Towels are serious business. They’re a $10 billion market, for one thing—we buy a lot of towels. If you’ve ever had to use scratchy, thin towels, you understand the importance of good towels. If you’ve ever stayed in a luxury hotel and used their insanely thick and expensive towels, you know how much better life is with really, really good towels.
But the right towel for you isn’t just about expense—there are several factors that come into play when choosing a bath towel depending on your lifestyle and specific needs.
What is “GSM”?
Towels don’t have thread counts like bedsheets, but they do have a “grams per square meter” (GSM) rating, which measures their weight and softness. The GSM ranges from 300 to 900, and just like a thread count it gives you an idea of the towel’s overall quality and best use:
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300 to 400 GSM: Lightweight, will dry very quickly, won’t feel luxurious
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400 to 600 GSM: Heavier, ideal for the beach
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600 to 900 GSM: Dense and heavy, will feel good on your skin, but will take longer to dry (though the weave will affect drying time as well)
Good Housekeeping performed tests on bath towels a few years ago and determined that a GSM between 500 and 700 performed best. But if you want a heavier or lighter towel, you do you.
Material
Your next consideration is the material the towel is made of. You have a few choices, and while all of these materials will do the job, they each have some pros and cons:
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Cotton. High-quality cotton (Egyptian, Turkish, and Pima are common varieties) is a natural fabric that is very absorbent and feels soft against your skin. Cotton can take a bit longer to dry, which can lead to mildew or other damp-related problems.
The construction process of the cotton can make a difference. Ringspun cotton uses a weaving process that twists longer and shorter fibers together, producing a towel that feels very soft and comfortable against the skin while being more durable than other cotton towels. Combed cotton is cotton that is literally “combed” prior to use, a process that removes impurities and shorter strands that are more prone to breaking. The end result is a soft towel that doesn’t pill, making it look elegant and high-end.
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Blends. Cotton/polyester blends combine the absorbency of cotton with the faster drying of synthetic fabrics. This blend will not feel as nice as other materials, however.
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Microfiber. Made of very fine synthetic fibers, these towels dry very, very fast, but don’t feel very luxurious. You’ve probably encountered microfiber towels used for cleaning, but you can find bath towels using the material as well, so if you want your towels to dry quickly and luxury doesn’t matter, this can be a good choice.
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Bamboo. Bamboo towels are perfect if you’re worried about your environmental footprint. Bamboo grows incredibly quickly, making it one of the most renewable resources on the planet. Bamboo towels are soft and absorbent, but sometimes have a “slippery” feel and take longer to dry.
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Linen. Made from plant fibers, linen makes for lightweight towels that absorb water quickly and dry fast. They don’t feel very soft, however.
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Modal. This material is made from wood pulp (yes, really), and is very absorbent and fast-drying. Modal towels are soft but may feel slippery, so if the feeling of a thick, comforting towel is what you want, this might not work.
Weave
In addition to the material used, towels are made using different weaving techniques:
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Terry. Terry cloth towels are typically made from cotton, and have “loops” of fabric (called piles) that give the towel a fluffy, soft feel and high absorbency.
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Waffle. Waffle weave towels have a boxy pattern that literally looks like a waffle. The result is a lighter towel that’s as absorbent as heavier towels but dries very fast, but they can feel thin.
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Zero twist. Most towels are made using a process that twists the fabric strands together because it makes them more durable. Zero-twist towels are made from the best-quality cotton and tend to feel high-end and are very absorbent and long-lasting. These will usually be your most expensive option.
Size
Finally, you’ll need to think about the size of your towels:
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Standard. Standard towels are 27-30 inches by 54-56 inches. They’re generally large enough for most people to dry off with, and are relatively compact for hanging and storage.
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Jumbo/bath sheet. Bath sheets are gaining in popularity and are usually between 35-40 inches by 60-70 inches. These are ideal for larger body types or for anyone who wants a sense of luxury when drying off, but they can be a challenge to hang and store in a small bath.
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Oversize. These large towels are usually longer than bath sheets (typically about 80 inches) and are good for very tall folks, but really require a lot of space in your bathroom and linen closet.
It’s key to keep the size of your bathroom and linen storage in mind when picking towels—that enormous bath sheet might feel like luxury, but if you can hang it properly and it never dries it will cause more problems than it solves.
