The Saga of the Towel

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 10-17-2005, 12:53 AM

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you this story and LMK what you think!

We bought our first house in 1985. We were flat broke when we moved in (I totalled our new car that day and the hot water heater went out the next day!), so we didn't buy anything but food and gas for almost a year.

The first thing I bought for our new home (about nine months after we moved in) was some new towels. I got four seafoam green and four brown ones plus two hand towels of each color. These colors weren't my first choice, but they were on clearance at Sears and they were nice towels. They were Dian Von Furstenberg towels (Sears best at the time) and were marked down to $4.00 each for the bath size! I had NO idea just how good these towels were.

We used the towels for approximately ten years before the sides started to go on four of them. The centers were still good, so I asked my MIL to zig zag up the sides. She did so and we kept on using them. The seafoam and two of the brown ones finally started to get very ratty looking about five years later. Did I throw them away? Of course NOT!

I cut them into washcloth sized squares and my MIL serged the edged of them for me. They got turned into cleaning rags (the seafoam ones) and dishcloths (the brown ones).

During this time, I had both DSs. Our DSs have been with Scouts for years now and camp every month. The remaining brown towels go with them each month on their camp outs. Even though they might be dirty, they don't look it since they don't show the dirt. When DS #1 went to the national Scout jamboree this past summer, he took one of the brown towels with him. I figured that it was old and if it got lost, it was no big deal. Well, it came home and is still in use.

Friday night, I splurged and bought some new dish cloths and kitchen towels. The brown dishcloths were put into the cleaning closet for rags. After all this time, they are still going strong, albeit a bit raggedy by now. I just hope my new ones last HALF as long as my homemade ones!

FWIW, I have towels that are five years old that don't look as nice as my old ones even though they are thicker since they haven't been used as much. The "new" towels came from Penneys.

The moral of my story is that some things can serve you for years. They might not be stylish or the latest color, but they are like a faithful dog and never, ever let you down. These towels are some of the best money I have EVER spent.

**forestdale** · 10-17-2005, 12:58 AM

Great story, Lori. I think those towels were top quality and it showed by giving you years and years of service. It's a good lesson in buying the best quality you can afford or to wait until they go on sale, even if they aren't the fashion colour of the time. Fashion comes and goes, good towels are an investment.

**Darlene** · 10-17-2005, 08:22 AM

I too enjoyed the towel saga. Your new towels are jealous I bet, they have alot to live up to just trying to do as well as your old tried and trues.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 10-17-2005, 10:15 AM

"your new towels are jealous"

**mom22grls** · 10-17-2005, 10:29 AM

That's funny, Lori. I still have some towels I got from a bridal shower 12 years ago.

They're that mauve color that was in style in the late 80's & early 90's. Now I just call them the "pink" towles.

They're in the camper now. I've never had to sew or mend them. They came from dillards.

But, the towels I use now (2 sets of 4) are from christmas gifts 2 and 3 years ago. Those darn things! I ALWAYS have one or two to sew & mend. They rip & frey! These came from Kohl's...I have no idea of brands. I don't *know* what brands are good.

I'll be asking for towels again for x-mas!

Oh, and the best kitchen towels I've found are the el cheapo ones from walmart.

I've had these suckers for 4 years.

Of course, they started out as tan & beige, and now they're white from bleaching.

**Early Bird** · 10-17-2005, 12:26 PM

I enjoyed that story. I'll bet some of the other items in our houses would have a story to tell -- kitchen knives, pillowcases, and crockpots.

**canadian gardener** · 10-17-2005, 12:51 PM

quality pays for itself over and over.

**PrairieRose** · 10-17-2005, 03:09 PM

I enjoyed that too Lori, made me think of my own Sears brand bath towels. I have 4 that were bought about 8-9 yrs. ago when we had 4 at home. We've used that things and washed them about a million times. I was sooooo mad at my dd when she used one of them to clean the hubcaps (or whatever they are now) with one of them about a year ago. That stained it and nothing will get it out! She said well it's OLD (?!). I said yeah but it's a good towel still, no need to ruin it when we had others much worse. Ggrrhhh. Anyway, like you, I have newer towels that aren't holding up nearly as well. Gotta love them high quality towels.

**SHOPGIRL** · 10-17-2005, 06:09 PM

Since you brought up towels, it reminded me of my bridal shower. When I got married, even though I had a bunch of other things on my registery, about half the people that came to the shower bought be towels. I have oodles of towels. I think I must have about 40 of them. I hate returning things, and I did like the towels so I kept them. I think I'll have towels for the rest of my life. Everytime I opened up a box and there were towels in it, everyone had a good laugh!

**SHOPGIRL** · 10-17-2005, 06:09 PM

Since you brought up towels, it reminded me of my bridal shower. When I got married, even though I had a bunch of other things on my registery, about half the people that came to the shower bought be towels. I have oodles of towels. I think I must have about 40 of them. I hate returning things, and I did like the towels so I kept them. I think I'll have towels for the rest of my life. Everytime I opened up a box and there were towels in it, everyone had a good laugh!