Caring for your Towelling Robe

Our hooded towel material robes are one of the most important products we sell - they are what our business is based on after all. They are not only charged with keeping our customers warm and dry but are often called on to wipe up spillages and water, too. They have a tough old life really, which is why looking after them and keeping them soft is of the utmost importance. But how do you keep our cotton towelling changing towel soft and cosy? Read on to find out!

When you first receive your changing robe, it can be tempting to throw it in the back of your car and take it for a test run; however, the best thing to do is to stick it in the wash first. Now, this might sound crazy, but there is some science behind it, honestly! When cotton towelling is made, a lubricant is applied to the cotton to help the towelling loops to form - these loops are the things that help the towel to absorb the water. The grease is used to make the weaving of the towel much easier, but the downside of this is that it also gives the yarn a slippery surface which stays throughout the whole manufacturing process, and so you need to give your robe a good wash to get rid of this.

The other advantage of washing your robe before you use it for the first time is that it allows the weave of the towel to shrink a teeny tiny bit, tightening the fabric and making sure the loops stay in place.

Now, every time you wash your towelling robe after this first wash, the detergent you use will start to build upon the robe, meaning it will begin to stiffen up and lose its plushness - and we don't want that. You can combat this by adding a cup of white vinegar into your wash about once a month to cut through this soapy residue.

Here are some other towel washing tips:

• Give your robe a good shake before you load it into your washing machine to allow the fibres to open up slightly which will let the detergent further into the material to make sure it is really clean
• There are pros and cons of using fabric conditioner on towelling items, with the advantages being the robe will smell lovely and feel soft, but the cons are that in time it will start to lubricate the towelling fibres again, causing them to lose their absorbency.
• The best way to dry your robe is to hang it outside in the fresh air, but obviously, with the great British weather, this isn't always possible. If you are going to put them in a tumble dryer, you should make sure they are not on too hot a setting or are in there too long as this will affect their appearance.

So, there you have it, our top tips for keeping your hooded towelling robe looking good for longer. Do you have any tips and tricks of your own you want to share? Let us know on our social media pages.