Favorite Bath Towels?

[emptyspool]

I just did a search and came up with a thread from 2003 about bath towels. It seemed JC Penneys was a favorite and I was wondering if that is still the opinion or what yours might be.

I have realized we have used our towels to death and want to donate all of them to the local carwash and replace them with some nice soft ones! I like them nice and soft but not so heavy they won't dry after using once.

Thanks!

[Melman]

I'm not sure you can still buy these, but my favorite towels are Royal Velvet. I had one set that must have lasted more than ten years of constant rotation before I finally retired them. They were manufactured by a company (Fieldcrest) out of Kannapolis, North Carolina that shut down 2 or 3 years ago.

[badunnin]

Originally posted by Melman
I'm not sure you can still buy these, but my favorite towels are Royal Velvet. I had one set that must have lasted more than ten years of constant rotation before I finally retired them. They were manufactured by a company (Fieldcrest) out of Kannapolis, North Carolina that shut down 2 or 3 years ago.

You can still buy these - I just bought a set from Linens N Things a few months ago. They are still boxed up at the foot of my bed. (Don't need them yet - still living at home!)

Oops - take that back - they are on clearance for a reason!

[Jasmine-Rose]

Originally posted by emptyspool
I have realized we have used our towels to death and want to donate all of them to the local carwash...

I'd like to suggest that you consider donating those towels to your local animal shelter instead. Unless the car wash is a not-for-profit establishment, I'm sure they can replace their worn towels. The animal shelter, however, is nearly always in need of old towels and blankets for bedding and for bathing the animals.

Good luck on your search for new towels - I've heard good things about towels from Land's End but I don't own any myself.

[Canice]

I think the ones I like are heavier than what you want, but I wanted to mention that if you're an animal-lover you can also donate old towels to the shelter; seems they're always looking for more!

[jmarie]

There was a study done recently and I am thinking that Penney's towels came in 2nd. to Lands end. You can goodgle it

jcpenney.com has been doing a close-out on their towels (a lot of colors.) I got the biggest bath towel for $7,49 and found a code for free shipping. I re-stocked and I have to say they are thick and absorbent. Wash up very nicely!

As I mentioned on another thread, I also like Martha Stewart towels at K-Mart. They have held up very nicely for me....but in that study they didn't rank near as well as Penney's

Good luck!
Joyce

[emptyspool]

Thanks for all the info. First, thanks for the idea about the animal shelter. That is a great idea. I have spent more money on vet bills than pediatricians...but I digress!!

I will go and do a bit of comparing. It will be nice to know what to look for at Linens/Things as it is so huge I get distracted. What I have now is a bit of everything and they have all been around 5-10 years...amazing. I have Martha Stewart 5 star for guest towels that have had a good bit of use and done well. I find the secret with her towels is knowing she has several levels of quality. I am really looking forward to this.

Thanks again.

[catharine]

I’d like to chime in with a vote for Ralph Lauren towels. You can actually get them for pretty good prices at department stores with coupons or at places like Marshalls/TJ Maxx. They are soft AND absorbent and come in lots of colors.

[linsleyd]

In the past four years I have had Fieldcrest, Ralph Lauren, JC Penney and Martha Stewart and I will always go back to Ralp Lauren. THey hold up well and don't have that slimy feeling that some towels do.

[Gilgamesh37]

Wanted to cast a vote for The Company Store. I LOVE their towels (they have several different kinds). I get these:

Company Store Towels (http://www.thecompanystore.com/parent.asp?product=vb66x%5F14&dept%5Fid=3601)

They're soft, absorbent (I have some Martha Stewart ones that have that "slimy" feeling, don't absorb anything, and leave you feeling greasier than when you started) and they come in great bright colors. And they have the bath sheet size, which is what we prefer, but not everyone makes it.

[HejazSunKat]

Originally posted by linsleyd
In the past four years I have had Fieldcrest, Ralph Lauren, JC Penney and Martha Stewart and I will always go back to Ralp Lauren. THey hold up well and don't have that slimy feeling that some towels do.

I wanted some thick, good quality, thirsty towels and ended up buying Ralph Lauren Egyptian cotton at Bloomingdale's 10 or 11 months ago when they were having a sale. I really think it's worth buying the Egyptian cotton. They have held up so well, they're as thick and soft as on the first day and they aren't fraying or losing shape at all. I'd buy them again.

