I do have a HomeGoods and a TJMaxx within a couple of miles. I want to be sure I can find more of whatever I buy, just in case.

A stupid question: when you bleach things, do you put the bleach in the washer and let it fill up before adding clothes? I am so impatient that I usually add the soap and clothes togehter as the washer is filling. But I've gotten holes in stuff from doing tat with bleach...

I only buy white bath towels. I LOVE the Thomas O'Brien towels from Target -- they are super soft and stay in great condition forever. I have heard that the colored ones fade but I don't know since I only buy the white ones. Buying white towels is more practical to me because if you need to bleach them you can. But if you only wash them together, in hot water with no colors in the laundry, they should stay nice and white without bleach.

I've used only white towels and sheets and kitchen linens for years.

Mine are mostly old Royal Velvet towels, and I have no idea where I got them, but the new ones I've liked best came from LL Bean.

I bleach them only about three or four times a year, because chlorine bleach eats fibers (as you have already learned). You absolutely must dilute it fully before it comes in contact with cloth. Does your washer have a bleach dispenser built in? You will still have to be careful not to spill any on the edges or on you. I do this by first carefully pouring the bleach into a small measuring cup with a spout while holding it over the sink. But the oxygen bleaches like Snowy do a very good job as well, and can be added with your detergent. Snowy also makes a very good overnight soak for dingy or stained things. Just make sure it gets fully dissolved.

I also use white towels. I got the most recent ones from Pottery Barn on sale and they are soft and thick (made in Turkey). Love them!

I bought a bunch of white towels from Costco about 6 months ago. They are holding up well. They are thick towels - almost too thick for my tastes. I prefer thin towels, but the thick ones look prettier.

I've only used all ivory towels for as long as I can remember~I *now* have 3 bathrooms with them. It's easier for laundering, no need to sort towels to go in different baths, and looks good with any decorating style. ;o)

OK, then, I guess it will be white towels!! Glad to hear they are easy to take care of, and I will be careful with the bleach when I use it. I think I'll look at costco, TJM, and Target, though I already looked online at Target and $24.99 for a 3- pack of Thomas O'Brien's regular towel, hand towel and washcloth would add up. (I don't need as many handtowels as regular towels!)

I have white and amethyst towels in our MB and I almost always grab a white one first. I have also found that the big cushy ones (had some very expensive Ralph Lauren towels that I got as a gift) are less desirable, they do not seem to be absorbant at all. I picked up some others at Kohl's on sale and LOVE THEM, use them every day.

Unless you are married to a messy mechanic, have kids who will clean their bikes with them, I'd go for it, there is just something special about a clean, freshly bleached white towel. LOVE that smell.

I have towels from Costco and think they have held up well.They are Martex Bare Necessities and I have had them for several years. I live in Sam's Club territory so got mine at a Cosco where my SIL lives. Would like new ones but would have to visit her or a friend in Houston to buy more. Mine are not white but that would not matter in quality.
D

Only thing I use!

I feel like the Lone Ranger here! I love pretty linens, sheets, towels, etc. and colors! The towels we use are not seen so I indulge myself in pretty colors. Also, I try to use as little bleach as possible and only as often as absolutely needed. It is not good for the environment - nor is it very good if you are on a septic system. Add to that that I really do NOT like the smell of bleach!

Bronwynsmom makes a good point - bleach can actually weaken fibers.

tina

I have always had white towels. I just like the look. Easy for laudering and just put them all together in one wash. I have 4 bathrooms, so many towels.
I like the costco hand towels but I find the bath towels too thick, I find it hard to get myself dry when the towels are too thick.

Crazy? Yes.
I must be crazy, I love soft, fluffy, abosorbant, pure
cotton, thick, large, white towels. I will only ever
get white for my bathroom now. I do use a little non
chlorine bleach when needed.

I might say I have a separate pile of towels that are
dark blue for removing my eye makeup, and washing my
face otherwise bleach would need to be used on my pretty
white towels.

