If you’ve been to a hotel or gym, you might have noticed towels with stripes and wondered about their purpose. Those stripes aren’t just for style—they help staff manage huge loads of laundry more efficiently.
Towels in commercial settings often come in similar colors, making it hard to identify which towel is which. Stripes serve as visual markers to quickly tell bath towels from hand towels or washcloths without opening or measuring them. This speeds up sorting and reduces errors when processing large quantities of linens.
Different stripes mean different things. Thick stripes may indicate larger bath towels, thin lines might mark hand towels, and some places add colors to designate specific uses like cleaning or spa treatments. This system ensures towels get folded and stacked correctly, maintaining a clean and professional appearance, which is especially important for hotels.
These stripes are cost-effective because they are woven into the towel fabric and don’t require devices or maintenance. Unlike barcodes, they won’t fade or break and last the lifetime of the towel.
Striped towels are useful at home, too. Families can use various stripe patterns to keep track of everyone’s towels or assign certain stripes to different bathrooms. It’s a simple way to stay organized and avoid confusion.
What seems like a small design choice actually makes a big impact by improving workflow, preventing mistakes, and keeping towels looking neat. Next time you spot striped towels, remember—they’re a clever, low-tech way to keep laundry running smoothly.
