Trad Approved: Why We Use Linen Towels

 Last year I wrote a post, Trad Approved: Why We Use Cast Iron Cookware, to extol the benefits of cast iron. It's funny how with many of these things, what's old is new. 

Another one of those items that we have recently discovered is linen towels. Linen is spun from the flax plant (see a cool video on how it's made, here). It is a completely natural fiber that has been used for thousands of years, and requires much less water to grow than cotton. It is so durable that people in ancient times used to deed their linen undergarmets to family members in their wills! It is more expensive because it is a more labor intensive process to produce, but it will outlive cotton ten times over. 

Linen bath towels are a different experience. Linen is as absorbant as cotton, but it is a little "rougher" than terry cloth, so it's a different toweling experience--a little brisker, a little more physical. One nice thing is linen has natural anti-microbial properties and because of the weave, dries very quickly (which is why they are probably more popular in Europe, where they don't use driers, and where more flax is grown). Like merino wool (another natural fiber), it doesn't stink at all no matter how much you use it, unlike cotton towels. And it actually gets softer and more broken in with each wash. They fold down very small, taking up less space in the linen closet. They are also great for travel because of this too, and because of how quickly they dry.

I actually found a good deal from a supplier in New York, where it can be had for five dollars a yard, which is a very good price. It's easy to sew, which is how we made all our bath towels, hand towels, and tea towels for the kitchen. I sew a little loop of fabric in the middle which they hang by on a hook. I expect these towels to last thirty plus years, so like cast iron, they are a good investment in that sense. 

Like bidets (which we use as well), however, I know no one else who uses linen towels. Maybe it's one of those things where it's unheard of outside of Europe, but the benefits are numerous and maybe people just don't know about it? My wife and I are sold, though. It takes a little adjustment in lifestyle, but worth it, in my opinion.