I'm tired of hassling with this minor, but aggravating issue. Last night my dd spilled the cats' water bowl and I grabbed a couple towels to clean up, and only had a wider spread and shallower puddle...My mom always taught me not to use fabric softener or buy the velour towels because of lack of absorbency, so I don't do any of that (just regular Tide and some bleach), but my cotton terry kitchen towels are TERRIBLE about absorbing water. If we use some extra water to wash the counters and I grab a towel to wipe them down, I just mostly smear the water around.

I've used cotton terry towels my whole life with fine success previously. Can I do something to improve them? Is there something I should look for that I missed in choosing them in the first place? Some of the towels are from Costco and some are from Fred Meyer, which is an 'everything' store...Groceries, clothing, housewares, garden, etc., so there are at least a couple of brands involved. (Now I'm making it sound like my Great Towel Conspiracy...Sheesh)

Excuse my silliness... The kids (and I) are learning to use paper towels too much because they will get the job done. I want to get that stopped.

Thanks! :-)

I think HSN has them.

Maybe there is some kind of problem at my house, because the ShamWows we got aren't 'wow' either... ;-) I have some unimpressive microfiber cloths, but maybe they're too cheap? Are there quality levels? If I spend more will I get better performance? Forgive me if that's a stupid question, but I know it's not true of every kitchen gadget, so wasn't sure about microfiber. I'm still just confused about what happened to terry towels that they're not working like I'm used to.

Is this a new problem since you moved into the new house? It could be the difference in the water there that is affecting the detergent's ability to rinse out.

Do you think there could be detergent buildup even if we bleach them?

I also think that some manufacturing processes leave the fabric coated with some sort of residue. I know my husband has at least one cotton t-shirt that's never been washed differently than anything else that might as well be a rain coat. It takes that thing forever to get wet in the washing machine because it repels water so well, so, unfortunately, it may just be how the towels are made.

I think washing soda is also supposed to be a good fabric stripper, although it can leave things scratchy. Good luck!

I know if I got the shop towels, I'd see them hanging around my kitchen, supposedly decorative or not. ;-) Maybe it just doesn't matter as long as they work!

Vinegar will be my first step...Sounds easy enough and good for the washer, too.

I thought I'd get just a couple responses, at best, on what seemed like a goofy issue to bring up. Thanks for being so helpful.

Live and learn and try and pass on wisdom :)

see ya never know! if you're wondering about it, most likely others are also!

They used to sell these towels at BB&B, and I'd tried them years ago on a whim (had started hated my terry towels at that point). Never went back to anything else, even after BB&B stopped selling them. They work great, IMO. They dry out well too, hung on a bar inside my sink cab. The site I linked is the site I got them from most recently (about 2-3 years ago).

I have the all-white ones (wash those w/ my whites using bleach), and the black and white check ones (wash those with light colored things). They wear like iron, and last for years.

I'm thankful to helpful strangers for 2 things--my flour sack cloths and the coffee I drink. In both instances I got unsolicited advice from a nearby shopper when they noticed me analyzing my selection. They really believed in the product and I can see why.

I also keep a drawer full of rags in my kitchen (which are't very raggy but used only for major clean up or cleaning.) My favorite is a stack of diapers. Unfortunatley I tried to refresh my supply recently and couldn't find the type of diapers I used 20 years ago when my kids were babies. They are a thick cotton but thicker in the middle 2/3 down the entire length of the diaper. I can find cloth diapers but they aren't nearly as nice.

Plllog, you made me remember that I think I have some birdseye cotton in my boxes of fabric somewhere! (Meant to try making my own diapers once...Ha!) I will have to cut and hem some of it up and see how it works.

Thanks, Cat mom!!!

I don't know if I can describe it well. It's a loose weave in a diamond pattern--the "bird's eye"--kind of a medium weight. It's nigh on impossible to find birdseye tea towels anymore and they're the best!

