Hand Towels 50x100 cm

Two 50 x 100 cm towels in 600 g/m² Egyptian cotton: the towel you reach for most often. Large enough to wrap your hair in and small enough for the rail next to the washbasin, in five colours.

What you use it for

• Daily at the sink — it dries between uses, so no musty towels
• As a hair towel — 600 gsm wicks the water out of long hair in one go
• In your gym or swim bag — 50 x 100 cm rolls up to fit into any compartment
• In the guest room or Airbnb — hotel size that retains its color and volume after dozens of washes
• At the kitchen or utility room sink — sturdy enough for daily chores

What does 600 gsm mean?

GSM stands for grams per square meter: the weight of one square meter of fabric. Simply put — the higher the number, the more cotton is in the towel, and the more water it can absorb. To put it into perspective:

• 350 to 400 gsm — the thin towel from the supermarket. It tends to push water across your skin rather than absorbing it.
• 500 gsm — what most hotels use. Fine, but not luxurious.
• 600 gsm — this towel. Feels full and heavy in your hand and dries you in one go.
• Above 800 gsm — so thick that it takes days to dry. Sounds luxurious, but is impractical in reality.

So, 600 is not a random number. It is the point at which a towel feels luxurious and yet is dry again by the next morning.

What does 20/2 mean?

A towel consists of thousands of tiny yarn loops. 20/2 describes how that yarn is made. The 20 is the thickness of the thread. The 2 means that two of those threads have been twisted together into one stronger thread. This is called two-ply.

Most towels in this price range use a single loose thread — that is 20/1. You won't see the difference in the store, but you will notice it after a year: a single thread frays and the loops flatten, making the towel feel thinner and less absorbent. Two twisted threads stay upright. That is why this towel still feels like a new towel after thirty washes.

Why Egyptian cotton?

Cotton grows as a tuft of fibers. With regular cotton, those fibers are short, meaning many loose ends stick out of the thread. That causes lint, and it feels rough after a while. Egyptian cotton has longer fibers, so there are fewer loose ends per thread. The result is a smoother and stronger thread: soft from the very first wash, and it holds its shape.

We weave directly with our weaver in Egypt, with no middlemen. We have been supplying bath linen to hotels and hospitality businesses in the Netherlands for years — the Nile Collection is that same quality, in colors that belong in a home.

• Color: Powder Pink, Lilac, Light Blue, Mint Green, or Taupe
• Dimensions: 50 x 100 cm
• Contents: set of 2 towels
• Weight: 600 gsm (grams per square meter — this determines how thick and absorbent the fabric is)
• Material: 100% Egyptian cotton
• Yarn: two-ply 20/2 (two threads twisted into one)
• Origin: woven in Egypt

How to care for it

• Wash it separately once before using it for the first time. New terry cloth comes with a small layer from the weaving process. That needs to be removed first, because only then does the cotton truly absorb water. If you skip that first wash, the towel will seem to have poor absorption — that's not the quality, it's that layer.
• Do not use fabric softener. Fabric softener leaves a thin coating on the fiber. It feels soft at first, but it seals the fiber so that water can no longer get in. After a few washes, you are left with something that no longer absorbs anything.
• Washing at 60 °C is enough to get everything out.
• Tumble drying is allowed, on a low setting. The heat actually sets the loops back upright, making it feel fuller than if you dry it on a clothesline.
• Washing separately for the first time applies to all dyed terry cloth: some color may bleed.
  

  Please note: Due to the high weight and the full cotton structure, this bath linen may shed some lint during the first 2 to 3 washes. This is normal and will naturally decrease after a few washes. Wash the product before first use and preferably separately or with similar colors.

Washable at 60°C. Do not use fabric softener — it leaves a layer on the fiber and reduces absorption. Drying at a low temperature keeps the loop intact the longest. Wash separately the first time.

GSM is the weight of the fabric per square meter. Supermarket towels are around 350 GSM, hotels typically use 500. Above that, you get noticeably more volume and absorption.

Shipping within the Netherlands and Belgium. Free on orders over €50, otherwise €4.95. Ordered before 4:00 PM, delivered the next business day. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

Hotels, B&Bs and catering establishments can order at tiered prices starting from 50 units. Request a quote via the business page.