For years I have been of the mindset that you can use a towel more than once.  If you are just using a towel to dry your clean body, it is fine to hand it up and re-use it.  This has been great.  It reduces the laundry and subsequently saves money-less water, less detergent, and less electricity for drying.  Also, less work for the laundry person.

However, in the last couple of years, more of the children are bathing in my bathroom,and they have developed this habit of taking my towel off the rack.  Sometimes they hang them up neatly, and sometimes they leave them laying around somewhere it does not belong.  Both of these annoy me.  I get grossed out when the children use my towel and I go to dry off after a shower and find my towel is already wet. So, my wonderful plan of using fewer towels has not been happening for the last several months.  Finally, I decided to do something about it.

I thought if each child had his or her own towel that was clearly marked, I could end this towel madness.  But, I did not want to go spend money on monogrammed towels.  So, with my daughter’s help (Christina Wong of www.youthfulhomemaker.com), I took an old washcloth and cut out initials for each child.  Then, I had her sew them on towels we already have at home. Now, each child has a towel they are responsible for using and hanging. With the additional of the initials, they are excited to do so.  I let them choose which towel would be their own, and now I can go back to enjoying my reduced laundry load.

Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to five children, ages 2 to 21 and an author, conference speaker and director of www.homemaking911.com and www.wheat-n-things.com. Visit her site for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator.