Towel

For the surname, see Towell.
A pile of colorful towels.

A towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping a body or a surface. It draws moisture through direct contact, often using a blotting or a rubbing motion. In households, several types of fabric towels are used, including hand towels (small towels placed by a sink for drying the hands), bath towels (large towels for drying the hair and body after a bath or shower) and kitchen towels, which are used for drying dishes. In warm climates, people may also use beach towels, which are large towels used for drying off after swimming and for placing on beach surfaces. Common household textile towels are made from cotton, rayon, bamboo, non-woven fibers, and a few other materials. Paper towels are provided in commercial or office bathrooms for users to dry their hands. Paper towels are also used in households for a range of wiping, cleaning and drying tasks.

History

According to Middle Ages archaeological studies, "... closely held personal items included the ever present knife and a towel."[1] However, the invention of the towel is commonly associated with the city of Bursa, Turkey, in the 17th century. These Turkish towels began as a flat, woven piece of cotton or linen called a pestamel, often hand-embroidered. Long enough to wrap around the body, pestamel were originally fairly narrow, but are now wider and commonly measure 90 by 170 centimetres (35 in × 67 in).[2] Pestamel were used in Turkish baths as they stayed light when wet and were very absorbent.

As the Ottoman Empire grew, so did the use of the towel. Weavers were asked to embroider more elaborate designs, aided by their knowledge of carpet-weaving.[3] By the 18th century, towels began to feature loops sticking up from the pile of the material. These looped towels became known as havly; over time, this word has changed to havlu, the Turkish word for towel, and means ‘with loops’.[4] Towels didn't become affordable until the 19th century, with the cotton trade and industrialization. With mechanization, cotton terry-towelling became available by the yard as well as being stocked in shops as pre-made towels.[5]

Now, towels are available in a variety of sizes, materials and designs. Some hotels which provide towel and bath robes embed washable RFID tags into their linens to deter theft.[6]

Types

Close-up photo of a bath towel, made of terrycloth, showing the absorbing fibres, along with a decorative pattern
A beach towel at Sant Pol De Mar
Fibres in a tea towel

See also

References

  1. Hatcler, Margret. Family Ties that Bind, Middle Ages Family Life. Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 112.
  2. "History of the Towel". Jeniffer's Hamam. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  3. "History of Turkish Towels". Turkey For You. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  4. "A Brief History Of Towels". Lid Time. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  5. "Bath Towel". Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  6. "New Washable RFID Chips Track Hotel Towels and Bathrobes". PopSci. PopSci. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  7. "The (American) National Gallery of Art". Like elaborately decorated pottery and Jacquard coverlets, "show towels" were made primarily for display rather than for use.
  8. Celsias Retrieved on 31 Oct 09
  9. "Western News". Communications.uwo.ca. 2004-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  10. D Le, A J Macnab (2009-10-26). "Self strangulation by hanging from cloth towel dispensers in Canadian schools". Injuryprevention.bmj.com. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  11. "Fingertip Towel". www.thetowelshop.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  12. Roberts, Tom. "Unique Towel Types You May Not Know About". Duncan Stewart Textiles. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  13. "Peshtemal (or pestemal) is a unique, multipurpose towel with over 600 years of history coming from Anatolia".
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