The towels no longer dry sufficiently or are no longer as soft as they were at first? This is often not due to their quality, but rather to incorrect maintenance. In this post, we reveal what the care instructions in bathroom textiles mean so that towels, bathrobes, and bath towels stay beautiful for a long time.
Wash before first use
Before using for the first time, towels and Co. should be put in the washing machine. The wash cycle removes possible dust from production and storage. And in the case of custom Turkish towels, the loops are tightened when washing. This prevents the formation of pull threads. If a thread is visible later, it can be cut with sharp scissors. Because of the risk of thread formation, toweling should not be put in the machine if possible with clothing that has hooks or zippers.
Apart from this precautionary measure, terry towels are easy to care for and uncomplicated. Nobody needs to be afraid of making a mistake when washing the fabric. Provided that the manufacturer’s instructions on the care label are followed.
This is what the care symbols mean
The care symbols on the labels provide important information on cleaning and caring for the fabric. In order for textiles to keep their function for as long as possible, you should strictly follow these recommendations.
The small tub symbol represents a washtub. If the symbol is crossed out, the item must not be put in the washing machine. However, this is not the case with towels, washing mitts, or bathrobes.
A hand in the tub symbol means hand washing. Many washing machines now offer a corresponding gentle program. Hand washing means a maximum water temperature of 40 ° C. The number inside the tub corresponds to the maximum water temperature with which the material can be washed.
The symbol can also be supplemented with dashes. One or two underscores stand for particularly gentle washing. A restriction that usually does not apply to terry goods such as towels, bath towels, or bathrobes.
The instructions for drying the laundry are symbolized by a square. The circle inside the square represents the electric tumble dryer. If the symbol is crossed out, the item must never be put in the dryer. Without any additions, the symbol indicates that the textile can be dried in the normal program. Express drying should be avoided.
Points are also optionally set here. One point means gentle drying at low temperatures. If the dryer does not offer a gentle program, the instructions usually provide a way of reducing the temperature. Two points indicate a drying program with high temperatures. Quick and express programs do not damage the laundry.
The iron bundles the information about smoothing the laundry. The same applies here: If the symbol is crossed out, the item must not be ironed. The suitable temperatures are also symbolized by dots. On many devices, these can be found on the temperature selector switch. One point represents a low temperature, two points represent a medium temperature and three represent a high temperature.
If the washing machine reaches its limits with intensive stains, the care label also shows whether the item can be dry-cleaned. The symbol for this is a circle. The letters are only relevant for cleaning specialists. If the circle is crossed out, the fibers must not be dry-cleaned. This applies to most terry products, for example.
Fabric softener for towels?
Unfortunately, fabric softener sticks to cotton fibers like a film. This reduces their absorbency. It is therefore advisable to avoid using fabric softener as much as possible for terry towels.
Can terry towels go in the dryer?
If terry toweling is dried directly in the air or even on the heater, the fibers, unfortunately, become rigid. It is therefore particularly advised not to dry them on the heater. The best result is achieved when drying in the tumble dryer. This way the fibers stay soft and the cozy feeling is preserved for a long time.