How Much Water Can A Bath Towel Hold?

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While features such as the colour and how comfortable a bath towel feels are important, one of the most important features of a bath towel that all intending buyers must consider before purchasing a towel is its absorbency. That is, how much water the towel can hold.

So, how much water can a bath towel hold? This is dependent on several factors; however, large bath towels are generally said to hold up to 2 to 3 pounds of water. How much a bath towel holds depends on the size or length of the bath towel as well as its absorbance.

The absorbance on the other hand depends on factors such as the construction material used. The best construction material that guarantees a high-water holding capacity is cotton.

A bath towel which is one hundred per cent cotton and of considerable sizes, therefore, has all the characteristic features of a bath towel that holds a considerable amount of water.

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Contents

Factors that determine how much water a bath towel can hold

You will be surprised to find out that there is actual science behind how bath towels can absorb water from your body and hold the water. Bath towels are designed in such a way to allow them to absorb water from the body and hold such water.

The fluffy nature of a bath towel is not just to give the towel a luxurious look or to make it feel comfortable, rather, those fluffy fibres serve a higher purpose which is to increase the surface area of the bath towel. The larger the surface area, the higher the ability of the bath towel to hold water.

The primary science behind how the bath towel can get us dry lies in the fact that after having your bath, there is a higher concentration of water on your body compared to the dry towel, hence, water can move from a region of higher concentration which is your body to that of a lower concentration, that is the towel.

So, here is a buyer’s guide, certain features to look out for before purchasing a new bath towel;

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Construction material

Bath towels can be made from several different materials. Each of these materials has a different capacity to hold water.

The commonest types of materials from which bath towels are constructed include; cotton, bamboo, microfiber, and others.

Of these materials, cotton is the most effective in holding water. This is the account of its chemistry, the arrangement of its fibres amongst other reasons. The more the proportion of cotton in a bath towel the higher its capacity to hold water.

Size of the bath towel

While the construction material with which a bath towel is made is important in determining its water holding capacity, the size or length of the towel is equally important. Similar to the proportion of cotton in a towel, the larger the size of a bath towel the greater its water holding capacity.

The thickness of the bath towel

In simple terms, the thickness of a bath towel has to do with the amount of space the fabric takes up. This is completely different from the density which has to do with the degree of tightness between the fibres. Both of these features determine how much water the bath towel can hold.

How to measure the amount of water a bath towel can hold?

Knowing exactly how much water your bath towel can hold may not be important. The knowledge that the bath towel can hold water, that possesses some absorbent features may be enough.

However, if you are interested in knowing exactly how much water the bath towel can absorb when used to dry the body after taking your bath, then follow the following simple instructions.

If you do not have a weighing balance in your bathroom, then start by getting one. After removing your clothing, step on the weighing balance to determine how much you weigh. Note this weight somewhere as this represents your current weight.

Wrap the dry bath towel around you and step on the weighing balance once more, again, note the weight recorded by the balance.

To determine the weight of the dry bath towel, subtract the initial weight you recorded from this current, the value represents the weight of the dry bath towel.

Now, step under the shower for your bath, afterwards, wipe yourself with the towel. Wrap your body with the wet towel and step on the balance, the recorded weight represents your weight and that of the wet towel.

To determine how much water the bath towel holds, subtract this new weight recorded from the weight of you and the dry bath towel.

This simple experiment will help you determine how much water the bath towel holds and tells you a lot about how absorbent the towel is, which is one of the most significant features of a bath towel.

While other factors may contribute to how much water a bath towel holds, the two most important determinants of this feature are the length and absorbance of the towel.

The longer the towel and the more absorbent the material with which it is made up, the more water the towel can hold.

Generally, a large towel will be able to hold up to 2 to 3 pounds of water. This however varies with the length of the towel and its absorbency.

Which bath towel can hold the most water?

Now that we’ve established that how much water a bath towel can hold is a significant feature of the bath towel that should be taken into consideration before buying the towel, the question is, which bath towel can hold the most water?

While there are various types of fabric used in making a bath towel, the best and most effective type of fabric which have been proven to have the most ability to hold water is cotton.

Therefore, the more the amount of cotton in a bath towel the greater its ability to hold water. Bath towels which are 100% cotton are therefore the most efficient in holding water or absorbing water.

It is for this reason that most bath towels are made of cotton fabric. Similarly, cotton fabric is used in the making of sportswear as well, to keep the body, dry of sweat during exercise or any form of physical exercise on account of their drying power.

There are many explanations regarding why cotton has such a high capacity to hold water, some of such explanations include the understanding of the chemistry of water and cotton.

Water as we know is made up of types of two ions, two positively hydrogen ions and a positively charged oxygen atom, making it dipolar.

Cotton on the other hand is a polymer of molecules that come together to form cellulose which is negatively charged. this opposite charge makes water attracted to the cellulose, therefore making cotton highly absorbent. Cotton can therefore be said to be water-loving or hydrophilic.

Cotton fibres also cannot only attract water but also draw the water into it. These features make cotton a better fabric for bath towels, sports and jogging wears than made fabrics such as polyester.

Which bath towel holds the least water?

The material with which the bath towel is made should be your first concern when buying a new bath towel. Man-made construction material such as polyester has a poor water holding capacity compared to cotton.

However, a cotton brand such as the Egyptian cotton or Supima is often expensive, for this reason, a bath towel made of a mixture of cotton and polyester can be a much affordable option.

Not only is such a mixture affordable, but it is also durable and effective in holding or absorbing water.

There are features unrelated to how much water the bath towel can hold which are equally important in helping you choose the best bath towel for your bathroom, and this includes the finishing design of the bath towel.

Ensure to do a personal inspection of the bath towel before buying. During this time, inspect the bath towel thoroughly to make sure it is not made with materials that could wash off following the first washing.

Most importantly, pay more attention to the edges of the bath towel and ensure they are well secured. Without proper stitching, the bath towel’s edges could begin to loosen up after several items of washing, thereby reducing its life span.