Our family got a backyard swimming pool two years ago. We are two adults and three kids who swim almost everyday in our pool. I needed lots of towels and I wanted NICE pool towels. Not too thick, but absorbent and could dry quickly if left in the sun. Towels that stayed nice…meaning they wouldn’t bleach out in the sun. Rather than an ugly mound of messy towels, I figured the best way to store the towels poolside was in a large basket that I bought at Big Lots.
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I also wanted a way to offer my large extended family members and pool party guests a nice towel that they could distinguish as their towel while they swam in our backyard pool. I found the perfect towels and came up with a storage and labeling system. This system of labeling pool towels with clothespins has worked so well that I thought I should share it with you. Not to mention, the towels I bought have been fabulous!
We all love the bright colored large beach towels…but let’s face it, after one summer they are faded and look worn out. Well, I found a solution. I found these towels: 35” x 65”, Luxury Hotel Towel Turkish Cotton Extra Large Pool-Beach Towel Set (Set of 4, Variety Pack) on Amazon that are super affordable and a great value. (BTW, this set is also sold on ebay and may be cheaper than Amazon) We are mid-way through the third summer of using them, and they look as good as new after countless washings. I love that these towels are white because I can put a little bleach in with the wash load. Even with mud, make-up, sunscreen, cheetos, chocolate stains…from playing and snacking by the pool, these towels have stayed white and fresh-looking! I also appreciate that they have a thin woven stripe to differentiate 4 colors for guests to find their towel color and tag easily. And since the color stripe on these towels is woven thread, rather than printed on the towel, the color stripe hasn’t faded and isn’t harmed by the bleach in the wash.
If you’re interested in the specifics of how I store these towels in my basket. I simply fold all the towel in thirds, and continue this until all the towels are folded and in one large stack. Then, I simply tightly roll the towels and place them vertically in the basket. I bought my basket from Big Lots 2 1/2 years ago and it holds my 16 large towels and its dimensions are 15″ wide x 20″ long x 15″ high. Go check out the current Big Lots basket and bin selections.
For the clothespin labels, all you need is a permanent marker and a bag of wooden clothespins. You can get clothespins at a dollar store. Write your family names on the clothespins and simply clip them to the edge of the basket.
When a guest grabs a towel from the basket, they also can grab their name pin and clip it to the edge of the towel. (Alternatively, guests can write their name on the pin themselves.)
When I’m not having a party or family over to swim, the extra clothespins are easily stored in the bottom of the basket underneath the rolled towels. And when the towels are collected at the end of the day, I have a tall plastic laundry basket for ‘used’ towels. If the guest (or my child) doesn’t remember to remove the clothespin from the towel, I can tell you that they are washable. Although I would certainly recommend removing clothespins before washing the towels.
Lastly, I have a tip for when you’re having a pool party with non-family members. (Although close friends may feel like family if they have their own label) Or perhaps, you may not know for sure who all will be coming or even who may decide to swim and need a towel. My simple solution for this is to make some fun generic labels, such as, writing the word ‘fish’ or ‘flip-flop’ or ‘shark’ on the pin and that will help the guest know which towel they’ve been using at the party.
I hope these poolside organization tips for your towels will help you. I would love to hear if you try it for yourself.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading about my organization idea. If you’ve got a moment, go check out our store.
Be blessed,
Momma