Etiquette for Stacking Hand Towels
- Towels come in a variety of different sizes, and each one serves an important purpose. The hand towel is, quite simply, the towel that you use to dry your hands after washing them. Most bathrooms include a towel rack of some kind near the sink so that you can hang hand towels for easy use. Even if your bathroom has a towel rack, however, you should consider including a stack of extra hand towels in case the hanging towel gets too damp to be of much use. Yes, it might entail more laundry for you, but it will also show your guests that you took the time to consider their needs.
- There are a variety of different options for stacking hand towels. If you have the space, consider placing a small decorative basket or box on the countertop as a place to store the extra towels while still keeping them within easy reach for guests. If you prefer to fold the towels and stack them, start by folding each towel in half, then in half again (and then in half a third time if you want to stack the towels tightly). Another option is to roll the towels: Begin by folding each towel in half, and then roll each up, keeping the roll as tight as possible. Stack the rolled towels one on top of another in a pyramid shape. A third simple option is to fold the hand towels into squares and then tie a ribbon or raffia around several of the squares for decoration. Just be sure to leave at least one free for guests to grab easily.
- The benefits of including extra stacked hand towels go beyond just etiquette. A damp hand towel can begin to collect bacteria, so having other towels available guarantees that your guests are not adding germs to their hands just after washing them. If you are planning a party that will last for several hours or expect to have guests stay for several days, be sure to cycle through the guest bathroom periodically to check the hand towels and see if any of them need to be replaced.
- Because the hand towel is primarily intended to be a guest towel, make sure that it is easy for a guest to find in the bathroom. A hand towel that is out of reach or awkwardly located could leave your guest wiping his hands on his jeans or reaching for your bath towel as a last resort. A hand towel that is located close to the sink--and within easy reach of it--will enable your guest to use it without trouble.
- Etiquette experts don't necessarily agree on how many hand towels a bathroom should contain. One thing is agreed upon, however: Every bathroom should contain at least one extra clean hand towel, and probably two, in order to prevent the main towel from becoming a soggy, bacteria-ridden mess. To decide how many hand towels you need, take into consideration the number of guests you will have and how long they will be visiting.
