I don't know what grapefruit seed extract would do to help that would justify the expense vs just replacing the towels more often.

First thing you can do to extend the life of the towels is to not wash them after a single use. You can easily use them 3x before they need to be laundered. Just make sure you hang them to dry thoroughly after each use so they don't get the damp musty smell.

I can't imagine not using hot water to wash towels. Since you have a top loader, leave them to soak for a while and don't agitate them for a full cycle. Bath towels don't really get 'dirty'; you just want to kill germs so a lot of agitation isn't necessary. Oxy bleach or a little chlorine bleach for white towels, not necessarily every load. Don't use too much detergent...again, they're not dirty-dirty. And be sure they're thoroughly rinsed.

I've never had 'misshapened' towels so I don't know how that happens. Was the quality so-so to start with?

I always use a normal cycle--I think permanent press cycles generally spin at a slower speed, don't they? With my hard-ish water, I want to extract as much water as I can so there is less water in the towels to leave mineral deposits and to cut down on dryer usage. If you have hard water, maybe use some Borax in the wash cycle to help soften the water. STTP is also supposed to be good to keep minerals in suspension and 'soften' the water.

Cilantro, I don't know that much about GSE either, just what I read online. Several sources said just a TB would kill germs in laundry. However, I don't believe everything I read on the internet so came here for some real-life experience. By misshapen towels, I mean that the ends which have been bound or finished in a different manner seem to shrink more than the body of the towel, resulting in misshapen towels. I also use a normal cycle for the washer---I was identifying the medium-low temperature for drying as being the cycle I used for drying the towels.

hisown, Thanks for the information. As stated above, that's why I came here to try to differentiate fact from fiction.

Does anyone have any idea whether the shrinkage (usually uneven) is more likely to arise from hot water or hot drying?

I have always washed my towels in hot water, and may end up continuing to do so. I'm just trying to see if there is a way to extend the life of my towels. I am puzzled, also. I have always been a believer in hot water being important in all kinds of cleaning. However, I remember when going into the NICU after giving birth to premature twins (in the summer), I always cranked up the water as hot as I could stand it when washing before entering the NICU. One day the nurse who cared for my twins on the day shift was washing up next to me outside the NICU. She questioned why I was using such hot water, and I replied that I wanted to make sure to kill all possible germs/bacteria. She told me that thorough washing with the soap alone, even with cold water, would work just as well. With so many conflicting statements swirling around, it's hard to know. However, I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Unless your dealing with some exotic deadly germ I would not worry so much. A hot wash for towels even at just 125F along with a good detergent is all that's required.

I however believe a towel should only be used once after all while your briskly rubbing down your wet skin your shedding off skin cells that are attaching to the towel.

It could be the dryer causing the towel problem expecially if you over dry them. I'd try drying at a lower temperature.

But as for germs a normal hot wash between 120&130F with detergent is all you need. Unless like I said above.. your dealing with a expecially rough bacteria.

How old are the twins now? Remember normal household germs need to be part of your life.

I had towels that had a 2 inch trim on each side that puckered it was the dryer causing it.

If you are stating the bottom and top edge of the towels have shrunk causing a misshaped towel they may have been sewn with thread that has a different fabric content than the body of the towel. Also I would doubt that they will shrink anymore. Your old towels were probably made out of better fabric and thread. I have 30 year old bath towels that can still be used and three year old towels that are turning to rags. Unless you pay a fortune todays average towel's quality is not very good.

Edit: To clarify if the edges of the towels have different fabrics or threads they might shrink or change shape in any temperature water. Different fabrics have different reactions.

Mama Pinky, I am in the one use per towel club. DH will use his several times before putting in hamper to be washed. We aren't dealing with any particular pathogens---just the usual illnesses through the winter, and I'm not concerned with eliminating every germ in my environment. But I would like to know my towels are clean.

Sadly, one of the twins died at 4 days old. The surviving twin is now a multiply disabled adult who lives with and depends on us.

H. Morton, Your explanations make sense. I did look for towels this time without a different edging for that very reason. Hopefully, I'll have better success with these. I just hate it when the short ends of the towels pucker and end up uneven. They are still serviceable, but I don't like it.

MamaPinky, do you really thind that 125 is hot enough to sanitize towels? I wash all toweling in one load with LCB and hot water. But with the speed queen, it's not going to get that hot. Now when I had the Bosch, I would use either the sanitize cycle (170) or the kids care (158) for towels and no bleach.

Adding bleach in the Bosch, was sort of hit and miss. There were quite a few bleach marks on some items so I just stopped using it. Any way, now I only use bleach to sanitize, not for whitening. And you know how towels seem to produce suds, so I use half the amount I would normally use for everything else. I have some tide heturbo powder for towels only. Don't think I'll use the heturbo for both as normally Tide is famous for suds. Really wish they would leave well enough alone. They come out with something really good to just screw it up! End of rant.