Why Do New Towels Leave Lint Everywhere?
Have you ever bought a brand-new set of fluffy towels, only to discover that after your first shower you're covered in tiny bits of lint? You dry off, look in the mirror, and suddenly your dark shirt or pants are sprinkled with little fuzzies. It can be frustrating, but it's also perfectly normal.
The culprit is the manufacturing process. Most towels are made from cotton, and the soft, absorbent loops that make towels feel plush are created by weaving thousands of cotton fibers together. During manufacturing, some of those tiny fibers don't become completely locked into the fabric. They remain loose, even after the towel is packaged and shipped to the store.
The first few times you wash and use a new towel, those loose fibers work their way free. That's the lint you find in your dryer, on your skin, or floating around the laundry room. It doesn't necessarily mean your towel is poor quality. In fact, even expensive towels shed a bit when they're new.
Some towels are naturally more prone to shedding than others. Thick, extra-plush towels often produce more lint during the first few washes simply because they contain more cotton fibers. Towels made from shorter cotton fibers may also continue shedding longer than those made from premium long-staple cotton, whose longer fibers tend to stay woven into
the fabric more securely.
Fortunately, the problem doesn't last forever. One of the best things you can do is wash new towels before using them. Not only does this remove many of the loose fibers, but it also
helps the towels become more absorbent by washing away finishing treatments that manufacturers sometimes apply to make towels look extra soft and full on store shelves.
For the first two or three washes, wash towels by themselves. This prevents lint from sticking to your clothing and gives the loose fibers a chance to
work themselves out. Be sure to clean your dryer's lint filter after every load, especially when drying new towels.
It's also best to avoid using fabric softener on towels. While it may seem like it would make them even softer, fabric softener can leave behind a coating that reduces absorbency over time. Use dryer balls when drying towels in the dryer.
After a few wash cycles, the shedding usually slows dramatically, leaving you with the soft,
absorbent towels you expected in the first place.
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