@Ping We put 3 in the unit, but only change them out if they’ve been used (or they’ve sat there for awhile). Strangely enough, most guests don’t use them, but we’re still not getting the stains. I think psychologically they know there’s no excuse for leaving a stained towel so they just don’t. I wouldn’t bleach them, although we haven’t had any ruined by products that tend to bleach. They do make such a thing though: https://www.towelhub.com/wholesale/salon_towels/nail_salon_towels/578-black_13x13_-_100_cotton_bleach_shield_washcloths.html
They don’t say makeup and I have no idea of the quality.
We only have one unit but bought 2 packs so we can wash them infrequently with other darks. I guess only you can decide if the cost of constantly replacing things is less than buying a bunch of these. We don’t like wipes because we don’t want them flushed and you have to keep buying them.
Funny, the only person who stains towels with make-up around our place is me! No matter how much I cleanse, there’s always a little bit of mascara left that clings stubbornly on until it sees a white towel …
But of all our guests, only one set (the Danish Girls from Hell) have left stained towels and that was mostly fake tan. I actually think that Millennials, particularly the Dutch, Germans and Scandinavians who constitute the majority of our guests, don’t seem to use much make-up. Indeed they have such lovely skin they don’t really need to. And the French bring with them a whole wardrobe of cleansing, toning, moisturising, prepping, exfoliating products that the strongest make-up wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
Having said which, the rather unpleasant Dutch older woman (well, not older than me, obvs.) who is here currently wears Drag Queen make-up so the Forum Curse may well hit me when she leaves (the Lord be praised!) tomorrow …
When I have wedding groups, I ask if there will tanning products. If there are plans for it, I ask that it is done off site and they bring their own towels.
I travel for work, and bring home make up wipes for the hotel rooms. We have not had a problem with makeup. Hair dye, however, is another issue. We have had people do that twice. Amazing someone would do that in someone else’s home.
Bloody hair dye in a MARBLE bathroom!
Dripped it all over the floor and etched my tiles!
@jaquo I just tried use cold water to wash some makeup stained towels along with bleach and oxiclean. They still couldn’t come off. Maybe we are in a party town, the guests just all use very heavy makeups, most couldn’t wash out that looks like foundations.
Just yesterday getting ready for a same day turnover I saw not only tanning stuff on the sheets and not only makeup on the towels but also when the guest had arrived, I’d noticed that she was fond of wearing 1960s style blue eye shadow and thought when she arrived about giving a friendly no-makeup-on-towels lecture. (But I didn’t).
And sure enough, the towels had foundation, and mascara AND the bloody blue eye shadow. (Imagine, all this plus tanning product on the bedding - and new guests arriving in a few hours. And of course, this would happen when I’d just done a same day in the other apartment and my spares weren’t clean AND someone had started using the SINGLE washer in our shared laundry room and … oh, the joys of hosting!)
Anyway, to stop rambling and get to the point, all the makeup washed off with just one go through the washing machine. Phew.
@jaquo I look at every guest’s makeup now. I can’t help it. The black towels have eliminated 99% of the problem, but I still can’t help myself. A form of PTSD I suppose. Every time I see lipstick I immediately picture lipstick stains on a towel.
How do you get so lucky 
:)!!! What wash machine do you use and what laundry detergent? I have to find out all the details now.
I’ve also marveled at the ease with which @jaquo does laundry. I’m wondering if it’s soft water vs. hard water. Maybe try adding baking soda/bicarbonate of soda to the loads with stains?
It’s also a very fast washing cycle - it only takes about twenty minutes. It’s definitely not a fancy machine.
I have done all of that even added vinegar, baking soda, used every tricks in the book. )) I use a new wash machine that has setting for whites. The stains just fading but not really gone.
Did you let it soak in an Oxiclean solution prior to washing? That usually does the trick for us.
I did that too. Soaked in for 24 hours then wash them. Still couldn’t get them 100% gone.
