What's your hand towel solution at a big party?
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Anonymous
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We're having a big holiday party next weekend. With kids, expect somewhere from 60-90 people. Not catered, not formal, but we live in a really nice house and do it up really nicely -- DH and I both love to entertain.
Every year that we throw this party, i struggle with the best solution of hand drying towels in the bathroom. When i was a lot younger and we'd throw a party with 20 friends, I wouldn't even think about it -- and i remember being surprised and mildly guilty-feeling at the end of the night when I noticed that everyone just had to use the cloth hand towel that was already in our bathroom day to day, because by the end of the night it would be soaking wet and (if it was white) kind of yellowing. Gross. Over the years, i've tried different solutions. The one that makes the most sense to me is disposable "cloth" towels like they have in nicer restaurants and i would put them in a non-disposable holder I got on amazon designed for this purpose. I used to be able to get those disposable clothes at Target or the grocery store, but they don't carry them anymore. But in any event, even when i put them out, people seemed confused by their purpose and they got less use than i expected. Stores near me do carry a Kleenex branded version of "hand towels" - but you have to use them in the Kleenex box they come in; if you pull out the whole wad, they are an awkward size and don't fit anywhere else and won't stand up on their own. So then you have a Kleenex branded (ugly) box in your bathroom, that doesn't obviously say "Hand Towel" on it. So when i've used that approach.... poor guests end up not knowing it's hand towels, and at the end of the night i find that like 2 of the kleenex towels have been used, and the full sized bath towel is sopping wet. So poor guests have been thinking they need to use the full sized bath towel. Long story short: All the disposable solutions i've tried, at the end of the night it seems most people are still just using the same non-disposable hand towel. Which to me seems gross, but maybe it's fine? If i have 100 people using my bathroom next weekend, what's the best way to give them a hygienic, user friendly, and obvious hand drying approach? |
Anonymous
| I love the idea of the disposables, but if people aren't using them, can you or DH slip into the bathroom a couple of times to change out the regular towel? |
Anonymous
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I've never seen this Kleenex product until now. But the pictures online show the box says hand towels on it.
Modern people are sensible and hygiene focused. If you put out disposable products and NO cloth towels, they will figure it out. I think I've seen people use a basket with a stack of high-quality holiday dinner napkins (these may have actually been folded paper hand towels). I would be tempted to put out a roll of paper holiday towels on a spindle. And then also put out the fancy hanging cloth fingertip ones on the towel bar as decorations. I think most people would read between the lines. Make sure the trash can is a suitable size to hold the disposable paper. |
Anonymous
I think this may be way to go. Every 45 minute (30?) change towel. Like keeping an eye on levels of ice, food etc - add changing towels. |
Anonymous
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Remove ALL other towels, leave no other options, start there!
Disposable shop towels that come in a box, Costco sometimes has them but Home Depot and Lowe’s always do. Wrap the box in Christmas paper to look like a present, make a tag that says hand towel. Small log holder style basket stacked with Christmas “log” print paper towel rolls. Reusable idea, basket of cheap white and red washcloths rolled and alternated I. A candy cane pattern, another basket for them to place the used, label. Good luck |
Anonymous
This is an excellent solution. Make it a part of the routine (like refreshing the food table and the drink bins). |
Anonymous
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The nicer homes I’ve visited have monogrammed disposables in a gold tray next to sink. Occasionally, I leave one draped over sink to reinforce message. No cloth towels out.
I also leave a stack of 8-10 hand towels on a wall shelf or under sink in a basket. Visible, but not first choice. |
Anonymous
| Amazon has monogrammed disposables, 50 for $12 |
Anonymous
| Do you put the box pointy side down in the towel holder? I feel like that's helped people know how to use them. We have a very long bar so could squeeze in three folded regular hand towels for big events, though. I know some people just have a ring holder. |
Anonymous
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You are trapped by performative greeness.
Just get the folded hostess towels they have at supermarkets, Target, Amazon. Put them out on the sink counter or nearby. Have a trashcan. No towels anywhere. Multiuser towels at a party are gross disease spreaders. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=amazon+paper+guest+towels&adgrpid=183651938542&hvadid=779609627262&hvdev=t&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9008164&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=16117824406502437370--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16117824406502437370&hvtargid=kwd-395825314475&hydadcr=15282_13844089_10221&mcid=ee4412cde3683c5caaac355dee4ae12a&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4zqcnxifj4_e |
Anonymous
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I like the idea of switching out the hand towel every 30min. or so.
Or perhaps leave a few different towels available. But definitely also have some disposable towels on hand as well. I am sure people will have no issue figuring out what they are for. 😀 |
Anonymous
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Ugh. Do you want to use a cloth towel on a rack that several people have used after briefly running water over their hands after toileting?
I would use toilet paper if faced with that choice. Use paper. |
Anonymous
| Im not sure what you're talking about the Kleenex ones say disposable hand towels on it. Just buy those. Take the large bath towels out of the bathroom that night. Make sure you have a big enough trash can. This isn't a big deal. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| Disposable hand towels and make sure there are extras and extra tp in there. |