagined the 're-users' would be ahead by such a large margin. I mean, I know that people do it, but never thought it was the majority of people. Genuinely surprised.

Let' see.... hmmmmm.... what other silly question could we possibly ask...??

I'd say it's just a sign of the times. Lots of families have two working parents, extracurriculars, etc., and that doesn't leave a lot of time for laundry. I know we only do laundry twice, maybe three times a week. We have a lot of clothes, so we really could probably just go once a week or less. DS could wear new outfits every day for a month without laundry. Haha!!

Next week's topic: What's your favorite toilet paper and why?

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I never even knew there were people who only used a towel once. We change our towels twice a week. But for some reason, I like getting new towels every day on vacation. I guess it's part of the luxury of being on vacation to me. I just want to use my towel, throw it on the floor and magically have a new clean towel waiting for me when I get back.

It takes about 10 minutes total to wash, dry, and fold a load of towels.

What kind of washer and dryer do you have???

 

[thelindysix]

What kind of washer and dryer do you have???

I was thinking the exact same thing!!

 

[ajk912]

I was thinking the exact same thing!!

Sorry..when I said it takes 10 minutes total to wash, dry, fold and put away a load of towels..I meant it more as a time used on the project. Assuming most people do what I do, you take the load of towels, you throw them in the washer. Start washer. So about 90 seconds. Come back an hour later (it's not like I am physically watching the laundry wash..I am doing whatever..) and put the load in the dryer and hit start. About 60 seconds here. When the load is done about an hour later, fold it (it really doesn't take towels long to fold..) and walk over to the linen closet. Ten minutes total of my time spent may be pushing it..I don't think it takes me nearly that long to wash and dry a load of towels. Now, if I was at a laundrymat, when I have to babysit the load..that makes sense to include the wash and dry time. But I am making dinner, cooking, cleaning, reading, dissing, whatever..so it really only takes me ten minutes. Same as when I do dishes. I don't say it takes me an hour to do dishes. Maybe 15 minutes a night, to do the big pots and pans..the rest I rinse and then load the dishwasher. The dishwasher does the rest, even though it takes the dishwasher an hour to do a load of dishes I didn't actually do more than 15 minutes of work. Clear as mud?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I can't imagine how much your laundry costs must be.

We reuse.

My water bill is about $25/month and I buy the el-cheapo laundry powder at $3.00 for a big box and it lasts at least 2 weeks or more. I couldn't save much if we re-used and since it just GROSSES me out, there is NO WAY. I will find other ways to save.

Suzanne

 

[albertagirl2007]

I just finished reading the thread and think it's so funny.

I am definitely a re - user. My parents both came from families with lots of kids and not alot of money so we were raised pretty frugal. I can't really remember how often we used towels for as kids but I think it was more than a week

Once I was at uni and had to pay for laundry I started re - using even more - I had two body towels that I rotated back and forth for about 2 weeks (probably longer.....I need to save my money to buy beer) and a hair wrap. I showered twice a day but I guess I don't rub too dry because my towels never got that wet!

Now that I'm out on my own (and laundry is "free" because I live in a condo) I still rotate between two body towels for at least 2 weeks (I shower at least once a day, usually twice so one of my towels will be dry). I don't keep my shower towels in the bathroom, just the hand towels so no one is tempted to wipe their hands on my towel.

Now could someone please explain to me how it takes 10 minutes to shower without washing your hair? I have long thick hair and can soap up, shave my legs and wash / condition my hair in less than 5 minutes. What the heck are you doing for 10 minutes?

 

[nosy parker]

Sorry..when I said it takes 10 minutes total to wash, dry, fold and put away a load of towels..I meant it more as a time used on the project. Assuming most people do what I do, you take the load of towels, you throw them in the washer. Start washer. So about 90 seconds. Come back an hour later (it's not like I am physically watching the laundry wash..I am doing whatever..) and put the load in the dryer and hit start. About 60 seconds here. When the load is done about an hour later, fold it (it really doesn't take towels long to fold..) and walk over to the linen closet. Ten minutes total of my time spent may be pushing it..I don't think it takes me nearly that long to wash and dry a load of towels. Now, if I was at a laundrymat, when I have to babysit the load..that makes sense to include the wash and dry time. But I am making dinner, cooking, cleaning, reading, dissing, whatever..so it really only takes me ten minutes. Same as when I do dishes. I don't say it takes me an hour to do dishes. Maybe 15 minutes a night, to do the big pots and pans..the rest I rinse and then load the dishwasher. The dishwasher does the rest, even though it takes the dishwasher an hour to do a load of dishes I didn't actually do more than 15 minutes of work. Clear as mud?

It's the only laundry I don't complain about doing precisely for those reasons. I hate, hate, hate folding and putting away laundry. But towels are so easy to fold and toss in the linen cupboard that I don't mind at all.

My water bill is about $25/month and I buy the el-cheapo laundry powder at $3.00 for a big box and it lasts at least 2 weeks or more. I couldn't save much if we re-used and since it just GROSSES me out, there is NO WAY. I will find other ways to save.

Suzanne

Yep! I don't have a water bill (don't pay for water in my city), so maybe others would consider me 'wasteful', but I would pay it if it meant fluffy, clean towels every day, anyway. But, as I said, I use biodegradeable, phosphate-free detergent so I hope that helps.

I feel so outnumbered on this thread!

Now could someone please explain to me how it takes 10 minutes to shower without washing your hair? I have long thick hair and can soap up, shave my legs and wash / condition my hair in less than 5 minutes. What the heck are you doing for 10 minutes?

Really?!? 5 minutes? Wow! I'm not doing any 'extracurriculars' in there and honestly it takes me 10 - 15 minutes! Gotta wash my hair, condition (leave it in while I shower), wash body (sometimes loofah), scrub face, shaving trio, rinse hair. Maybe I'm in slo-mo.

 

[sha_lyn]

Yep! I don't have a water bill (don't pay for water in my city), so maybe others would consider me 'wasteful', but I would pay it if it meant fluffy, clean towels every day, anyway. But, as I said, I use biodegradeable, phosphate-free detergent so I hope that helps.

You know I keep reading the "argument" about phosphates as reason against things like cloth diapering etc, but do they even make detergents with phosphates anymore. Even the bottle of Cheer I broke down and bought because I ran out of bioclean is phosphate free.

 

[Grendalynn]

I'm just curious if this is a common practice....

So are you a towel recycler?

Hi! We are a towel recycling family!! I have a husband, 3 kids, and a full time job... Laundry is already consuming our life! ((Anyone read the thread about "How good are you at putting laundry away"??)) We recycle towels as much as possible - one or two showers worth. The kids hang theirs on teh end of their beds once they are dressed and know to grab them on their wayt o the shower. DH and I throw our over the curtain runin the shower...

I think it cuts down considerably on our laundry pile, washings and water & detergent consumption.