The Best Bath Linens to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity
BY MIKEL HUBBARD
FORMER HGTV PRODUCER | CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO |
OWNER, TIMES EIGHT PROPERTY & DESIGN
Most hosts encounter the same towel issues: they get a stinky mildew smell, they take forever to dry (so the cleaner can’t leave), they get terrible makeup stains, guests tend to use them all and make a big mess… It’s all one big UGH.
Below us our mega-guide to avoiding the common pitfalls of towels and bath linens, plus a few selects to help you save some time (and $$$) along the way.
BATH TOWELS
If you leave your guests one towel each for the duration of their stay, their towels are likely going to stay wet, and that can lead to a mildew smell you can’t get out. We recommend stocking up on Dri-Soft towels - at least two per guest.
Dri-Soft
Not only do Dri-Soft towels dry fast for guests, they take a lot less time to dry in the dryer. And there’s a reason hotel towels are white: you can bleach them! Bleach is about the only way to get rid of that mildew smell. Of course use the most earth-friendly bleach you can.
HAND TOWELS/WASHCLOTHS
Hand Towels and washcloths often get makeup stains, which can be impossible to remove even with bleach. For this we recommend providing at least one black washcloth or hand towel expressly for makeup. Amazon even sells washcloths with the word makeup embroidered right on the towel to make it obvious for guests.
BEACH TOWELS
Got a hot tub or pool? Consider getting different colored beach towels. Guests are more likely to know which one is theirs which means using fewer fresh beach towels!
BATH MATS
Bath mats can take forever to dry! And we all know laundry will keep you (or your cleaner) there forever. Try Ikea’s microfiber bath mats – they dry in no time and don’t have the rubber backing that melts in the dryer!
That’s all… by the time you’ve finished reading this all of our towels are dry and we’re out the door.
Let us know your tips for bath linens… and shout out your favorite way to keep them clean in the comments below!