OT - Do you recycle your towels?

[nosy parker]

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

I grew up in a family of 5 where my mom worked. So I've been doing my own laundry since I was 12. Growing up, each of us had our own set of towels (bath size, med size) that we would use after showering and then hang up to dry on our hook. We would re-use these same towels a couple of times before they would get washed. My mom thought it was ridiculous to use 'fresh' towels everytime we showered because we were obviously clean after showering and this practice was unnecessary, and wastefully time consuming in terms of laundry. I remember not liking this practice as a kid. Even then I wanted fresh, clean towels everytime I showered (even though I obviously, didn't get them). So, this was normal to me and my family growing up.

Hotels now ask if you want new towels daily, and I've seen it discussed in threads, so I know that others do this too. I wondered how common it is. I understand that environmentally speaking it is better. However, from the day I've been out on my own I've never reused a towel. We (my family of 6 now) have always taken a fresh, clean towel everytime that we wash/shower in any way. Let me tell you the towel laundry piles up quickly! That's a minimum of 2 facecloths, one towel per person per day (for us girls 2 towels 'cuz we need one to wrap our hair out of the shower). I can wash all our towels and facecloths and then two days later be amazed at how the linen closet is about empty and the laundry hamper in the bathroom is full.

My sister, however has always continued with the reusing of towels in her family. They do the exact same thing as we did growing up, each has a hook to dry their set of towels on. They get washed after a few uses. Whenever I go to her house she rolls her eyes at me because I always ask for new towels. She thinks I'm ridiculous and acting "rich & fancy". Sometimes I'll reuse once just to be a good "guest", but I feel icky about it. 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?

Anyway, not trying to be offensive or start a debate or anything, I'm just curious how many people do this. As I said, given that the hotels are now asking if they must change the towels, and some posters have said they don't require daily changes, I assume it's a pretty common practice.

And I'm not a clean freak or anything. I don't care about the sheets at hotels or at home. I change them out weekly at home, so I don't require daily changes at the hotel. I'd expect one change if I was there for two weeks. If they are done more often - great (I love the feel of a crisp clean bed, who doesn't?) but I don't require it. But I'm sure some people feel that's icky!. And I guess that's my point.

So are you a towel recycler?

 

[Reagan&Co.]

You would have to have a HUGE linen closet and wash OFTEN !!! to have a whole family use fresh towels every day!! I only have about three complete sets; don't have room for more. I don't even have that much room in the laundry basket!!

I don't feel like I need a fresh one every day. We usually go a week (depending), and not everybody uses theirs everyday, either. I feel like they do stay clean for the most part.

Plus, that dirties an awful lot of water...and I mean environmentally, not monetarily.

 

[surfergirl602]

Growing up we have always used a new towel at my moms house, in part i think because there was no place to hang them. DH's family, however, reuses towels. At our house its a mix of both. With the kids i will reuse the towel twice, maybe three times. They bathe less that I do. I get a new towel most of the time, because honestly, after one use, and taking so long to dry, they smell. I don't want to wipe that smell all over my nice clean self. I will reuse my hair towel longer than I will a bath towel. When we visit my mom, DH will follow her "towel etiquette" and when we visit his parents, I'll follow theirs.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

You know, I had NEVER heard of anyone using a fresh towel every time until I was in grad school! We each use the same towel for a week. Same washcloth for those who use them. I do enough laundry as it is with five of us.

We have enough towel bars (two bathrooms) for the bath towels to dry completely between each use, so no smell. I think they wouldn't dry properly if hung on hooks. Also, smells can happen if the towels aren't fully rinsed due to excess laundry detergent---my mom had that problem when she got a new washing machine, so she had to adjust how much detergent she used.

When towels are threadbare/ripped, they become cleaning-up-messes towels, then they are,, in fact truly recycled. My town has a textile recycling bin!

 

[jdes88]

I always try to use a towel at least twice....but sometimes my husband's stink too much for him to reuse......men

 

[lindsmom]

We absolutely reuse, but I knew a mom with 5 boys who, after they left for school in the am, would go through the house and collect all the towels then wash, dry, and return them to their hooks for the next day. Takes care of the linen closet space, but I can't imagine doing that every day.

 

[jennyL]

Even with four kids we used clean towels everyday. My mom did laundry at least every other day so she always just washed them. I started recycling when I was in college and DH and I still do. We'll use them a couple days and then I toss them all in the washer. Of course hotels are another thing. I always leave my towels in the tub so that I can get clean ones.

 

[ChillyWilleys]

We reuse towels, but not face cloths. I'm already trying unsuccessfully to keep up with laundry. I'd never make it if we did that!

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

I'll reuse the kid's towels once.My hair towel gets used a few times. I do like clean bath towels too but like to save on washes if I can.

 

[BarbieGal457]

At my house we reuse them simply because we're clean when we first use them! We try to use the washcloths too, usually once for our face in the am and then at night for our shower/bath, but we often forget who's is who's and grab a new one.

 

[holly7347]

We do reuse towels around here. But I generally don't reuse face cloths because those are usually soaking wet and have stuff like makeup or food from my kids sticky faces on them.

DH and I even reuse clothes especially jeans. I work part-time evenings at a business casual environment so I wear Dockers and a shirt to work then re-wear that shirt the next day with jeans. The jeans I will wear a few days before washing (unless the kids or I spill something on them). In the summer we don't reuse clothes as often. And the kids generally don't reuse their clothes because they always seem to have food, dirt, or paint on them.

