If you're new to Turkish towels, you may be wondering why yours isn't absorbing
water the way it's supposed to. Don't worry, you're not alone! In this post, we'll talk about what makes a Turkish towel absorbent and how to make sure your towel is up to par.
Turkish towels are made of a special cotton called Turkish cotton that is known for its absorbency. Turkish cotton is made of long hair fibers - the long fibers help grab and hold liquid which makes towels made of Turkish cotton very absorbent. This is why Turkish towels (otherwise known as peshtemals) are so thin - you dont need the plushness of standard towels to dry you off. They are a great choice as a bath or beach towel and will also dry quickly due to the thinness of the towel.
While Turkish towels are very absorbent, we have heard some people say that they are not as absorbent as they'd like. If this is the case, there are things we can look at to make sure your towel is as absorbent as possible.
First, make sure you wash your towel before first use. While this is a good practice with any linen that touches your skin, it is particularly important with Turkish towels. Turkish cotton needs to be "trained" to hold onto liquid. Washing your towel will open up the fibers of the cotton and help it to better absorb water. Some people like to soak their Turkish towels in a bucket of water to help with this process. While that does help, it's not completely necessary. Washing your towel immediately upon receiving it and then washing between uses will be enough to get your towel to it's full absorbency levels within 4-6 washes.
Another thing to consider is what type of soap you are using in your washing machine. Make sure to never use fabric softener when washing your Turkish towel and check the soap you are using as well. Some detergents have fabric softener included in with the soap and it may not be obvious that it's in there unless you read the packaging carefully. Fabric softener "coats" the fibers on the towel and prevents them from absorbing as much liquid as it should! This is one of the main reasons we see towels not absorbing the maximum amount of liquid.
Lastly, always make sure to wash your Turkish towel according to the directions on the tag. This is the best way to care for and maintain the quality of your towel for the long run. Stay dry!