Selecting Bath Towels that are Good for the Environment

There was a time when big terry cloth bath towels were the only option for shoppers. Today, with the huge increase in Internet shopping sites and the boom in demand for green products, bathers who want to ditch the tried-and-true cotton bath towel have a lot of options.

Of course, many will stick with the old standby. Drying off with the fluffy pile and weighty heft of a thick cotton terry cloth bath towel is a luxurious way to cap off a hot soak in the tub. Also, for the environmentally conscious shopper there are plenty of cotton terry cloth bath towels made from certified natural and organic cotton.

But for bathers who would like to try something a little different, there's a lot to choose from today.

European waffle weave towels started showing up in the American market not too long ago. They are easy to find on the Internet, perhaps a little less easy to uncover at your local bath shop.

Compared to the thick pile of terry cloth, cotton waffle weave towels are quite thin. That doesn't mean they don't absorb well, however. Travelers to Europe will testify that they do a great job. Microfiber waffle towels will hold seven times their weight in water. Also, being thinner gives them a huge advantage when it comes to drying out after being used, whether on the towel rack, or in the dryer.

For bathers who like the look and feel of the cotton terry cloth towel, but would like to use a towel made from a more sustainable crop, bamboo bath towels are worth trying. Because it grows prolifically without the aid of pesticides and chemicals, bamboo is one of the world's best sustainable agricultural products. When its fibers are processed into bath towels, the result is an antibacterial terry cloth three times more absorbent than cotton.

While growing and harvesting the bamboo is undoubtedly a very sustainable industry, there is some controversy among environmentalists on how ecologically sound the processing and shipping is within this industry.

Organic linen bath towels are also available as an alternative to cotton. Linen is a fiber made from the flax seed. Overall it is stronger, resists dirt better, and will wear longer than cotton. Before the cotton boom, linen was king. People are beginning to rediscover its advantages.

Hemp products have become very big among environmentally sensitive shoppers in recent years and there are plenty of hemp towels to choose from in the market. Hemp is considered a good sustainable crop and it produces a towel that is great for people with sensitive skin or allergies. Dermatologists often recommend hemp towels to their patients.

Sources:

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/home/271047/house_of_bamboo.html

http://www.die-leinenweber.de/linen-line-flax-value-and-price-en_2.html

http://www.rawganique.com/towelshemp.htm