Turkish towels will get softer and more absorbent the more you use them and wash them. How to make Turkish towels more absorbent if you want to jump-start the process? You can soak your new towel in cold water for a few hours or overnight and hang dry it. This isn't a must but it will emulate washing and drying your towel many times. Natural cotton needs to be "broken in", which allows the fibers to bloom, be softer and reach maximum absorbency.
Every time after that
We recommend gentle machine washing in warm or cold with similar colors. We recommend not using fabric softener in your wash. Fabric softener smells great but actually coats the fibers making them less absorbent. No bleach and try not to mix the wash with items that have zippers or hooks as they might get tangled in the fringes.
Stain removal
Most stains will be handled by your washing machine and detergent, but for extra nasty stains, we recommend rubbing a solution of baking soda and vinegar on the stain before washing. This will also brighten the colors on your towel.
Can Turkish towels go in the washer and dryer?
Absolutely. We recommend gentle machine washing in warm or cold with similar colors. No bleach and try not to mix the wash with items that have zippers or hooks as they might get tangled in the fringe.
Line drying would be the best, but at home we use the lower heat setting on our tumble dryer. Too much heat can damage the integrity of cotton, making your towels hard. Try a lower setting, or alternate between hang drying and tumble drying.
Should I use fabric softener?
No. Fabric softener creates a film that coats your towel's naturally absorbent cotton, which actually builds-up. Although it might feel soft and nice at first, this build-up of film overtime makes your towel less absorbent. The good thing is that a Turkish towel will get softer and more absorbent the more you use it, always as long as you don't use fabric softener in the wash.
How to make a Turkish towel softer and more absorbent?
Summarizing the points above, all you need to do is keep using and washing your towel and to not use fabric softener.
What to do with pulled threads or unraveled fringe?
If your towel has snagged and pulled out threads, simply cut the thread off. This will not damage your towel due to the way it has been loomed. The fringes are hand-knotted and can unravel with use. These can be re-tied. Make two bunches and twist each section clockwise till fully twisted. Take each bunch and wrap around each other in an anti-clockwise direction till fully twisted around each other. Tie a knot at the end of the fringe.
Shake the dust-out and vacuum. Careful to not use the type of vacuum cleaners that have a rotating brush.
For stains, spot cleaning with water and/or wool-friendly detergent is ideal. If you need to wash the entire rug, wash by hand. Use lukewarm water (max. 86°F) and again, a detergent that is wool friendly. Very gently squeeze out as much water as possible and pull the rug back into shape. Then hang dry away from direct heat.
Linen and silk products don't need to be soaked. For linen please follow the same care instructions as for cotton. For silk, do not dry clean. Simply hand wash and hang dry.
Sign up to ournewsletterfor blog posts, offers, and news delivered to your inbox.
