We’ll spend a page talking about towels since they are so ubiqutous (you find them everywhere) and they represent a significant potential ‘energy sink’ in terms of washing and drying, and thus a significant part of your carbon footprint over the course of a year.

Towels are meant to absorb water, that is their function.  The do a good job of it, absorbing many times their weight in water.  So in the laundering process, they get major wet, and hang on to a lot of that moisture even through the spin cycle.  And even if you line dry your laundry (good for you) the towels are the one thing that you’re tempted to dry in the automated (gas or electric) dryer since a fluffy towel is so much more comfortable than a stiff, board-like one.

Global warming solutions? Change your towels less frequently. Push your limits.  Especially resist the urge to change them daily. This goes for your hotel stays as well (or moreso). Many hotels are ‘getting with the program’ and offering guests the choice, with a simple signal to room service whether to change or retain the towels and linens. Be a sport and use your towels for more than one day!  Remember, no matter who pays the bill (for the extra wash and dry in this case) we all pay the price (in global warming).

And when you do finally launder those towels, use cold water only (except for extremely dirty or oily towels, like dish towels perhaps).  And fluff the towels briefly in the dryer (even on the no-heat, permanent press ‘cool down’ cycle) and then line dry. Line dry them for the rest, and get the benefit of sterilization with the sunlight, and the nice smell that the open air produces.  See also our page on Dryers.