Towels - Bath, Beach, Hand:

All households have towels that are used for various functions, a bath towel for drying off after a shower/bath. A hand tower for drying your hands/face. Beach towels come in handy at pools or the beach since they are larger and you can lay down on them or dry off quicker if you are cold. No matter what the occasion or room, there is a towel. Perferably you want a towel that is soft yet absorbent. I've used some towels in cheap hotels and they leave you with raw skin and not very dry. If you go to the high end hotels around the world you get thick, soft towels that almost feel like a bathrobe. Bed, Bath and Beyond or Macy's carry a wide selection of bath, hand, and beach towels. The Hotel Collection "Microcotton" Luxury Towels at Macy's are the best with a soft touch and luxurious feel. Although they are pricier than other brands, the difference will be seen in overall durability as they maintain their look and feel even when washed repeatedly.

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Other top towel brands are from Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Charter Club, and Lenox. Expect to spend $8 for a bath towel, $6 for a hand towel, $4 for a wash cloth, and $15-$20 for a good beach towel. Try starting with Macys.com or BedBathandBeyond.com for the best selection and variety. There are specialty online towel wholesalers at sites like USATowel.com.

Towel Holder - Towel Rack - Towel Bar:

A towel holder or rack can really accent a bathroom in your home. We found an excellent website with the best selection of towel bars and racks we could find at Towel-bars.net. Get all the major name brands like Dynasty (Catalina, Pacific, Newport, Manhattan, MOntecito, Sonoma, Victorian), Baldwin (Edgewater, Laguna, Mystic, Napoli), Gatco (Antique, Austin, Charlotte, Contempo, Franciscan, Marina, Monterey, Pearl, Scarlet, Tiara), and Moen. Buy towel racks and stands, towel warmers, and bath accessories. Towel warmers are a great invention first seen in hotels and now available in homes. They are safe and warm up your towels or help dry them after they get wet. The cost for a towel warmer is between $70 and $200. Towel racks or bars can cost $15-$50.

Best Paper Towels - Brawny - Bounty - Scott - Sparkle:

Paper towels are great, spill something and just wipe it up. They are better than napkins which are too small for big messes and not absorbent enough. We came across countless reviews for paper towels and this is how they shaped out. The strongest was the Bounty Double Quilted ($1.69 a roll with 120 sheets) with the ability to soak up larger spills with less sheets and hold larger spills without leaking. The softest went to the Kleenex Viva ($1.40/roll with 55 sheets) paper towels which were soft enough to use as a tissue for runny noses, yet still strong enough to clean up spills. The longest lasting was won by the Brawny Pick-a-Size Big Roll ($1.30/roll with 180 small sheets). The sheets are small than the average size used by the competitors, but often small spills don't require the larger size. Most Absorbent was won by Sparkle ($1.20/roll with 60+ sheets) which uses larger paper towels than most. Therefore, they were able to clean up the largest messes with 1 towel. The only drawback is that for smaller spills, the Sparkle towel was wasted since it was too big. I'm sure other tests will bring different results, but pick a brand you like and test it yourself.

Golf Towels:

Is there a golfer in your house? Then consider a golf towel as a gift for their next birthday. Any golfer knows that having a towel around is invaluable as balls get wet or muddy and there are not always ball washers around a golf course when you need one. Golf towels come in a variety of shapes and size with team logos, golf manufacturer logos (Nike, Callaway, Cleveland, etc), or get a personalized towel with your name on it. They cost about $14 and are a perfect gift idea for any golfer you may know. You can buy golf towels online at Golfsmith.com.

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