Do you struggle to keep your bathroom towels neat and organized?
It can be hard to keep your bathroom looking its best when you have bulky towels to deal with. Luckily, Kurashinity has compiled a comprehensive towel-storage guide that can help you create a fresh and appealing bathroom without compromising on convenience. Read on to learn how to store towels in a smart and streamlined way.
Bathrooms in Japan differ from their Western counterparts in size, layout and design, which can make storage trickier.
Toilets and bathrooms usually occupy separate rooms in the Japanese home. The bathtub and shower are in one large wet room, and just outside of that is a small sink and storage area for bathroom goods, and often a washing machine as well.
Japanese houses are well known for their small living spaces that have clever storage areas, but those of you who grew up abroad may find it hard to visualize just how things can be effectively stored in these areas.
Towels can be bulky and take up a lot of space, yet if they are rolled up too tightly, they may become moldy in Japan’s high humidity. The key is to create a smart storage system that keeps towels tidy and compact yet fresh and mold-free.
If you follow the steps below, you will be able to keep towels neat and organized in your Japanese home.
The perfect towel-storage system depends on the design and layout of your bathroom as well as the number of people using it.
You may already have chosen a spot to store your towels, but it could be worthwhile to take a step back and reevaluate that choice. Consider convenience, for example: is it less work to keep towels closer to the wet room or the washing machine?
This tip is important to remember. In fact, storing a large number of towels together could lead to mold or odors because of poor ventilation. Some possible solutions follow:
Sorting towels according to their similarities makes for neat and tidy storage.
Make sure face towels and small hand towels are separated from bigger towels.
For aesthetic reasons, it’s good to buy towels that are all the same color, but in the real world, this just isn’t reasonable. Instead, you can group towels by color and shade for more attractive storage.
In Japan particularly, where onsen provide small towels that can be taken home and towels are often given as gifts, towels can quickly pile up. Discard any towels with holes or marks, and minimize your towel collection.
By changing the way you fold towels, you can enhance both their appearance and ease of use. Try one of these folding methods and revolutionize the way you store and use your towels!
Used in high-class hotels because it makes towels look fluffy and welcoming, the French fold is ideal for face towels and other small towels.
【Method】
With the towel spread out lengthwise, fold the top and bottom to overlap in the center, fold the right and left sides toward the center, then fold in half.
Compared with the French fold, this fold makes towels more compact and thus ideal for smaller storage spaces. It is also suitable for both small face towels and large bath towels.
【Method】
Fold the towel in half lengthwise. Fold the bottom, then fold the top third of the towel inward. Then repeat for the right and left sides.
You could also experiment with rolling towels up or hanging them on hooks, depending on what kind of atmosphere you want to create in your bathroom.
Storage containers are almost as important as the towels themselves for creating ambience in your bathroom. Consider buying natural woven or stylish metal baskets in which to keep towels or investing in fashionable floating shelves. You could also use drawers or closets to keep towels out of sight. The choice is yours!
After organizing your towels, don’t let your hard work go to waste by allowing them to become disorganized again. Invest in dividers, or devise other ways for your towels to stay organized when one is removed from the pile.
Make sure all towels are used in rotation so that the same towels are not used repeatedly. This way, any change in color will be less noticeable, and towels will last longer.
Of course, reorganizing any part of the home takes time and effort. If you are too busy with work or home life to review your storage methods, don’t create an extra burden for yourself: consider delegating your household chores to Kurashinity. Our fluent English-speaking staff receive over four hundred hours of rigorous training in Japanese hospitality so that they can help you create the sparkling clean home that you deserve, towel storage and all. Sign up for our trial service and see how you can enjoy the serenity of an organized home.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Jessica is a writer and translator now living happily by the sea just south of Tokyo in Kamakura, Japan.
