COTTON. A towel's main duty is to blot up water. One hundred percent cotton does the best job because cotton naturally attracts water. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, repel water, making a cotton-polyester blend less absorbent.

QUALITY. The quality of a towel is determined by where the cotton is grown and woven. The heavier the weight the thicker the towel, which translates to higher quality and greater durability.

The highest quality towels are made of cotton grown and woven in Turkey and are 800 grams per square meter. Egyptian cotton towels that weigh 300 to 600 grams come next, followed by Pima cotton. Grown in Arizona and California, Pima cotton towels are soft and absorbent, woven at 300 to 700 grams.

LOOPS. If you look closely at terry cloth, you will see it is made up of a series of loops. The length of the loops determines the fabric's ability to absorb water. The longer the loops the better the absorbency.

PRICE. The average price of a medium-weight cotton towel is $7 to $9, but a high-end Turkish towel can be as much as $40. Let's say you pay $10 for a high-quality Egyptian cotton towel and use it once a week in rotation with other towels for 10 years. That works out to 2 cents per use. A $40 Turkish towel increases the per-use cost to 8 cents. If you pay $3.99 for a lightweight, poor-quality towel, you'll be lucky if it lasts for two years, and it will cost 4 cents per use.

CARE. Bath linens are exposed to soil, oil, skin cells and germs. For good health, towels should be laundered in hot water with detergent and a small amount of chlorine bleach. High-quality white towels can take the most vigorous laundering and look good year after year.

Avoid fabric softeners of any kind when laundering towels. They contain silicones, which will make towels virtually water repellent. Instead, add a cup of white vinegar to the last rinse to remove all traces of detergent, the culprit that makes towels stiff and scratchy.

Wash white towels separately. If you dry them by hanging them on a clothesline, shake the towels once while they're still wet and again after they are dry. This will fluff the terry loops.

Think of a bath towel as a 10-year investment. Buy accordingly. Once you know how to determine the right towel for you, wait for those towels to go on sale. You'll get to enjoy the luxury of quality towels in the process.

Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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