Guest etiquette- towels

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep I had a guy I was dating destroy 2 towels and a hand towel with benzoyl peroxide. I was so upset. They were expensive towels that were monogrammed as a housewarming present to me. I broke up with him mostly because of this (he also wasn’t very interesting).

Sounds like he dodged a bullet with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t buy cheap towels?

They WEREN’T cheap towels, and now they are basically bleached in places- I agree that again, they were the wrong towels to use for guests.

I’m just surprised because, if I had been in the situation, I would have:
1) known my kids use a topical thing that destroys towels and given my host a heads up OR
2) seen the damage and offered to buy new towels

It’s not a huge deal, I’m just surprised that the consensus is so different than how I personally would have handled the situation. idk. My baby threw up in my IL’s car and we offered to have it detailed- I would just assume it’s a common courtesy to at least apologize for leaving something worse off than when you came

OP, I have teens. Teens are different than babies. Parents of teens do not always know what they are using on their face, and they certainly are not inspecting their towels after they shower.

Years from now, you will know this.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t buy cheap towels?

They WEREN’T cheap towels, and now they are basically bleached in places- I agree that again, they were the wrong towels to use for guests.

I’m just surprised because, if I had been in the situation, I would have:
1) known my kids use a topical thing that destroys towels and given my host a heads up OR
2) seen the damage and offered to buy new towels

It’s not a huge deal, I’m just surprised that the consensus is so different than how I personally would have handled the situation. idk. My baby threw up in my IL’s car and we offered to have it detailed- I would just assume it’s a common courtesy to at least apologize for leaving something worse off than when you came

I mean, the offering to buy new towels thing is kind of, like, whatever. If this happened in my house the guests would maybe offer and I would definitely say not to do it. But I would like to think they wouldn’t feel the need to offer because they know I’m not keeping score on petty sh$t like that.

+1 it's OK to be bummed, but weird to expect compensation. I have had white towels ruined by honey colored stains from hair dye that never came out. I just put them in a rags pile for cleaning patio furniture. It's all part of life for items to be damaged sometimes by accident and towels (even sentimental ones) are at the lowest rung of importance.

[Anonymous]

OP, it doesn't sound like you have a lot of experience with teens. Things happen, stuff gets ruined, probably even more than with younger kids because parents aren't right on top of their teens. Do you want to be the mean adult or the gracious one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t buy cheap towels?

They WEREN’T cheap towels, and now they are basically bleached in places- I agree that again, they were the wrong towels to use for guests.

I’m just surprised because, if I had been in the situation, I would have:
1) known my kids use a topical thing that destroys towels and given my host a heads up OR
2) seen the damage and offered to buy new towels

It’s not a huge deal, I’m just surprised that the consensus is so different than how I personally would have handled the situation. idk. My baby threw up in my IL’s car and we offered to have it detailed- I would just assume it’s a common courtesy to at least apologize for leaving something worse off than when you came

You certainly are making it a big deal. “These were my wedding towels!” Good lord, get a grip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, it doesn't sound like you have a lot of experience with teens. Things happen, stuff gets ruined, probably even more than with younger kids because parents aren't right on top of their teens. Do you want to be the mean adult or the gracious one?

Or people/guests in general.

A good friend ruined some of my towels (stained and couldnt get it out) and I never said a word. I know she would have felt awful.

[Anonymous]

I’ve quit using gray towels because they’re so susceptible to bleaching with normal skincare products. I had a few that looked like Halloween decor with how perfect the handprint was on them. I never had the issue with other colors.

As someone who hosts guests frequently, you have to be okay with some damages. I’m a little annoyed when I somehow am missing a salad fork or a Tupperware or a sheet set gets ruined, but I’d rather have friends come and visit and be comfortable in my home.

[Anonymous]

We buy and throw away 40 dollar towels cause of our toddler all the time. Buy some replacement wedding towels and move on. If this is the biggest issue you’re dealing with then you need a hobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We buy and throw away 40 dollar towels cause of our toddler all the time. Buy some replacement wedding towels and move on. If this is the biggest issue you’re dealing with then you need a hobby.

Wait…what is your toddler doing to the towels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We buy and throw away 40 dollar towels cause of our toddler all the time. Buy some replacement wedding towels and move on. If this is the biggest issue you’re dealing with then you need a hobby.

Wait…what is your toddler doing to the towels?

Yes please tell!!

[Anonymous]

LOL I have to admit I've kept towels for years that some of you would consider "ruined" because of discoloration. I don't give them to guests to use. But they work perfectly fine for me. As long as a towel dries me then I honestly can't say I care if there are bleached spots on it.

It's not just that I'm low key and easy going about such things. But there's the added benefits of being more environmentally friendly and economical by not tossing out otherwise perfectly fine towels that do the job they need to do.

Anyway, calm down OP. Your guests had no idea their teenagers had something on their bodies or faces that bleached your towels.

[Anonymous]

Lots of body washes have peroxide items in them. Chalk it up to lessons learned.

[Anonymous]

Go to Homegoods or Walmart and buy some new towels. They are too cheap in general to be worrying about this stuff. And please stop with the "good" towels. There is no such thing.

[Anonymous]

do the towels still dry you, or are they shredded and have holes? if they are discolored, then maybe re-dye them or just... use them?

i still have towels that my parents sent with me to college... 30 years ago. i use them mostly for the dog now, but they still work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do the towels still dry you, or are they shredded and have holes? if they are discolored, then maybe re-dye them or just... use them?

i still have towels that my parents sent with me to college... 30 years ago. i use them mostly for the dog now, but they still work.

DP. You only need a few towels for rags and pets. Better to donate to a dog rescue or toss rather than have it cluttering up your house.