 

[HLDisney]

We do laundry once a week so that's how often a towel gets washed. It has never even occurred to me to do it any other way. That's what my mom did, that's what my aunt does when we visit her for a week, we don't ask for new towels daily at hotels (unless they choose to go ahead and replace them) To be honest, it never occurred to me that everyone didn't do something similar until I was reading a forum (maybe it was here) sometime within the last few years, where someone said that they washed their towels daily.

Helen

 

[momminnie]

We have color coded towels. Mine is usually pink, burgundy. DH navy blue, DS9 light blue,DS21(when home from school) green. We reuse at least twice. Me and my DS9 are the only ones to use washclothes. His are usually some magic towel from the $ tree, mine any of the others. We don't reuse these. I am not fond of doing laundry. I do enough as it is. Plus it saves a little on the electric bill. Now, at Disney, I feel I pay enough per day for a clean towel if I want it.

 

[sha_lyn]

We absolutely reuse, but I knew a mom with 5 boys who, after they left for school in the am, would go through the house and collect all the towels then wash, dry, and return them to their hooks for the next day. Takes care of the linen closet space, but I can't imagine doing that every day.

Sounds like someone I knew yrs ago. She was the first person I knw of that didn't reuse towels. They had 2 teenage girls with really long hair, between the family of 4 she had 2 loads of towels a day to wash. She ahd each girl acutally used 3 large towels each and a small towel each when they showered.

You would have to have a HUGE linen closet and wash OFTEN !!! to have a whole family use fresh towels every day!! I only have about three complete sets; don't have room for more. I don't even have that much room in the laundry basket!!

I don't feel like I need a fresh one every day. We usually go a week (depending), and not everybody uses theirs everyday, either. I feel like they do stay clean for the most part.

Plus, that dirties an awful lot of water...and I mean environmentally, not monetarily.

1x week here too unless DD leaves the towels wadded up in the floor or something.

 

[tzolkin]

We reuse our towels. I always thought it was wasteful to wash something that didn't need to be washed. I've known people who do multiple loads of laundry each day. Honestly, I could never keep up with that much laundry. I do sheets and towels once a week and probably 3-4 loads of clothes.

My aunt and her teenagers each take two showers per day and use two towels each time (separate one for their hair and they use beachtowel sized ones). They will not ever reuse a towel. That's up to 16 giant towels plus washcloths and hand towels per day. My family of 5 uses less than 1/3 of that per week!

For those who use a separate towel for your hair, have you tried those hair wrap towels? My kids use them because they can't hold a towel on their head. They fit long hair, but are only about the size of a large hand towel, so they take up much less room in the wash. I just use one towel for my body and hair- I dry myself and then wrap my hair with it.

DH and I even reuse clothes especially jeans. I work part-time evenings at a business casual environment so I wear Dockers and a shirt to work then re-wear that shirt the next day with jeans. The jeans I will wear a few days before washing (unless the kids or I spill something on them). In the summer we don't reuse clothes as often. And the kids generally don't reuse their clothes because they always seem to have food, dirt, or paint on them.

We do the same thing. My DH will wear a pair of jeans for a week. He wears scrubs that are left at work, so he's just wearing the jeans for the drive there and then maybe to class in the evening. Same thing with his sweaters in the winter. The tshirt gets thrown in the laundry, but he'll re-wear that sweater a few times before washing it. And, no, he really doesn't smell.

 

[sha_lyn]

For those who use a separate towel for your hair, have you tried those hair wrap towels? My kids use them because they can't hold a towel on their head. They fit long hair, but are only about the size of a large hand towel, so they take up much less room in the wash. I just use one towel for my body and hair- I dry myself and then wrap my hair with it.

I first used one about 6-7 yrs ago at my sister's house. I was hooked. DD and I both use them.

 

[MusiqChic99]

Growing up we used a new towel every time. My mom insisted on it and she did laundry all the time. She cooked every day too but that's a whole other story. My dh reused towels growing up and found it weird that I didn't.

Now in our home we use a new towel every time. And really I wouldn't mind reusing but now that my dh heard that some people dont he wants a new towel every time. LOL

As for jeans...we rewear jeans too. My dh does it more often then I do since during the week he wears khakis and on the weekends he is in jeans maybe 3 hours unless we go out.

 

[MusiqChic99]

I first used one about 6-7 yrs ago at my sister's house. I was hooked. DD and I both use them.

Growing up I ALWAYS used 2 towels, one for my hair and one for my body. (my poor mother) Then I stopped using a towel for my hair.

Funny how things change when you are the one doing laundry!

 

[scottish mum]

We each use a clean towel everyday. I just think that once they've been wet they are not as nice to dry yourself with again. Also once i've dried myself i tend to wipe up any water thats spilt onto bathroom floor with it so it really needs washing. We are a family of 5 and i do at least 2 loads of washing every day, more when i change the beds.

 

[allyphoe]

I do laundry one day a week, and mostly everyone uses the same towel for that week. If something terrible happens to the towel, there are more in the closet, but that's a rare occurrence. No ick factor for me - if I washed my body clean, then it's clean. And if it isn't clean, that calls for more showering, not toweling! Our towels aren't matched or anything, so you just remember which color is yours.

I do make an exception during the spring and fall. If it's very damp out, and we aren't running the heat or A/C, sometimes towels won't dry between showers. I've got no issue with swapping towels then, because there's nothing worse than drying yourself with a clammy damp towel.

Everyone gets a new face cloth for each face washing, because a) they're used on a dirty part of your body, not a just-cleaned part and b) they're even less likely to be dry by the time you're ready for the next washing.