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I have some slate grey towels
Is that still grandma ish?
I’ve got white towel envy. Sounds so convincing but I just couldn’t keep them white. Shame because my laundry is otherwise competent. Borax was the only thing I didn’t try. Are people washing them at 60 degrees?
I’ve never used Borax, I haven’t checked, admittedly, but not sure it’s that common in the states? I wash my towels (and sheets) in warm water (never hot unless I’m bleaching which is almost never), gentle cycle, always with a scoop of oxyclean and a mild detergent (arm & hammer).
I think a HOT dryer could yellow them as well. I dry on the lowest possible heat, use New Zealand woolballs, which makes everything dry twice as quick. Wool balls are also in lieu of any fabric softener, which leaves a plastic coating on laundry. (Lavender essential oil on the balls for scent.) I wonder if fabric softener could contribute to dingy whites over time? Hmmmm 
Yes I am still puzzled. Yes I do use a little fabric softener but I have no tumble dryer. I usually wash at 40 degrees.
This was my thinking too since two bedrooms shared one bath. I had each room color coordinated with matching sheets and towels. Sigh… it was sooooooo pretty, at least to my mind. Now everything is white. Boring.
Another issue for some of us (a reason not to use white) is being on a well with high mineral content water. This is where Borax helps me.
Bingo! I live in a very hard water area, this might be why I can’t keep towels bright white
Yes. For the record my own sheets and towels are various colors and patterns. It almost seems like you took “staying with grandma” which is warm and comforting and tried to make it into something vaguely undesirable. I very clearly stated why I use white so I don’t know why you care what I think of your towels. I was referring to my airbnb rental. When I choose an airbnb rental the color of the linens is not one of my considerations. I’ve stayed at several airbnbs that don’t have all white linens and they were fine.
As for how I keep them white and you can’t keep yours white, I don’t know. All I know is that the ones I have that are 2 years old are just as white as the ones I bought this summer, same brand. What they are not is the same degree of soft and fluffy as the newer ones.
Just curious on your opinion of colour.
I do find white towels attractive and was upset that I ended up having to dye several bales. They were extra large bath sheets which cover a massage couch so would have been a lot to throw out. Now the beige looks respectable but I think it looks dated.
borax is the main ingredient in all washing products. we use Tide OR borax to make slime for the kids. same chemicals. such a ripoff! tide has one additional soap…but you can make your own with borax and ivory soap
You will want to use Mrs. Stewart’s Concentrated Liquid Bluing to keep things white! It has been around for over a century. Look on Amazon. gives ever so slight blue tint to whites, masking the yellow tint of the washing powder and/or bleach).
It will sparkles!!
SO HAPPY TO SHARE THIS!!!
The more of us that buy it, the longer they will make it!
Please explain wool balls???
English is so similar and so not when we live so many miles apart!! My NZ g-friend once gave me a translation sheet.
Horrible stuff. Must turn their skin into leather!
Once you have squared up, keep the sheets. They are handy for touch up painting and Halloween! 
The blue stuff did not work for me!
I put them on the front wall and someone took them. Maybe students or people who like dying fabric. It was nice thick cotton.
well foo! sorry to hear!
so, after i sent the link, i was reading bluing reviews on amazon. lots of helpful tips how to use the best way. lots of neat knowledge in there!
one person said that she used it from the getgo to keep things white BUT she did not have success when some whites were aleady yellowed
my gma (93 years old) uses salt and lemon juice or vinegar for very old yellowed things like lace. google it because i do not remember proportions/directions
I’m one of those people who believes all sheets in hospitality should be white. White, fresh, crisp and clean. I buy high quality 100% cotton sheets and they last for years. They bleach beautifully with either old fashioned bleach or Oxi type laundry boosters. The room you offer can be modest, small, and shared but when you have crisp, fresh white sheets it makes a big impact.
I got a “free” set of microfiber sheets with my new Nest Bedding mattress that I put in the Airbnb this month. The offer said they would be a random color and the taupe color sent is a good match to one of the duvet covers in rotation. At least they weren’t baby pink or something else I couldn’t use at all. I just laundered them and was putting them on the bed and there is already a pull and a discolored area at one end. As I put it on the bed I thought it was a damp area but no, it’s dry. I figured it’s body oils from the guest who has slept on them every night for the past 10 nights. I moved them to the bottom of the bed. What crap.
(Tell me again which sheets you like)
I have bought many brands over the years, but I prefer 100% cotton percale at the highest thread count I can afford it. I had great luck with Target’s brand. I do own a few sets of cotton sateen, but I much prefer percale.
I really don’t like microfiber. I just slept on it at an Airbnb in Ambler PA. It wasn’t the worst sheet experience, but I would never buy it. Plus they were dark grey, which was a big turn off.
The next time I buy some sheets I may try L.L. Bean.
I too prefer 100% cotton percale!! They are getting harder and harder to find.
If you’re willing to pay those prices, these are the ones I’m currently in love with:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BSWKEXQ/ref=twister_B01BT4JMYA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I bought them on sale for $70 (I think) and keep waiting for them to go on sale again but so far no luck. I bought 3 sets though and they are wonderful!!!
How big are those dark hair towels?
Ah, yes. I think I got that wirecutter link from you. I bought two sets of the Royal Velvet they recommend in full. But now I have a Queen bed. I’m not going to buy $150 sheets for my room (I would with a rental like yours though). Hopefully I can continue to get white sets at Costco or Marshall’s from time to time. They are a mishmash but at least they are only $40 a set.