A good Turkish towel should feel a little better every month you own it. If yours feels flat, scratchy or oddly waterproof, the towel is almost never the problem. The laundry routine is. Here is how we wash ours in the studio, and what we tell everyone who asks.

Wash it before you use it

New handwoven cotton comes off the loom with a little natural stiffness in the fibers. The first wash opens them up. Flat-woven towels and peshtemals in particular start out thin and crisp and get noticeably softer and thirstier after two or three washes. So wash it once before it meets your shower, and don't judge it until it has been through the machine a few times.

Cool water and a little mild detergent

Machine wash cool with a gentle liquid detergent, and use less than you think you need. Too much soap stays in the loops and makes a towel feel stiff and dull. Skip the bleach completely. It weakens cotton and fades natural colors like our lava and cinnamon.

The one thing to stop doing: fabric softener

This is the big one. Fabric softener and dryer sheets coat cotton fibers with a waxy film. It feels soft for a day, then the towel stops absorbing water and starts pushing it around your skin instead. If your towels have gone "waterproof", a wash with no detergent and a cup of white vinegar usually strips the build-up and brings them back.

Dry low, and use wool dryer balls

Tumble dry on low and take the towels out as soon as they are dry. Overdrying on high heat is what makes cotton rough. A few wool dryer balls in the drum keep the loops fluffy without any coating. Line drying works too, especially for lightweight peshtemals, which dry fast in the sun. A quick shake before and after drying makes line-dried towels much softer.

Taking care of the fringe

Hand-knotted fringe is part of what makes these towels special, and it needs almost nothing from you. Give it a shake when it comes out of the wash so the strands fall straight. If a thread ever pokes out, trim it with scissors instead of pulling it. Pulling a loose loop is how a small snag turns into a long one.

Why we bother

Our Loom Towels are handwoven in Türkiye from long loops of organic cotton, and every fringe is knotted by hand. They are made slowly so they can last for years. Wash them gently and they will reward you by getting softer, plusher and more absorbent with every load.

Questions about caring for something you bought from us? Write to us. A real person answers.