< Upheaval: Throwing in the towel

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Throwing in the towel

I think everyone has things in their life that they struggle with continuously. Daniel and I are no exception. There are some issues that just keep coming up, again and again, despite our best efforts to move past them.

Probably the most frustrating problem in our marriage has been a lack of decent towels.

Seriously?

Seriously.

We have bought thick, fluffy towels. We have bought expensive towels. We have bought towels with fancy fringe. We have gotten towels as gifts. We have used old towels that we brought to our marriage from our lives as single people. We have even stolen towels from a hotel - and don't act like you haven't. We have tried Egyptian towels, luxury towels, bath sheets, and various combinations of each. We have purchased towels that felt nice, and looked nice, only to get them home and have them fail miserably at their ONE JOB.

A towel's one job is to, when rubbed on wet skin, absorb the moisture efficiently.

  • It should not be scrape-y, but a slightly rough texture is invigorating.

  • The trim of the towel should not shrink with repeated washing so that the towel resembles reverse-bowtie pasta.

  • The trim of a towel should not fray so that the threads wrap dangerously around toes and fingers, threatening sudden amputation.

  • The pile of a towel should not be so soft and fluffy that the water becomes evenly distributed on the skin, and the towel absorbs not one single drop.

Is it so difficult? JC Penney has let me down. Nate Berkus has let me down. Target has let me down.

We are really at the end of our rope. We have probably thirty towels in this house, and after each new towel-candidate, we just shrug and say "Oh well. We can use it to dry the dog off after we bathe him."

Who are we kidding? We wash the dog about twice a year!

To save money and stop the madness, we may just invest in Bounty. I think I could reuse it if I hung it up to dry, and plus, there is that convenient Select-A-Size option.

8 Comments:

Blogger Sharkey said...

I hear ya! We're *somewhat* in the market for towels too. My towel requirements are much the same as yours, and if I could find them I would buy the exact thing we have now (but in a different color): Charisma.

Our current set is fraying along the sides, but they've had seven years of almost-constant use so they don't owe us anything.

If I find towels that I think might work, I buy a single one and use it for a while to try it out--no point in buying a whole set that I'm going to hate. But so far that's only gotten me a slew of mismatched, unlikable towels. They go at the bottom of the stack, and we only use them when all the Charismas are in the wash.

Wow, you really seem to have touched a nerve with me! :)

11:24 PM  
Blogger Jennboree said...

Perhaps you should just email Oprah. She is very towel knowledgable, according to her visit on Ellen. Apparently, we should be buying bath SHEETS.

I must get out of the house more.

I have two towels I like. Hubby's a fluffy towel guy. But really thin, thread-like towels are great for the hair. Or that towel turban thing Dad got us.

9:56 AM  
Blogger Amanda said...

the towel turban is good. but sometimes i get made fun of for that.

huge, fluffy towels are bad for the hair unless you want bulging neck muscles.

4:41 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I've never considered making a bulleted list of a towel's duties, so I'm no expert, but I usually have pretty good luck with towels from Kohls. We get the brand The Big One.

9:08 PM  
Blogger Amanda said...

karly -

you should consider bullets for everything! my life is much more organized, even if i have sucky towels.

thanks for the advice - kohl's it is. and i will send you a bill if the dog inherits them.

6:37 AM  
Blogger Jemmers said...

I just have a problem with "wet" towels on the floor! STOP the madness and put them IN the hamper...or you know...Hang them back up! Geesh!

Hey...I have a blog again! Come and see me! If you want :)

Jemmers

8:51 AM  
Blogger Katrina said...

Even the softest towels never seem to STAY that way! Maybe I'm doing something wrong with my laundry...

11:29 AM  
Blogger toolatesue said...

Are you using fabric softener. If so , it keeps the towels from absorbing water. I learned that from experience after having kids of my own and wanting them to have soft clothes.

9:54 PM  

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