I was spoiled when my mother-in-law came to stay with me after the birth of my second child.  She did laundry for me (such an angel!) and she washed every used towel every single day.  Yes, this was a terrible waste of resources, but I loved having a fresh clean towel after every shower.  It made me feel like I was in a hotel, rather than recovering from another c-section. Well, my mother-in-law left and I had to come back to reality.  I cannot keep up with washing towels after just one use.  I also don’t want to waste water and electricity.  So what’s a girl to do?  I have plenty of towels but they seem to get musty after being on the towel rack one or two days.  How can I combat this issue?  I decided to conduct some Very Unscientific Research.

I started using Tide with Frebreze, which helped a lot.  My kids have skin sensitivities though, so I have to be careful about using just enough detergent and not a drop more.  I avoid using fabric softeners or scents, so that doesn’t help. I use vinegar and baking soda on occasion but they didn’t seem to extend the smell span of my towels.  My second initiative was to make sure that the towel has enough room to completely dry on the rack. This is an issue in the master bath, where my husband and I share the same towel rack.  I have to admit that sometimes I move his over a bit so that my towel has enough room to spread out.  In the name of science, of course.

I also tried a few new towels to see if that made a difference.  I found that the fabric does affect the life span of my towels.  We have a few towels that are from our college days….much older than I care to admit.  These ancients tend to smell like mildew after only two uses, so we keep them in the car for emergencies.  I also purchased a set of fluffy fleece-like towels that can air-dry within about an hour, so they don’t smell at all!!  My husband doesn’t like them, though, so they are banished to the kids bathroom. The irony of this situation is that they never get hung up, so they do smell like mildew.  Sigh.

Final solution.  I received a towel from The Rag Company and used it for my Very Unscientific Research.  The towel was gloriously long and big like a spa towel should be.   I was surprised that it felt rather thin but was extremely absorbent.  This is a plus for storage, right? I hung it up after one use and it dried so quickly that we were able to use it again that night for my son’s bath!!  This bad boy will be going out to the pool with us.   The other product I tried was the waffle facial cloth.  I was planning to use this to remove my makeup, then my son ate a chocolate chip cookie and got it all over his face.  The waffle facial cloth was ready for its maiden voyage.  I didn’t have to use any soap at all—the wet washcloth seemed to grab the mess off his face and left it clean as a whistle with water only.  It washed up so nicely without a trace of the chocolate.  I loved how well it cleaned and would purchase these in a heartbeat.  I think they would be great for cleaning as well.   The Rag Company offers wholesale pricing and ships worldwide.  Contact them at 866-344-4703 or email sales@theragcompany.com for more information.

So, my conclusion to the Very Unscientific Research?  I want my mother-in-law to stay with me again, but not willing to go through childbirth to get her here.   I guess I’ll have to live with washing my own towels.

The Rag Company is offering a giveaway on Savings in Seconds.  Stay tuned for details!

Disclosure: I received product samples for purposes of this review.  The opinions stated are 100% mine.