How Many Bath Towels Should You Have?

Bath towels are essential to any household. You have a bath or shower; you will need bath towels.

But how many bath towels do you need?

This is a tricky question, especially if you are trying to decide the quantity to add to your wedding registry. Being your first time furnishing a house, and with so many decisions to make, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Yet, this question can be better answered after analysing a few points. Let’s get to it.

 

How Many People Will Use the Bath Towels?

The first thing you will need to take into consideration is the number of people using bath towels in your house. Each person will require their own set of bath towels, so start from there.

Then, remember you must have, at least, one towel in use and one in the closet (to be put in use once the other one is being washed). So, two towels per person. Multiply this by the number of residents, and you will have the bare minimum required.

Still, consider your family’s habits. Some people use just one towel per time. Others require two: one for the body, one for the hair. In this case, the minimum for this person will double. And if you have children, account for the occasional disaster, such as clean towels falling into the tub or getting muddy.

 

How Often Do You Wash Your Bath Towels?

Another thing that will have an impact on how many bath towels you need is the frequency you wash them and how. Because more often you discard them, more towels you need.

Some people will get a fresh towel every day. Or more, requiring a clean one for each shower. Others do it every other day or every 3-4 days. Once per week seems to be the maximum acceptable for using the same towel.

Yes, you can have only one towel for yourself and still make it work by washing it and drying it every day. But most of us will do our laundry once or twice per week. So, account for this when buying new bath towels. Also consider their colors, as you will have to separate them for washing.

 

Get Some Guest Towels

After analysing the needs of your family, think of your guests. Do you have people sleeping over from time to time? Then you need bath towels for them. Even if this doesn’t happen often, you should have something in your closet for a last-minute need.

The quantity is up to you, based on the number of people who usually overnight in your house. If unsure, consider having one or two sets with this purpose.

Have some towels for special occasions

Besides your everyday towels, it’s always nice to have a couple of sets for special occasions. This way, your bathroom stays tuned with the decoration of the other rooms.

A favorite one is the Christmas set. Red, white or green, it’s decorated with Santas, stars, or other symbols related to the celebration. But you can also have separate sets for Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, New Year’s Eve, and other occasions meaningful to you.

You will find several options in online and physical shops, including cheap ones. But the best time to buy them is just after the event when they tend to be on sale. Still, if you don’t find something you like, you can easily customize any bath towel.

 

Make them part of the decoration

You might also have been to a bathroom where you found exquisite bath towels nicely placed in baskets or racks, so beautiful you don’t feel like using them. And you would be right about it. They aren’t there to be used, except in an emergency. They are decorative bath towels, something you can add to your wish list.

In this case, choose options that match the design of your bathroom, both in color and fabric. Peshtemal towels, for instance, are a great option, thanks to its beautiful patterns. Look for a bath towel quick to dry, so you can have it back to their place in case it gets wet by mistake. And make sure you find the best place for them, so they play their part adding charm to your bathroom.

 

Check your storage space

Of course, all these ideas sound great but check your storage space before buying a large number of towels. They need to stay in a dry and clean place.

Ideally, you should have some in your bathroom, in a place easy to reach, such as a rack, multi-rail, or basket. The others, especially those you don’t use often, can be placed in a separate closet, either in your bedroom, attic, basement, or another storage area.  

Also, remember you don’t need to fold them the traditional way - halves, then quarters, or tri-folded. Roll them, spa-style. They will take less space this way. It will also make it easier to pick one when you have many colors to choose from.

 

What if I am buying towels for my hotel or spa?

If you are purchasing bath towels for a hotel, spa, gym, or another business facility, you need to be careful about quantity and consider buying wholesale. You don’t want to be caught out of towels when a customer asks for more.

Even though hotels have been trying to encourage guests to use their towels more than once, you know many won’t. So, have enough to replace them in all rooms daily. And it’s prudent to double this amount to be on the safe side and cover eventualities.

As per other types of business, bath towels are only for single use. So, have as many as your customers’ capacity, plus an extra. Remember that some people will require more than one bath towel per visit.

 

As many as you like (within your budget!)

How many bath towels you need is defined by the number of people that will use them, how they use them, and your storage space. And you can add an extra more for special occasions and to give a nice touch to your bathroom.

But what you really need to watch is your wallet. Otherwise, you will spend all your savings on towels. Look for high-quality budget towels to buy them for a fair price and to avoid replacing them every year.