In Search of Non-Fluffy Towels

Martha Stewart quick dry towels aren't fluffy, are highly absorbent, and they dry very quickly. Not sure if they are abrasive, because I use fabric softener, when washing my towels.

We won’t be summering at your cottage, OP.

I prefer scratchy towels that aren't very thick or fluffy as well OP. They're not easy to find. The last of the best I found was seventeen years ago... they were a linen and cotton blend from Turkey. They were off white, with no decoration, but they were perfect. I wish they would have lasted longer, but I did subject them to a bit of bleach over the years.

Amazon's basic brand of towels is durable and not at all fluffy.

I hate those soft luxurious bath towels that just push the water around. It has to be old, dry and thirsty. Yes, like you.

[quote] Pittsburgh humidity is awful

When you're from Pittsburgh, you have to do SOMETHING.

I once bought a package of about 50 of those small-ish white towels with one green or blue stripe down the middle. Like they used to give out at gyms and pools, before a <30” waist became too rare to make them practical. I think I got them from Amazon.

In addition to the attributes OP cites, they don’t take up an the bulk of an entire load in the washer or dryer. But they certainly don’t look very classy in your bathroom.

I cannot STAND plush towels....and I can't find nice scratchy towels. It's a problem.

Here ya go, OP. My favorites.

[quote]Pittsburgh humidity is awful

Obviously you've never lived anywhere that's really humid.

Thanks R9!

I am also pretty picky about my personal bath towels. I have some "pretty" ones that I hang for decoration, but I use high quality beach towels that I found at Sam's Club over 15 years ago. A few of these babies are showing some frayed edges, but they have been perfect for a very long time.

Otherwise, I inherited two linen closets of really great towels from my parents that they used in their guest bathrooms or were gifts they tucked away. It's amazing how these have retained their colors after all this time (they weren't used very often) and are still really great towels.

I plan to use up the inherited towels as my beach specials eventually wear away. Then I hope to succumb before I have to make any decisions on new ones for myself.

Quite possibly every hotel towel I’ve ever used fits this description. Is there a way to tap into whatever suppliers hotels use?

Has anyone had luck with waffle-weave towels like these?

You can have my towels OP. Not a fiber of plush or fluff on them.

The secret: They have to be washed and DRIED in the dryer at least two dozen times. I use Ralph Lauren towels that I get at Bloomingdales and I run them through the wash and DRY 15-20 times before use.... then within a few more weeks of regular use they are perfect and last for a long time, absorbent!

Interesting tip r16 Thanks.

Also, kids remember NEVAH! use fabric softener or dryer sheets. You'll kill the absorbency most importantly, and down the line the thread starts to disintegrate.

It shouldn't be so hard to find good "scritchy/scratchy" absorbent towels, but the Frauen have been so brainwashed that soft and fluffy = better, and, as usual, we are paying for it.

R17 Sort of like "moist" with cake. The better ones are actually a little drier.

There’s nothing worse than a towel that’s been washed with fabric softener.

I also prefer "crisp" sheets over high thread-count. I must be a masochist when it comes to household linens.

Go buy used ones from a motel near you. They are not fluffy at all.

As a clothesline user year around, I make the following empirical observations about towel fluffiness:

** Most of the scratchiness of line dried towels comes from left over soap residue that has been "baked" into the fibers after repeated tumble dryer cycles.

** The hardness of water supply used also plays a factor in this, but not that much.

** Towels that have never been mechanically dried stay fluffy for years, almost as fluffy as they were when new.

** The slight exfoliating, scratchiness of a fresh, line dried towel will remind you of your last visit to a pricey day spa where you paid big money for scratchy towels! Sadly, only the first use after line drying has this property.

** No detergent or dryer sheet can equal the wonderful fresh smell of line dried towels.

** Freezing temperatures should not deter one from using a clothesline as long as the humidity is low and the air is not still. Hung laundry goes from a frozen state to a dry state, skipping the wet state. This is called "sublimation." Look it up.

R14

Yes, discovered waffle weave towels and hand mitts years ago traveling in Europe and haven't looked back. Cuddledown used to stock them, but don't know if they still carry.

Like waffle weave bath linen for summer months because they dry much faster than "thick and thirsty" terrycloth.

Like to line dry them to keep a bit of abrasiveness, makes for an exhilarating rub down after bathing. One thing to remember while absorbent, waffle weave isn't like thick terry; meaning you'll likely end up with a sopping wet towel after drying off.

Why do you all like scratchy towels? I don't get it.

Why do you not like them? Explain that first.

Sylvia, ask the JCC where they buy theirs.

Frontgate towels are very absorbent, but the last ones I bought appear to have a dye issue. After the second wash, the carbon gray color started washing out.

I'm sure Gabe's has some on sale.

I'm with OP. I don't like fluffy towels - it feels like I'm just pushing the water around on my skin, rather than drying off.

I find that towels with some sort of waffle pattern or other physical variation in it are also better at absorption and a bit "rougher" feeling when drying off.

Rough towels, rough low count bedsheets

Cranky old men love their sandpaper.

It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who hates fluffy, soft towels. I also prefer thin, scratchy ones. Same with bed linens...hate those silky type sheets. They feel weird against my skin.

I bought some of the honeycomb towels from Snowe last year because I hate plush towels; they're terrific. I keep plush towels on hand for guests who prefer them.

Buy used ones from bathhouses. A friend told me that they are almost always thin and not at all fluffy.

The Onsen towel is a flat towel that's also soft. The company does a lot of online marketing. I have one and it's nice. It seems slightly different than most other waffle-woven towels.

Also look at peshtemal towels (Turkish flat woven towels).

These are functional, absorbent, and not "fluffy" towels - their price makes them relatively disposable, but they are decent, though not spectacular, quality.

Think utilitarian, rather than luxury.

99 cent only has bath towels for $2 that I really like. Mainly for the reasons you're looking for. They dry much faster in the dryer, smaller when folded, comfortable enough for me in terms of roughness...

I like the IKEA towels. I find Martha Stewart anything to be of terrible quality.