I have flour sack, which are great for glasses, but get soaked too easily for my other uses, huck, which are great for pots and general purpose, but are very heavy and don't wad up well. Linen, which are great for dishes, but not for general purposes, and also aren't great at wadding until they're washed to death. And I've been babying my beloved cotton birdseye towels because there's just nothing else that will do sometimes.

Rhome, let us know how your diaper weight towels work out. That's always an alternative... :)

BTW, I haven't had the detergent build up problem -- I think it comes from the kind of water you have. A lot of quilters swear by using Orvus on their towels (sold for washing horses and needlework) for making their towels fluffy and absorbent.

For my towels I've found that as I use and wash them they get softer and more absorbent. I do the vinegar trick too - actually I use it instead of softener for all my laundry, I just pour some into a Downy ball. :)

I use microfiber towels in the kitchen.
A great deal from TJ Maxx.

This is actually not the first time this topic has come up!

Make sure you aren't using fabric softener or a detergent that has fabric softener. That will cause the towel to repel the water.

zelmar, do you by chance live in the bay area, anywhere near Campbell? If so, try the Tiny Tots diaper service store on Railroad Ave. in Campbell--they sell cloth diapers along with clothes and toys

The birdseye cotton I have stashed somewhere is eluding me. It was stored with several yards of terry cloth (insert some scary chords of organ music here), so maybe it's part of the Great Towel Conspiracy...

I found these Ritz cotton towels on Amazon. Do you think they are the same as the Wonder Towels or just a cheaper/maybe lesser quality version?

They really do hold a ton of moisture and still continue to dry, and they just last and last. A couple of my white ones aren't as pristine looking as the others--I think I'd used them to wipe down my SS sink right before tossing in the laundry, and the greyish streaks from the metal never came out (needless to say, I don't use them to do that anymore), but aside from that, they are in perfect shape in all other ways.

I don't take any special care when washing them; whites go with other whites w/ detergent and bleach, the black and white ones go in with another load using detergent and Chlorox 2. Both colors go in the dryer with a dryer sheet. No vinegar, no special care, and definitely no ironing. :-)

Thank you!

Sjerin, I was wondering the same thing...If something in manufacturing towels had changed to bring on this problem.

https://www.enasco.com/product/WA24998H

If so, the price does seem better, but I don't know how they compare on S/H and tax to Killian's Hardware, so make sure you tally it all up for both sites before deciding where to order.

If they are the same, they come in the natural color (not white) and the multi-color check, while the Killian's site appears to offer all the colors available (don't know what color you'd want).

It's funny you picked up on my no ironing comment--the joke among family and friends, is that I don't iron. Yet, ironically (pun intended!), I hauled the darned thing out not once, not twice, but about 3 or 4 times between last monht and this one! And, I actually used it! Never on my towels though! LOL

PS--slc, I'm also not too fond of the way my micro fiber cloths catch and grab my dry hands during the winter months.

I always love your posts!

I am a microfiber towel person - but for drying dishes or decorative - nothing beats the old fashioned linen dish towels - more absorbent and no lint left behind
- I'm always on the hunt for them at yard sales, good will etc. I have even purchased vintage large linen tablecloths & cut them sew them to be the size i need
There are some higher grade microfiber towels - I thought there was one called "solutions" did a search, couldn't find it. I have a mix of them, yes there is a difference in quality

Conni

Thanks Cat Mom!!!

And thanks Rhome, for the thread (where I also learned that vinegar is good for cleaning out the softener dispenser. I use vinegar for cleaning all the time, but never thought of that, and hot water isn't 100% effective...)

The towels are a loose weave with only a light twist, with a grid of tighter weave supporting it. Like a towel version of seersucker. It's easy to see why they're absorbent. And they feel wonderful. No awful sizing to get rid of or anything like that. You'll love 'em.

An awful lot of incorrectly labelled and flat-out counterfeit goods make their way into the North American market. Somtimes this is deliberate and sometimes it's a case of ignorance on the part of the importer. Either way - it's a problem.

Happy drying (soon)!!!