Bath towels and sheets are thought to be invented in Turkey, in the 17th Century. Commonly used in Turkish baths, this long rectangular piece of material was used to absorb moisture.
Towels are used to fulfill a multitude of tasks, from drying us to wiping muddy feet and floors to drying the dishes. One would think that a towel is a towel, or every towel is the same. That is not so. Towels vary hugely in the way they are manufactured, the material that is used, and their weight (ie how much material is used). Each factor affects the absorbency, softness, longevity and overall quality of the towel.
Manufacture
The most common material used for bath towels and bath sheets is cotton.
- Long Staple Cotton
Like long staple cotton used for bedding, this cotton used for towels has similar properties and virtues. The fibres are longer than conventional cotton and tend to give a softer, and more durable end product. The more of this cotton that is used, the tighter the “knit” and therefore the softer the towel. Bath towels are usually defined in terms of their weight (GSM), which gives an indication of how much cotton is used. A high GSM (eg 600) indicates a towel where ample cotton has been used, and will be nice and weighty. Heavyweight Egyptian cotton towels are the creme de la creme when it comes to this.
- Carded Cotton
Carded cotton has an additional step in the manufacturing process, which refines the cotton, to remove impurities. Again, this will result in a softer and stronger end product.
- Combed Cotton
Combing is yet another step in the manufacture of some towels. The combing is just that. The cotton is combed to separate the fibres, which untangles them, and removes impurities as well as discarding shorter cotton fibres.
- Zero Twist Cotton
Zero twist cotton bath towels can only be constructed from long staple cotton. This is because the fibres are not twisted at all during manufacture. Zero twisting means that the yarns have a maximum surface and so towels made this way have very high absorbency, and also allows them to dry quickly. These properties make Zero twist towels very luxurious, and so when you buying these towels, you know you are getting a good quality, durable towel, totally suited to modern living.
- Ringspun
The opposite to Zero twist, towels manufactured in this way have fibres twisted tightly together. This makes the towel very strong and durable, but does have a negative impact on softness and absorbency.
- Jacquard
Jacquard is a type of weaving (invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1790), where weaves from different sources/colours can be used in one process. This makes this technique ideal for towels that have a design rather than the one colour plain dyed options. During weaving, fibres are woven in strips of colour. Only one colour can be used per strip, and each strip is either raised or lowered during manufacture, to produce the desired pattern. This type of manufacture is only suited to long fibre staples.
Material
Cotton, of varying qualities is the most common material used for towels and other bathroom soft furnishings. The best quality cottons are Egyptian (which originates from the Nile Delta), Supima (very silk like and grown in the USA), and Suvin cotton (which has a beautiful, luxurious feel).
- Organic cotton
This is about the way the cotton is grown rather than type of cotton. Organic cottons are grown (a bit like organic vegetables) without the use of harsh pesticides, and using high quality fertilizers.
- Bamboo
Made from bamboo and usually blended with cotton. Bamboo towels have a superior absorbency, and are also incredibly soft and silky. Bamboo is environmentally friendly as it is naturally renewable and also grows a lot quicker then cotton.
- Hydro
Sometimes referred to as hollow, these cotton yarns have a hollow core to help absorbency and faster drying.
- Modal
A relatively new type of material, and is semi synthetic. Cotton is combined with cellulose from beech trees. Modal towels are very soft and far more absorbent then 100% cotton bath towels.
Weight
The weight of bath towels is measured in grams per square metre (GSM). As the name suggests, its about how many fibres there are per each square metre of the towel. The higher the GSM, the more fibres there are in the towel, which help absorbency, softness and durability. Towels with low GSM (less 400) will be thinner, and less absorbent. 400-600 GSM towels are the ones that should be used for everyday bathroom use. They are also perfect for the guests. Towels above 600 GSM are the most luxurious and heavyweight. If you can afford them, always get these. They will last longer than the lower weight ones, and will be a good investment.
Take a look at the vast range of towels in our bathroom department https://www.homespacedirect.com/bath-linen/bath-towels.html
