What Is a Hand Towel and What Is It For?
Whether you have a guest over or you just need to freshen up, chances are you use the bathroom to do it.
After you wash your hands you need something to wipe off the water but toilet paper doesn’t do the job. You don’t want to have soggy toilet paper bits on you. You’re going to have to use more toilet paper to wipe that stuff then too.
But a bath towel is just too big if you want to only wipe your hand. So what do we do?
That’s where the hand towels come into play. A hand towel purpose is in its name, it’s a towel for your hand. It’s made because the amount of times people wash their hands throughout the day is numerous.
Each time they wash their hand, they’re going to need to dry it. That’s where the hand towel comes into play. It’s the perfect size for your hands and it serves the main purpose it needs to in the washroom.
It’s just the right size for the job. It also feels better to dry your hands with.
Why We Need Hand Towels?
The first reason is something I already mentioned, after you wash your hands, it’s nice to dry them off.
It’s also a bit odd if you decide to wash your hands, and then walk out of the bathroom with your hands extremely wet. All that water dripping from your hands to the floor is going to raise some eyebrows from others.
But besides that, the hand towel represents something: cleanliness. I never mentioned this part, but the hand towel can also be found in the kitchen not just the bathroom. It’s there to ensure your hands are clean.
But notice how the hand towel is placed in the two environments that demand cleanliness because it’s crucial. The bathroom, is the environment one gets freshened up in, the kitchen is where you create food that people eat, cleanliness is important.
The hand towel is a front line of defence to protect your bathroom and your kitchen. Your hands are touching everything, phone, wallet, cups in the home, faucet handles, people, it’s probably the one part of your body that has the most outside germs on it.
The hand towel is to localize the bacteria from your hands. It ensures there’s a place for it to go.
What’s the Difference Between a Hand Towel and a Guest Towel?
These two towels get confused quite a bit. To be clear for those that don’t know, a guest towel is not a large bath towel. That’s considered one but not the one we’re currently talking about.
A guest towel and a hand towel are about the same size, with the hand towel being slightly bigger. But the guest towel is almost more for decorative purposes than actual use.
You wouldn’t see a guest towel in a bathroom everyday. It’s not created to be made for daily use. It’s only there for occasional uses for when other people arrive, hence why it’s called a guest towel.
A hand towel is woven with the intent that it’s going to be used near a sink and going to need to dry hands daily. As a result, it’s much more focused on absorbing. It’s also bigger too.
Is a Tea Towel a Hand Towel?
While a tea towel can be used to dry your hands, it’s not the same as a hand towel. A hand towel is woven primarily to wipe the water off yourself, whether hands or face.
A tea towel is built for much more. It can polish glassware, clean spills, handle hot objects, and even be used a decorative item for things like bread baskets.
A tea towel is also mainly used for the kitchen. It isn’t something you associate the bathroom with like you do for a hand towel.
Both are highly absorbent if they’re made from a high quality fabric such as Irish linen.
How Often Should I Wash Hand Towels?
This comes down to how often it’s being used. If it is being used regularly, aim for once per week. Less if it is visibly dirty.
How you should wash it is going to depend on the type of fabric that you have. For linen, you want to use low tumble dry to avoid exposing the linen to too much heat.
For many fabrics, it’s best to always air dry them to preserve the quality and to ensure the fibres in the towel are still tightly woven. If you use sunlight, you risk ruining the colour which can ruin the decorative appearance for the hand towel.
When storing hand towels. Put it in a shaded area that’s ventilated. This allows you to avoid the sun causing discolouration, but also avoids moisture buildup.
For some fabrics like cotton, moisture buildup can flood the hand towel with bacteria. If the area you store it in is cool and ventilated, the hand towels are safe.
How To Find the Best Hand Towel?
When finding the best hand towels for your home, the first thing to consider is the fabric. A great hand towel should be both functional and beautiful, able to absorb water efficiently while still adding elegance to your space.
Some fabrics might look good but fail to perform when used daily.
If you want a balance between practicality and style, Irish linen is one of the finest choices you can make. It’s known for its natural absorbency and can hold around 20% of its weight in moisture before even feeling damp.
That means your hands stay dry without the towel feeling soaked after just one use.
Beyond its absorbency, linen is also naturally antibacterial, which makes it an excellent choice for bathrooms and kitchens.
Unlike synthetic fabrics that can trap moisture and bacteria, linen dries quickly, helping prevent odours and mildew.
This keeps your towel fresh and hygienic even with regular use. Its crisp texture softens beautifully over time, giving you a hand towel that becomes more comfortable and refined with each wash.
Of course, the fabric is only part of what makes a hand towel exceptional. The maker behind it matters just as much.
A well-crafted towel depends on the quality of the fibres, the precision of the weave, and the heritage of the company producing it.
When a brand has spent generations perfecting its craft, the difference is felt in every detail, from the strength of the seams to the smoothness of the finish.
Ferguson Irish Linen has been weaving linen in Northern Ireland for nearly 200 years.
With centuries of experience, they have mastered how to bring out the best in natural fibres without relying on chemicals or synthetics.
Every towel they create is a result of that legacy of craftsmanship, designed to perform and to last. When you choose a hand towel from Ferguson, you’re not just choosing a household item, you’re bringing a piece of history and expertise into your home.
