The Care and Keeping of...Turkish Towels

How to care for your new Turkish towels!

Our towels are made from 100% GOTS Certified Organic Turkish cotton. Organic cotton fibers need to be ‘taught’ to be absorbent.

If you are more of a visual learner, you can head to our Instagram and check out the "Turkish Towel" Highlight. 

Looped Cotton Towels (Including towels such as the Mardin Bath Sheet)

When you first receive your new towels, soak them in water for 24 hours then hang to drip dry and repeat 2-4 times. BE SURE that the towel is completely saturated with water; you may have to use your hands to squish the towel and really work the water into the fibers; by doing so the cotton can learn how to be absorbent much quicker. If you don't have a place to let them drip dry, spin them in the washing machine and hang to dry.

Regular Washings:

Machine wash (85-100 F) 30-40 C

NO FABRIC SOFTENER, NO BLEACH

Dry on cool to medium or hang dry.

Please note: colorful or white towels usually need at least 2-3 soaks and a few washes before they are absorbent. Ecru, which is the natural color of the cotton and more raw than colorful or white, may need 3-4 soaks and a few washes before they become absorbent. Teaching your cotton how to be absorbent is not an exact science, it's just water, time and patience. If your towels seem to be extra stubborn, it may be that your water is very hard. A 1/2 cup of clear vinegar into the soaking/washing water can assist to soften the water. It could also be that the oils in the cotton have not been removed enough to allow the cotton to absorb water. In that case, a hot water wash is sometimes the answer.

COTTON Thin flat-woven pestemal (Including towels such as the Dalaman Towel) 

Upon receipt: Soak in cold water for 12 hours and hang to drip dry. BE SURE that the towel is completely saturated with water; you may have to use your hands to squish the towel and really work the water into the fibers; by doing so the cotton can learn how to be absorbent much quicker. (If you don't have a place to hang to dry, you can put them in the spin cycle of the washer, then into the dryer). Pestemals are lighter, thinner, and have less material than the thick towels and therefore usually take less time to learn. If, however, you are having issues with absorbency after an overnight soak, the same suggestions made for the thick towels can be used for the pestemal to accelerate their learning process.

KEEPING WHITES WHITE and dealing with STAINS Using harsh chemicals will damage natural fibers. As a natural alternative use: Vinegar and Baking Soda: You can put a teaspoon of each directly on a stain, rub and throw into the washing machine. You can use up to a cup of each (pour directly into the washing machine) to slowly and naturally whiten your whites.

Dealing with snags

Because they are woven pieces, sometimes they may become snagged. On our looped towels, simply cut off the long string, and don’t worry, they wont unravel. For our flat woven towels, a simple yanking and twisting and finding the thread that is snagged and pulling it through will solve the problem. If you have any questions or need some coaching, contact us at artisanspartner@gmail.com