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#179167 - 08/13/09 02:31 AM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: Susan]
yelp Offline
Member

Registered: 06/04/08
Posts: 172
Loc: Colorado
Originally Posted By: Susan
Viscose is a form of rayon, made from organic cellulose. It doesn't melt like polyester, but it is VERY flammable. Another one you don't want to be wearing if you're holding a torch.


Potentially life-saving tips are always appreciated!

...gonna have to get several for testing purposes...


Edited by yelp (08/13/09 02:34 AM)
_________________________
(posting this as someone that has unintentionally done a bunch of stupid stuff in the past and will again...)

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#179172 - 08/13/09 02:56 AM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: celler]
m9key Offline
Member

Registered: 05/28/03
Posts: 143
Loc: florida
agree i keep towels at a close distance.......

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#179177 - 08/13/09 03:50 AM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: m9key]
Alan_Romania Offline
Addict

Registered: 06/29/05
Posts: 648
Loc: Arizona
I thought this was going to be a thread about the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"...
_________________________
"Trust in God --and press-check. You cannot ignore danger and call it faith." -Duke

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#179180 - 08/13/09 08:48 AM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: celler]
adam2 Offline
Addict

Registered: 05/23/08
Posts: 474
Loc: Somerset UK
Originally Posted By: celler
Originally Posted By: LED
Bought a big bag of 100% cotton restaurant kitchen towels to use as sweat rags, cleaning the dog, or whatever. They work so well I put some in my kits. Real cheap. If you lose 'em no big deal.


Very interesting. What are the dimensions of a "kitchen towel" and can you share the source?

Thanks.

Craig.


Here in the UK "restaurant towels" are often understood to be secondhand or reclaimed articles, also sold as "garage towels" or "absorbent wiping cloths"

They vary somewhat in size from about 12 inches square to about 18 inches square.
They are cut or torn from damaged or worn out hotel towels, bathrobes etc.
Somtimes they are complete but worn or damaged small hand towels.
Almost allways white in colour.
Sold by weight, very cheaply, and very useful for for rough cleaning etc, and also as bedding for pets.
I keep a good supply to hand, at home and at work.
Re use is inadvisable except in an emergency, since if put in the washing machine, the un-hemmed edges come apart and may block the filter.

"Restaurant towels" can also mean mean small good qaulity hand towels intended for use in deluxe washrooms, or at the table after eating foods such as lobster that result in greasy fingers.

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#179354 - 08/14/09 07:57 PM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: adam2]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
Other useful towel-like item: cloth diapers.

A large thick cotton towel can also come in handy when used as a small blanket, esp for kids.

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#179543 - 08/17/09 01:34 AM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: Susan]
porkchop Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 11/07/05
Posts: 58
Loc: Florence SC
Originally Posted By: Art_in_FL
Avoid using fabric softener and drier sheets. It is counter intuitive but softener gets into the fibers and can, over time and many washes, make a towel much less absorbent.


Not only will it make it less absorbent it will almost make it waterproof.
I unfortunately, like all good lessons learned from experience, made the mistake of spilling a well known brand fabric softener into the washing machine onto a load of new towels shortly after my DW and I were married.

I didn't realize it made clothes impervious to water when applied in copious amounts mostly because I had never spilled it into the washing machine before in that way.
When those towels came out of the dryer after several more washings, they were almost slippery enough to use as a waterslide.

I still hear about that one occasionally even after 5 years have passed.

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#179571 - 08/17/09 01:09 PM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: celler]
Brangdon Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/04
Posts: 1204
Loc: Nottingham, UK
I think of towels as being fluffy things too bulky to keep around except when needed. I do carry bandanas. I prefer silk to cotton because it's thinner and lighter for a given area, and equally absorbent for a given weight and thickness. 21" is about the smallest useful size, and will fit in a shirt breast pocket. 35" gives a lot more options and the diagonal is long enough to fit around any part of my body. Larger sizes get too unwieldy.

I recently bought a micro-fibre towel for its relatively small size, but I've not used it yet.
_________________________
Quality is addictive.

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#179592 - 08/17/09 04:23 PM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: Brangdon]
JohnE Offline
Addict

Registered: 06/10/08
Posts: 601
Loc: Southern Cal
You can buy a nice block of "restaurant" type towels at Costco for around 20 bucks, maybe even less I can't recall the exact price, for that you get 60 of them! Edges are all hemmed, they're a bit thin but for the price it's tough to beat.

I use them frequently while working, soaked in some ice water they make a real nice neck wrap or face wiper on a hot day. I keep a cooler of them soaking with a teaspoon of lavender scented bleach added to the water and ice.


_________________________
JohnE

"and all the lousy little poets
comin round
tryin' to sound like Charlie Manson"

The Future/Leonard Cohen


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#179705 - 08/18/09 11:58 PM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: celler]
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Great idea - I carry a clean tee shirt for similar reasons.

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#179832 - 08/20/09 01:30 PM Re: Towels - The Urban Staple [Re: TeacherRO]
CAL Offline
Stranger

Registered: 06/04/09
Posts: 19
Loc: Somewhere between lost and fou...
Has anyone tried the Go Towel. Comes the size of a poker chip but expands when wet. It is made out of compressed Bamboo. Find them at Bicycle shops. Or here http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1024248_-1___
_________________________
LIFE is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an pretty and well preserved body but, rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out and proclaming "WOW, WHAT A RIDE!"

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