I recently bought these wonderful white towels from
Marshalls. They are called Hotelier by Kassatex.
I have since learned that durability comes with cotton.
The higher the density the better the absorbency. 600-800
grams per meter. These Hotelier towels from Marshalls say
750 per sq mater. And they were only $9.00 each. I
bought 8 of them for my bathroom.

Love my white towels. Go for it Crazy towel shopper.
Join the crazy white towel club.
~boxer

Here is a link that might be useful: Best Towels post on GW

Walmart! I bought several of their largest, thickest, and several thinner ones for face and hair drying. Never bother with hand towels - except in kitchen.

They have held up well for 3 years.

If you haven't already run out to buy them yet, my advice is to buy a hand towel of the brand you're thinking of first. Take it home, wash and dry it and see how you like the absorbancy, feel, etc. Only then do you go out and invest in the whole set. I did this with a couple of different brands, and I found that the one I thought felt the best at the store (and was most expensive) was the one I liked least once I actually used it at home.

Another white towel gal here. I finally switched to all white after years of finding my good towels in DHs shop. Now he knows that white is off limits outside the house

I use the towels from Costco. Love them and they hold up great. Also bought a stack of the handtowels and wash cloths. Can't say enough about how great they are, and at my house, with dogs & my bull-in-a-china-shop DH, that says a lot.

We only use white towels. Ours are Ralph Lauren. I use the Ecover non-chlorine bleach.

Haven't read the entire thread (me bad!) but white towels is what we use exclusively here. Why? You can bleach them and they are always clean.

Most luxury hotels and all the cruise lines use only white, so it reminds me of being on vacation or cruising!

I love white towels.

After a lot of research online, I found out that the best towels for the price were the ones at JC Penny (the CC Penny brand). They actually have different qualities (all good)

I got them almost 2 years now and I can tell that they are pretty good. They dry and they are also soft and fluffy.
I have white and some sort of a goldish / ochre color. After many washes, the color ones are still the same.
I also like that the borders (like an embroidery ribbon) does not shrink

I meant JC Penny Brand.

hey thanks for all of the hints, everyone! I appreciate your time and opinions.

I would like to find towels where the "ribbon" or edging does not shrink--the ones I have have very shrunken edges and they just look bad. Does this just mean I have to dry them on low heat or something?

I haven't read all the posts, but I swear by my Laura Ashley white bath towels from Kohls. And if there is any chance of them growing mildew if they are left wet in the hamper, I can bleach them in HOT temps in the washing machine.

I recently purchased Charisma white towels from Costco. They got even softer and fluffier after a few washings, I went back and bought more. Home Goods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx, also have some good brands for a reasonable price.

Look at all us white towels girls. I love big thirty white towels and that is all I've used for years. I even hate to go to a guest's house and use a non white towel.

....Jane

My Martex towels from Cosco have not shrunk up and I've had towels that do and ended up using them for rags and even then it is irritating. My DD has Thomas O'Brien towels from Target in her powder room and the border has "squished" up.
D

I have used white towels since sometime after moving to our house (12 yrs this Nov)--I refused to buy yellow towels for our ugly yellow bathroom. Fast forward to now. Our MB is almost 100% done and I've been anxiously awaiting the RH bath sale (began today--woohoo!) so I could purchase long-awaited new towels for the new MB and for the in-progress hall bath. I had been planning on the RH Marine Blue towels all along for the MB, had a momentary thought about going with white, but decided to go with the blue. Been waiting for them for so long, it just seemed like I should stick with my original plan. Of course, I still had moments of indecision while at the store and once I got home, wondering if I made the right choice (change is hard for me, and we had been using white towels for all these years...!), but the blue towels are washed and dried and ready to be used so there's no going back for now!

PS got the Maize/middle yellow towels for the hall bath, but ordered washcloths as "samples" in the the three new purple shades RH has in their catalog, to see if those would work better....to be continued....

