5 secrets to washing & looking after your luxury Egyptian Cotton towels

Egyptian cotton is considered one of the very best materials in the world to make towels and bed linen from, and because it’s extra fine fibres create fabrics that are gorgeously soft they need to be treated with care to ensure they feel amazing wash after wash. Here we’ll bust some myths and set the record straight on how to care for your Egyptian cotton towels.

The short answer is no. Conditioner is goopy and can clog up the space between towel fibres and yarns when they’re being washed. You might think “but this washes out surely?” And while the vast majority of fabric softener will wash out, a small amount remains with every wash. This builds up over time and can make your towels stiff and scratchy. What’s more, conditioner is known to break down cotton fibres, effectively ruining the benefits of having a towel made from Egyptian cotton fibres in the first place.

Optical brighteners, found in some laundry detergents (but mostly in whitening agents) actually change the colour of your towels, creating an optical illusion that masks stains. With white towels, this might not be a problem, but it’ll be the end of the road for your colour dyed towels.

Always follow the washing instructions found on the care label. This will help your towel feel like new for longer. The higher the temperature or the rougher the cycle, the more agitation the towels go through during laundering, which can cause the fibres to seize up and make the towel stiff – in other words, washing on a high temperature shrinks towels.

Plus, with modern detergents being so good at keeping things clean, it’s not necessary to blast them with high temperatures to kill germs.

You should wash your towels once a week at least, but in busy households, especially those that use the shower more frequently, such as the gym bunnies or aspiring marathon runners, they will need to be washed more often. Towels can also harbour germs so for those harder working ones such a hand towel, you may want to be changed more regularly.

You can tumble dry your towels according to the wash care label, but we recommend you go one step further to keep them feeling amazing wash after wash. Pop them in the tumble dryer until they’re ever-so-slightly damp, and then line-dry until they’re ready to fold and put away. This should ensure you have lovely fluffy towels to use for the next week.

We also recommend fully air drying your towels, not only because it’s kinder to our planet than tumble drying, but also because they will dry a bit slower without the same heat and therefore they will last longer.

Ever get confused about who’s white towel is who’s when it comes time for a shower? why not get each member of your family their favourite colour of towel – this doesn’t have to be expensive, 2 towels each will do (one in the wash, one in use).

Now you’ve heard the secrets, amaze your family and guests with beautifully soft, plump and cuddly towels day after day. Want to know even more about the wonder fibre that is Egyptian cotton and all it’s benefits, read more about it here. 

Want to update your bathroom look, then head over to our towel department, we have towels available in a variety of colours and sizes, you’re sure to find the perfect set for you. Plus a lovely range of Egyptian Cotton Bath Mats to complete your bathroom styling. 


If you're looking for a thicker, more dense towel, why not try our indulgent Supima Cotton towels.