It hit me like a brick wall – the absolutely disgusting, rank smell of a damp towel as soon as I opened my bathroom door last Tuesday. You’ll know the exact smell I’m talking about – that faintly mildewy stench that screams “your towels have been bunched up somewhere gross for far too long.” And then there’s my (albeit) creative solution of simply tossing towels on the back of the door – clearly not working, and causing me serious irritation of having to spend part of every day searching for a towel.
To put it bluntly, I’ve been living with this mess for months. Bath towels crumpled over the top of the shower rod so they remain damp until the next Ice Age; Hand towels randomly placed on top of the toilet cistern; and my otherwise lovely Egyptian Cotton bath sheet forced to reside in a corner because I ran out of places to hang it. The whole experience has felt like a total disaster in terms of both function and style.
Then, my friend Sarah had me come over after she finished redoing her bathroom – every single towel had its designated spot, and all of them looked like they’d been photographed professionally. That’s it — I’d had enough. Time to figure out some ways to store towels effectively, rather than just aesthetically pleasing.
So, first realization: towel bars are most certainly not created equal. I was using a totally useless chrome towel bar provided with our flat, and it was nothing more than a decorative item at this point. Upon finally taking measurements, (because I guess I hadn’t thought to do this previously), it measured 18 inches long. No wonder my bath towels were essentially concertina rolled.
I swapped it for an IKEA brushed nickel 24 inch towel bar ($15 USD) from their BROGRUND line and suddenly my towels hung like towels are supposed to. It seems fairly obvious now, but those additional 6 inches made a huge difference. Towels dried much faster when they weren’t stacked on top of each other, and they didn’t look like I just threw them at the wall hoping for the best.
Now we get into the fun part – Towel Bar Placement. It appears no one tells you this, but where you place your towel bars makes a huge difference. Virtually everyone puts them at shoulder height because it ‘looks’ right. However, I lowered mine approximately 4 inches after reading that placing towel bars lower on the wall allows for better airflow through the area. Honestly, I doubted it would make a difference, but it did. My towels were noticeably dryer by nightfall, especially on those miserable, humid summer days when it seemed everything in the bathroom was perpetually damp.
The true showstopper however was when I added towel hooks. Not flimsy plastic hooks that fall off after a couple of weeks, but sturdy wall mounted hooks capable of holding a soaking wet towel without giving up. I installed 3 Command Hooks – heavy-duty metal hooks rated for 5 lbs each – and hung them on the wall opposite the shower. They have performed perfectly for easy towel access and for guests.
Hooks are also very versatile – you can hang towels folded or open, and they’re ideal for those odd occasions when your towel isn’t fully dry, yet isn’t wet enough to require full-bar treatment either. Additionally, since my nephew can easily reach and use hooks when he comes to visit, the constant mystery of towels somehow magically ending up on the floor has ceased.
Initially I experimented with towel rings in hopes they would help utilize dead wall space. Honestly? A complete waste of time for bath towels. Perfect for hand towels – terrible for bath towels. Bath towels tend to bunch-up, dry unevenly, and will inevitably slide off at precisely the worst possible moment – usually while you’re desperately trying to grab them quickly after a shower with soap dripping in your eyes.
The pleasant surprise was finding this towel ladder at a car boot sale for $8 USD. At first I purchased it mainly because it looked attractive and would likely photograph well in pictures. As luck would have it, it ended up being extremely useful. With four rungs providing four separate towel locations, plus its slanted design allowing for adequate airflow throughout the entire unit, I lean it against the wall adjacent to the window and it even helps speed drying due to the morning sunlight.
Heated towel rails have always struck me as somewhat unnecessary – who wants warm towels? However after spending a weekend at a Bed & Breakfast in Yorkshire where every single bathroom featured heated towel rails, I began to think differently. There is something rather appealing about wrapping yourself in a warm towel on a chilly morning. In addition, heated towel rails are effective at eliminating the moldy smell that occurs in poorly ventilated bathrooms.
In the end I installed a relatively small electric heated towel rail ($120 USD) that was large enough to fit two bath towels. While this felt expensive, once I calculated the operating expense (approximately 5 cents/hour), I realized it wasn’t nearly as costly as I initially thought. It has dramatically improved my mornings. The towels are always dry and free of that musty smell, and they retain their softness longer since they aren’t developing that stiff, dried-out texture from sitting in damp air.
Ultimately, my largest takeaway was related to spacing and airflow. Towels genuinely need room to breathe – overcrowding multiple towels onto a single bar or stacking them on hooks results in areas of stagnant water that never truly dry. Going forward I will ensure I have at least two inches separating each towel on bars going forward, and will never again hang a wet towel directly above a dry one.
Additionally, I’ve discovered that towel types play an enormous role in determining successful towel-hanging. Luxurious towels (those absurdly-thick ones that feel great when used)? Horrendous at drying quickly. They retain moisture indefinitely and consume vast amounts of space on hanging units. After switching to mid-weight towels (still comfortable to use, but dry reasonably fast) my towels no longer overwhelming my hanging units.
Lastly, for smaller bathrooms such as mine, I’ve developed an affinity for utilizing Over-the-Toilet Storage – not these obnoxious cabinet systems, but basic rail systems that utilize that typically wasted space behind toilets. Towels remain within reach while remaining outside the direct spray pattern of showers – and won’t interfere with navigating the bathroom without knocking anything over.
While getting your towel situation under control may appear to be insignificant relative to designing homes properly; getting rid of one of those continuous annoyances that build up over time will improve many aspects of using your bathroom. Today my towels dry properly (for the first time ever), my bathroom does not smell dank/moldy (like a cave), and I am no longer consistently relocating wet towels just to locate whatever towel I want to use. Sometimes the smallest storage solutions make the greatest differences in how spaces operate day-in/day-out… and my girlfriend has taken notice (which is an added bonus).