Another white towel user here. I use them in the bathrooms and kitchen. I just wash them in hot water with a little oxy clean and even the dish towels come out clean.

Love using white towels. I wash in hot water and bleach when necessary. I love to hang them to dry in the sun and then throw in the dryer for a quick "softening".

Not crazy at all, go for it.

I only buy white towels! So much easier. I usually stock up when Kohl's has a sale. They are about 3$. We like the big bath sheet type. I have bought the JC Penney brand and like them too.
I am in the process of changing over to all white sheets as well :)

Yet another all white towel girl here. Elle, I also switched to white sheets a few years ago.

And do check out the JC Penney towels. I swear by them and since JCP runs perpetual sales you can almost always get them for about $10/towel in the bath size--which is a good deal for the money. Large, thick and sturdy.

I wash my towels and bedding weekly with bleach, although since I use a front load washer it only takes 1/3 cup for a very full load. Things might wear out a smidge sooner but it is so great to be able to toss in the towels and sheets and know they are going to come out fresh, sanitized and visibly clean.

Go for it!

Ann

White towels here. We've been using white towels for about 3-4 years and love, love, love them. I'm slowly converting our sheets to all white, as well. It makes my life so much easier and they really do feel differently as far as absorbency. Crazy, I know, but it's true.

Another white only house here!

This is great to know! I think I might make a costco run today.

I recently switched over to not only all-white sheets, but all-white bedding in general. I love the crisp, clean look.

We're moving to a new house end of the month, and I'll be buying new towels for the new baths/colors. I'm gradually being swayed over to white towels (except for washcloths, though, because they'd have to be bleached all the time from makeup), so I appreciate this thread to read.

I had JCPenney towels and washcloths that lasted 12+ years (until I got tired of the color, and they were finally getting a little thread-bare), but the last news ones from Penney's were from the "Chris Madden" line, and they didn't measure up--the washcloths were history after only 2 years. I hope it had nothing to do with the regular JCP line, which I always bought on sale and found to be a great bargain.

purrus, I've done the same thing (well, I have one dd who won't give up her flowered duvet cover) and find it very freeing. Not sure why, but it also makes me feel more organized and less cluttered. Love it.

OK, I just got back from Costco and my white Martex towels (6 big ones for $19.99!!) are in the wash!! Thanks for convincing me!

After a lifetime of buying towels, I've found that the very best towels are from Restoration Hardware. They recommend washing even the white ones in cold water. No matter the stains, they always come out pristine. My only complaint is the washcloths are a little oversize.

Just switched this week to all white towels
from "linen" & "soft coral".......Love the look and feel..
We are frequent travelers and stayed in a Marriott hotel
in MD for the 4TH...all white towels & bedding...even DH
commented he liked them better

Well, apparently you can go back...to RH to exchange towels.

Used my brand new Marine Blue RH towels for 2 1/2 days when I noticed some spotting/lighter areas on my face/hand towel. I know they recommend avoiding the use of "personal care products containing Benzoyl Peroxide and Alpha Hydroxy Acids" but thought that my sister had used her RH towels for years without issues and had been using a face-wash containing AHA's.

Also, I really thought RH was merely "covering it's a**" (as clothing and other manufactureres often do in/on their care instructions, and RH's list of no-no's for their towels does seem a bit excessive). I thought that as long as I rinsed my hands and face very well after using my Dr. prescribed products, the towels should hold up fine. Not the case, as evidenced by those splotches that appeared after a mere 2 1/2 days of use.

RH was wonderful, let me exchange the towels for white ones without a hassle (I have never had a problem with white towels, maybe someday I'll try some other make of blue towels). They assured me at the store that I could use bleach with these despite the laundry list of care instructions (I always use bleach for whites, and prefer not having to do two separate loads for whites).

