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profnot
9-13-14, 11:06pm
Below is the text of an email I just sent to a dear friend and the fabulous guy who runs the local Food Bank.



Give your extra towels to Henry of the Food Bank.


I have always been frugal so this has not been a hardship.


About 7 years ago I had enough grocery store reward points to buy 2 top-quality super thick cotton towel sets. They are absolutely gorgeous and I save them for guests.


The rest of my Fieldcrest towel sets I purchased new on eBay. 13+ years ago.


I've had to cut the borders off. I need to trim the stray threads on the sides around once a month.


(I should have stitched the long edges when I got them new but I hate machine sewing. Another great tip from SimpleLivingForum.net)


These towels have about another year on them, at most.


This is how frugal and poor people use towels.


Henry will find good homes for your extra towels. And you will get a tax-deductible receipt as Henry recently made the PRFB a non-profit corporation.

iris lily
9-13-14, 11:38pm
I have friends who have Bed & Breakfast Inns and they have gifted me with batches of used towels. We use them for dog messes. When I cut a few up I didn't stitch them and so yes, I trim the threads
periodically.

But the best dog towels I've got are ones DH found in the dumpster years ago. They were super expensive because they are so thick. Someone had thrown them out because they were discolored, probably from bleach. They pre-date the B & B towels, yet the B & B towels are practically without nap from all the washings, while the dumpster towels are still very thick.

awakenedsoul
9-13-14, 11:44pm
profnot, Do you like hand sewing? I sew quilt binding by hand on the edges of my towels. It really helps them to last. It protects the edges. The center of the towel is usually fine. I save my coupons for Beverly's and buy the binding there. It looks nice, too.

Songbird
9-14-14, 8:05pm
I recently gave all of my old towels to our local no kill animal shelter. They had posted a need for them on their website and they were very happy when I donated them.

ApatheticNoMore
9-14-14, 8:19pm
My towels are quite old, I don't really care, I use them for me not dogs. I was buying bedding because the need for it is greater (didn't even have enough blankets to stay warm last winter - but it's hard to imagine it will ever be cold again given how hot it is now), but towels can wait indefinitely.

Tussiemussies
9-14-14, 8:30pm
We had purchased some towels when we moved here, I always but white, but from deep as Ted bleaching and washing they just are not white anymore. We still need a few just to keep us going between earnings, but I might just get two sets for when we have company over.....I like the cheaper towels, don't like them soft....wonder how old my originals are...probably 6 years.....

Blackdog Lin
9-14-14, 9:37pm
My linen closet has two piles of towels: the A pile and the B pile. The A pile are for our bathing, the ones in better (thicker, softer) shape. The B pile are the older ones, rough and maybe-stained, suitable for dog messes and water accidents around the house. When an A-towel gets so old that it's too rough and thin, it moves to the B pile. And when the A pile gets too low, it's time to purchase 1-2 more new ones (Christmas is a perfect time). This tends to be only every 4-5 years.

And I only buy white towels, so that I can bleach and sanitize them at will.

thinkgreen
9-14-14, 11:41pm
I have too many towels. I inherited some from my Mom and some from her friend. Then I got some from my brother when he moved. I haven't bought a towel in 10 years and the ones I have seem to be very long wearing. Maybe it's because I don't put them in the dryer, they always get dried on the line. Maybe it's because I mend the edges when they start to fray...

When they do get too tattered I cut them into washcloth sizes and hem the edges on the sewing machine. They make the best rags.

Some folks I know change their towels every time they change their color scheme. My color scheme never changes so my towels work just fine. Any color is welcome at my house.

profnot
9-15-14, 12:01pm
profnot, Do you like hand sewing? I sew quilt binding by hand on the edges of my towels. It really helps them to last. It protects the edges.

What a great idea! I love hand sewing.

My guest towels are the most beautiful I have ever owned.

So I am going to splurge a little and buy some gorgeous trim at JoAnn's Fabrics and hand sew it onto the long edges, both sides. (After I have washed the trim in hot water to make certain all shrinkage is done.)

Thanks!