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What Makes A Good Cotton Towel?

What makes a good cotton towel? Not all towels are the same and there is a vast difference in quality, absorbency rates, comfort and softness.

There is also a vast array of styles and types, cotton is the main material used but the way that they are manufactured determine what they are used for. You can buy towels for drying the body and you can also get towels that dry dishes etc, here we will talk about luxury cotton towels which are mainly found in the bathroom. Terry towelling is the traditional towel you use for drying yourself, this is the most efficient manufacturing process and encompasses two types, looped and open looped. Both are very effective at keeping you dry while open looped towels are the most luxurious and soft.

Luxury Egyptian cotton and Pima cotton towels improve with age, washing and tumble drying makes them softer and more absorbent, so the more you use them the better. Although they will eventually wear out the more expensive towels will last for many years. Remember you get what you pay for so buying cheap towels can be a false economy and they do not feel as good to the touch as a premium quality 650 GSM Egyptian cotton towel.

Using a good brand of towel like Deyongs or Lyndon Company is normally the best way to ensure you get a towel that does what it says it will, keeping you dry and snug. They come in a variety of sizing from the small face cloth right up to the super sized bath sheet, there really is not much to rival getting out of your bath and draping a snug luxury towel around you whilst you dry off.

GSM or grams per square meter is a very good way of ensuring that you get a good quality towel, most luxury towels are over 600GSM. This type of towel will be soft and have a generous pile which feels soft and fluffy to touch. This is essential for absorbing water, the heavier the weight the more efficient the towel is when it comes to keeping you dry.

Wash your towels according to the wash care label and try to tumble dry rasher than line drying. The tumble drier plumps up the pile leaving them soft and bouncy whereas the line can dry them in a way that leaves the towel feeling like cardboard and very stiff and hard. This is not the desired effect and should be avoided if you have access to a drier.