FYI, they recommended washing their colored towels with vinegar prior to use to prevent fading/running (wish I'd known about that when we'd gotten their Espresso towels--bought them because they were the darkest brown ones we'd seen. Ours are fine, they're still dark and look terrific, but they might've remained like-new dark after an initial was with vinegar). Anyway, they said to wash the towels with 1 cup vinegar and cold water--NO detergent, and then follow with two wash cycles with cold water only, NO detergent (to remove any lingering vinegar odor). This is supposed to help the towels retain their color (they also said it would help with spotting, but would not prevent or completely prevent spotting from the AHA's and Benzoyl Peroxide).

So, I am back to white towels, at least in the MB, which is the one I use. Maybe my hesitance to fully embrace the blue towels (which I'd wanted all along for the MB) was my subconscious telling me I'd have problems with them, and I was really meant to remain a white towel girl! LOL!!!

(Since DH doesn't use any products containing AHA's/BP, I think we can keep more colorful towels in the hall bathroom without any problem--at least, I hope so!)

elle3,
I like the idea of using all white sheets.

Cat Mom--I'm surprised that the store exchanged them! But good for RH and good for you!

To the OP: Add me to the white-towel crowd! (And I have white sheets--2 different textural patterns, tho--for my bedroom; I have colored sheets for the guestbed and pullout sofa--makes it easier to distinguish, cuz the beds are a mix of full and queen sizes)

My guestbath has slate-blue towels and a few white ones. The colored ones tend to drop a lot more lint and little threads or fluff when used, I am told. And to think I ran around town trying to find the "perfect" shade of blue--energy wasted, lesson learned--white is perfect for everything.

I have a great time periodically shopping for bath towels at Tuesday Morning. And I love the variety of the white towels available. I've found many Hotelier brand towels there for about $9. It surprised me when I combined several packed boxes to find that I had quite a stash of towels, and had better slow down a little there.

The only towel I bought from Tuesday Morning that was a loser happened to show huge stains in it after being prewashed before I ever used it. I think now it must have been a factory second, and did not come from stock in a store.

I love white bath towels! I've bought sets from Pottery Barn after the holidays when they are on sale and have found beautiful Peacock Alley sets in Tuesday Morning at deep discounts. To keep them white, I wash them with Mrs. Stewart's Bluing and detergent. I also have a small spray bottle of 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water that I use on tough stains (like when dirty hands get dried on handtowels). I've had one set for almost 7 years and they still look great.

Go for it!

It's all I've bought for years...except for beach towels. THOSE are quite colorful.

I find I never have to bleach mine anymore...just run 'em through the hot cycle on my bosch and they are white as white can be! (Drying them on the line on a sunny day helps, too.)

Another plus for all white towels is if you ever have a guest or a child who uses Pro Activ it won't ruin the towels. I learned the hard way.

Always, and only, white bath towels because they are easier to care for and can take the really hot temps (150-180F) I think towels ought get in the laundry (almost never bleach since I use such hot water). Plus I dry outside and they can never fade.

Mine are all old Martex Royal Velvet or Grand Patrician, pricey even a long ago at linen outlets ($20+, apiece), but you can't beat the long-wearing quality of better towels. Some I use daily have been in constant service for 25-30 years and still are fluffy, thick and comfy to use, with no shrinking or pulling together along that strip of decorative weaving. Certainly can't say the same for cheaper towels I've bought for pet bedding.

That being said I got tired of squabbles with my DH over really getting his farm-grimed, tractor-repairing hands clean before drying (and wiping traces of dirt off your hands) with hand towels, so I bought him some Egyptian Pima (dark green so I couldn't see the dirt) towels from Land's End 18 years ago. That single set of eight hand towels has been washed every week in very hot water for all eighteen years and just lately have I noticed that the edges are starting to fray a bit. They are also naturally a bit softer than the RV or Patrician. Alas, they are no longer available - and haven't been for a decade.

I'm another one that loves my towels colorful and rarely uses bleach. Bronwyn's Mom is right. It does weaken fibers.
I so like the look of white in a bathroom so here's what I did in our master bath...
{{!gwi}}
These were just towels I had at the time, the pink and orange ones have been replaces with a soft buttery yellow.