Why Does My Towel Keep Shedding? Let Me Fix It

Disappointed

"Why Does My Towel Keep Shedding?" is often a question asked by very disappointed people.

It is frustrating to start your day with a fresh shower and feel super clean, only to dry yourself off and find pieces of thread on your face and body. 

You could even argue that it is worse after a long day when all you want to do is take a nice relaxing shower. You cannot even enjoy it because you are covered in thread from drying yourself off.

Towel shedding is a common problem that is not often talked about, but it should be discussed more because it shouldn't happen.

If this is you, I am going to solve this problem for you right now. I’ll explain 

1. How to understand it
2. How to figure out what is causing your problem 
3. What to do to make sure it never happens again.

Let's get started.

What is Towel Shedding?

The first step to making sure this is never a problem in your life is to understand what it actually is. After this, you are one step closer to never asking “why does my towel keep shedding”.

Towel shedding is when excess fibers fall off a towel. These excess fibers are known as lint.

Towel shedding becomes a problem because you will start to find lint:

1. On yourself when you use your towel to dry off.
2. On your bathroom floor.
3. On other pieces of laundry when you wash your towel.

Towel shedding will not harm you, but it makes life frustrating when it does not need to be. I have never met someone who wanted to dry themselves off and have lint all over their body, forcing them to spend ten minutes picking it off.

Summary: 

Towel shedding happens when excess fibers, known as lint, fall off your towel. 

Lint can create a frustrating mess on your body, your bathroom floor, and your other laundry.

Why Do Towels Shed?

Now that you know what towel shedding is, we need to understand why it occurs. This part is important because if you know why it happens, it is much easier to avoid.

There are three main reasons why towels start to shed:

1. Fiber Length: Towel shedding heavily depends on the fibers of your fabric. Shorter fibers, like cheap cotton, tend to shed more because they break apart easily. Longer fibers, such as those found in high-quality linen, do not break apart easily and therefore do not shed.
2. Wear and Tear: If you have an older towel, heat and friction cause the shedding. The structure of the towel is breaking down, which is why you see more lint.
3. Manufacturing Residue: New towels are treated with a protective coating during manufacturing. When this coating breaks down, you will see loose fibers.

The third reason is not something you can easily avoid. The coating is a good thing and is done to protect the towels. When the coating breaks down, it is normal and usually only happens when you first get your towel.

It is also better to get a towel that can last you a long time, which we will talk about next.

Summary: 

Towels shed mainly due to short fiber length, wear and tear on older towels, and the breakdown of manufacturing coatings on new towels. 

Choosing materials with longer fibers, like linen, helps prevent shedding because the fibers stay intact.

How to Stop Towels from Shedding

Stopping your towels from shedding comes down to a few simple steps.

1. Wash Before You First Use It: Do not use a towel straight out of the packaging. Washing it first allows the fibers to settle in. This is especially true for high-quality fabrics like Irish linen. It is also better for your skin.
2. The White Vinegar Soak: Instead of detergent, add one cup of white vinegar to your wash. This helps the fibers set and removes the manufacturing coating faster, which prevents early shedding.
3. No Fabric Softener: Fabric softeners weaken the fibers and leave a waxy residue. This reduces absorbency, damages the fibers, and causes more shedding.
4. Wash With Baking Soda: Using half a cup of dissolved baking soda reduces friction in the washing machine and gets rid of loose lint.
5. The Freezer: Put the towel in a breathable bag and leave it in the freezer overnight before its first wash. The cold stiffens the fibers and stops them from coming loose easily.
6. Tumble Dry: Dry your towels on a low heat or no heat setting. High heat damages the fibers, making them break down and cause shedding.

Summary: 

Washing new towels with white vinegar or baking soda helps remove factory coatings and reduces lint buildup. 

Always dry towels on low heat, or try freezing them before the first wash to stiffen and protect the fibers.

The Main Way To Avoid Towel Shedding

You now have the tips and tricks to avoid towel shedding. However, you can avoid needing most of these tips by simply choosing the right towel in the first place. 

There are two things to know when choosing the right towel:

1. Choosing the right material.
2. Choosing the right place to buy your towel.

When choosing the right material, you should avoid short staple fibers. These fibers are cheaply made and break down very quickly. 

Those are the types of towels that shed. 

People think they are getting a bargain with cheap materials, but then they have to deal with shedding. You use your towel frequently, likely every day, so you need to make sure it is a good quality towel.

With this in mind, you do want to invest in natural fabrics. Natural fabrics last a long time and are safe for your skin. 

Many people do not realize that certain towel materials can irritate the skin. This irritation often comes from synthetic fibers like polyester.

You should invest in high-quality natural fabrics like linen or cotton. If you want a towel that lasts a long time and gets softer with every wash, go with linen. 

Linen is hypoallergenic and great for sensitive skin. It is best to stick to natural products that do not cause skin issues so you can just enjoy your bath.

When choosing where to get your towel, go with a brand that knows what they are doing. Do not just buy from a brand that only wants to sell a cheap product without caring about the quality. It is better to choose a brand that has years of experience weaving natural fabrics.

A Solution That’s Trusted By Powerhouses

Ferguson's Irish Linen is a brand that has been weaving natural linen since 1854. Serving millions of people across the world, they have the experience to ensure the highest quality products. 

Their fabrics have even been used on television productions for 

1. Amazon Prime Video
2. HBO
3. Netflix 
4. BBC

It is also important to note that their items are woven in Northern Ireland. 

They are woven by people with decades of experience who know how to maximize absorbency and airflow. 

Good airflow allows moisture to pass through the fibers, stopping bacteria from growing and causing more problems.

Summary: 

To avoid shedding entirely, choose high-quality natural materials with long fibers, like linen, instead of cheap synthetic fabrics. 

Buy from experienced brands like Ferguson's Irish Linen, who have been expertly weaving durable and lint-free linen since 1854.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Vinegar Stop Towels From Shedding? 

Yes, white vinegar is one of the best ways to stop your towel from shedding. It strips away the silicone coating applied by manufacturers. When the coating is gone, loose fibers wash away cleanly instead of sticking to the towel and getting all over your body.

How Many Times Do You Have To Wash Towels To Stop Shedding? 

This depends on the quality of the material. For something like cotton, it usually takes three to five wash cycles to completely stop the shedding as the silicone coating wears off.

What Type Of Towels Do Not Shed? 

The best towels that do not shed are made with long staple fibers from natural fabrics. Fabrics like Irish linen are known to be naturally lint-free and can last you for decades.

Ferguson's Irish Linen is a great example of a brand that makes towels that last for decades. They specialize in making high-quality bath and face towels. Choosing a towel like this means you will have an odorless, lint-free, and antibacterial towel to dry off with every single day.