[Jessica]

My mom has Lands End towels and they are wonderful and hold up well. I think I will get those next time--we have ones from Marshall Fields and they haven't worn well.

[HealthyinMN]

We ordered towels from Land's end and havent used anything else yet. We really like them and hold up well with all the washing.

[Jollyjo]

I have the JCPenney ones, and while they are in good shape, the color is a mess. I bought a shade of blue, and there are pink splotches all over them. At first, I blamed my kids acne meds, but then I realized the ones I used were doing the same. I can't figure out why they do it - I only wash them by themselves, and certainly don't use any bleach. I bought white ones for the kids, and they are fine.
Just stay away from color if you want JCPenneys.

[bekki]

Okay, I can't believe no one else has these

The Restoration Hardware towels (the Paradigm 802 brand)
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/category/category_w_products.jsp?navCount=2&categoryId=cat970014
are unreal. They are the most absorbant, fluffy, wonderful towels I have ever used (I was a swimmer/water polo player, so I've been through lots of towels.)

We got the Ralph Lauren for our wedding, and they're nice, but these ones have no comparison. Unfortuantly they aren't cheap, so I haven't been able to get the huge bath sheets yet :( One word of warning--don't use fabric softner, it makes them far less absorbent. They're also kind of heavy, so they don't do well on flimsy towel holder.

[Peweh]

I have 2 opposite ends of the towel spectrum to report on...

One is the Pottery Barn, I just received the most luxurious towels I've ever felt for my wedding in June. I haven't tried them yet as we had the honeymoon, then I was traveling for work, and I'm trying to sneak them into the rotation without DH and his brother who lives with us getting their paws on them! Seriously I will let them use them but want to box up my old towels first (for the local vet! great call to all who suggested). I will say they are ridiculously expensive, I am so flattered someone bought them for me.

On the other hand, as I was folding laundry today I realized some of the towels I still have were those I got to go to college with in 1992 - and they are still in great shape! They are Fieldcrest which I may have read earlier in the thread was discontinued. They came from Bed & Bath which used to be in the Boston area, not to be confused with the newer Bed Bath & Beyond.

Will report back on the PB towels once I use them!

[dreamer]

Originally posted by Jollyjo
I have the JCPenney ones, and while they are in good shape, the color is a mess. I bought a shade of blue, and there are pink splotches all over them. At first, I blamed my kids acne meds, but then I realized the ones I used were doing the same. I can't figure out why they do it - I only wash them by themselves, and certainly don't use any bleach. I bought white ones for the kids, and they are fine.
Just stay away from color if you want JCPenneys.
I had exactly the same thing happen with some towels once that I think maybe I'd gotten as freebies from a supermarket promotion. Guess it's something about cheap towels. I suspected medicine at first too! But that wasn't it.

We have some from Bed B & Beyond now- they are ok, but really I wish they were a little less bulky and a little softer. I actually had some that my mother bought me years ago from Sears that I thought were a better balance of heft, absorbency, and softness (i.e. not too much heft, but still worked well and felt good).

[jtoepfert100]

I just had this happen, too. I bought some Fieldcrest towels from Target that I love - very thick and absorbent. They are a light green but after washing them, the towels now all have a few bleached spots on them. I thought maybe it was some product I was using but I've gotten no more spots and nothing I use has stained anything else. I was thinking it might have been my detergent?:confused: It's never done it to anything else. I got towels for my husband at the same time. Also Fieldcrest but his were a few dollars cheaper. They are a slate blue but never got the spots (I washed them all together). Now I'm wondering if it isn't the towels themselves?:confused:

[leightx]

I have a few hand towels that have some bleached out spots on them, and I assumed it came from my toothpaste (since I wipe my mouth on them after brushing). Could that be a possibility? I've been known to pick up a bath towel when a hand towel wasn't around! :p

[jtoepfert100]

Originally posted by leightx
I have a few hand towels that have some bleached out spots on them, and I assumed it came from my toothpaste (since I wipe my mouth on them after brushing). Could that be a possibility? I've been known to pick up a bath towel when a hand towel wasn't around! :p

This was one of the first things I thought, too. However, when I tested it, I didn't get anymore spots.:confused: