I hate to say it and probably sound like a pessimist, but I think you'll have the problem regardless. If it were me, I'd return them. Actually, I bought some Cynthia Rowling towels for our guest bath and am not thrilled with the way they washed either. They too faded a bit, but they also came out from the dryer missing their original softness...now they feel as if they're several years old.

Thank you for the Rowling tip. I had just looked at towels at Marshalls for my mothers new senior apartment and wondered how those might hold up - had not purchased them yet since I wasn't familiar with the quality.

mboston, fading to uneven color with one light wash doesn't sound promising. I use Woolite for Darks for any dark clothing and my jeans, but towels shouldn't need special treatment. My grey (charcoal) towels are several years old, Charisma, no noticeable fading.

I am very curious about what the towel's label says about washing/color. Did you pour the detergent in before or after putting the towels in? Was it a detergent w/ whitening/brightening additives?
Also, is it possible there might have been some sort of residue in the washer or dryer?

& yes to avoiding softeners w/ towels, as terriks says.

They leave a film which inhibits absorbency.

Over Christmas at my SIL's the towels were beautiful, big, fluffy, very deluxe, but she uses both fabric softener in the washer and drier sheets, and it was like trying to dry off with plastic wrap. Yep. I never use anything but tinfoil in the drier and my towels aren't nearly as nice to look at or touch but they dry a whole lot better.

i would try washing them in a detergent made for darks when you wash them- you may have the same fading issues, but maybe not...

you also need to be very careful of products/soaps used with towels that have the tendency to fade- some colored towels (like my EB towels!) can stand up to all types of products, like acne soaps, but some are terrible!!!! :( beware, even if they don't fade with the initial washing with vinegar...

Yep, Morz8 I got them at Home Goods and am really disappointed. Certainly can't recommend them and I'm glad my post saved you from spending your money on them.

The tag says, "Wash before using, machine wash warm water with like colors, gentle cycle. Only non-chlorine when needed. Tumble dry low. I followed these directions with no bleach of any kind. I have to use HE detergent in my Bravos washer. We have very hard water here, so I use dryer sheets on occasion. I know it makes them less absorbent, I never use liquid fabric softener.

My detergent is put in a dispenser and it is added once the fabrics are wet. I hadn't washed anything with bleach prior to this load, in fact, I had done my lingerie on the gentle cycle with little bit of detergent. I always use an added rinse cycle as well.

I am going to go through a cycle with these new ones and use the vinegar rinse. I will see what happens. There was also a ton of lint in the dryer vent. Had the same issue with the two Charter Club towels I bought from Macy's. They sure do not make

them like they used to. At least the Charter Club towels didn't fade.

I've had better luck with the off brands I usually buy from Home Goods. I've also heard that Target's towels are still pretty good. I just don't think we should have to jump through hoops to have towels that don't fade after the first wash or come out of the dryer feeling like a brillo pad.

I agree lukkiirish. I bought Charter Club towels years ago and they are still in good shape. Same thing for JC Penny brands. I bought rugs from them, 3 all in the same color and when I went to pick them up, they were 3 different shades. Never even brought them home!