While I was researching the environmental effects of linen vs. cotton I found something interesting. Did you know linen towels can last around 20-30 years while cotton towels break down after around 5 years of continuous use? Even if the cotton towel doesn't "break down" it can start to smell, whereas linen is antimicrobial and doesn't have that mildewy smell after decades of use.

Naturally I wondered why we all aren't using linen towels. One reason: linen is considerably more expensive than cotton. (Another reason might also be that most people don't know how long linen can last/have never researched this/don't care). And why is linen more expensive?

The process to make linen cloth or yarn is time-consuming and laborious. It all starts with the flax plant. Flax is naturally resistant to pests (no pesticides!) and requires less water than cotton, making it a more sustainable choice from the get-go. It can only be grown in moderate climates. This limits the growth areas to a handful of countries (France, Italy, Belgium, the Baltic states). The limiting growth options makes linen products more scarce than cotton products. It's expensive because it's so rare! But don't let that deter you from investing in some great linen towels.

Why should your next towel choice be linen and not cotton? Since linen is such a strong fiber and can last so long, it doesn't need to be replaced as often. What that means for YOU is you won't need to spend as much in the long run. Consider the math over 30 years:

You buy 1 linen tea towel for $15.99. It's a bit crisp and stiff at first but it softens every time you use it. After 6 years you notice the colours have faded a bit but otherwise there's no problem. You use it more because it dries faster than your cotton towels and you don't like using wet towels (it's true - linen dries faster!). We're only 1/5th of the way through but you don't need to replace it.
OR
You buy 1 cotton tea towel for $7.99. After 2 years it starts to smell a bit weird. Maybe that bothers you and you buy another tea towel for $7.99. Or it doesn't bother you and you keep using it. After 6 years of using the original towel you find it's not just mildewy but the threads are fraying and it's time to get another one. So you buy another tea towel for $7.99. It's been 6 years and you've spent somewhere between $15.98-$23.97. We're only 1/5th of the way through! Even if you've only bought 2 towels by this point, you're looking at buying 10 more towels ($159.80-$239.70) in the next couple decades.

Obviously no one has just the one towel, but the point is: 1 linen towel over 30 years vs 12 cotton towels over 30 years. You're saving money AND not contributing to the landfill by throwing out towels every 5-6 years. It's a win for you as well as the planet. It's a great investment in your bath and kitchen linens collection. It's something to consider the next time you need to replace a towel!

These are the reasons I only make linen towels and I linked the available purchase options below. Not to worry - more will be available in the near future!

Thank you for reading!

Talia