Mom's Tricks for Keeping Towels Under Control

With four people in my house, the towel situation can quickly get out of control. If everyone were to use a different towel every day, I would have to wash 28 towels a week. That's a lot of laundry. In order to keep our towel situation manageable, I have put several procedures in place. This ensures I'm devoting less time to chores and more time with my family. Here are some of my mommy tricks for keeping the towels under control.

Assigned Towels

I share a lot with my family. However, I don't like to share bath linens (or the germs that may be lurking on the towels). There are plenty of cute towels out there. My children both have hooded towels that they use. This makes it easy for me to find their towels when they get out of the bathtub. For older children and adults, you can purchase personalized bath sheets or monogram the towels. To keep the bathroom looking stylish, I like assigning a different, yet coordinating, towel for each family member. I keep another set of towels folded in a wicker basket in the guest bathroom.

Hang it Up

After bathing and drying off, it's important for towels to be hung up. This prevents bacteria and that musty, wet towel smell from taking over your bathroom. My son is just a baby. However, I encourage my daughter to hang up her towel after putting on her pajamas. When my family doesn't hang up their towels, I make sure to give them a friendly reminder to do so.

Dunk it in the Hamper

If my family is healthy, we try to use our towels two to three times. When the towels are "dirty," they are put into a special towels-only hamper in the garage. When I notice my daughter is putting her towel in the hamper on her own, I will give her a few quarters to put in her piggy bank. Putting a basketball hoop above the hamper is a great way to encourage kids to "slam dunk" their dirty laundry.

Laundry Folding Party

Twice a week, I wash the towels. I use hot water to kill bacteria and some fresh smelling detergent. Then, we have a laundry folding party. I throw the towels on the bed and everyone helps out. This is a tradition that has been passed down for two generations. Having a laundry folding party makes putting away the towels less of a chore.

Dirty, musty towels can quickly take over my house. These tips keep my towels manageable. When my household is in order, I am a happier mom!

Content by Melissa Matters.