Bath towels are among the most commonly used items in a household. But have you ever really paid attention to them. The item that comes into direct contact with your body on an everyday basis? Not many people might know that bath towels that used so frequently are not only suspectable. To losing their absorbency over time. But also are a host for bacterial growth that is dangerous for you and your family.
An average bath towel has a lifespan of approximately two years; However, low-quality bath towels do not last this period. Thereby resulting in unsatisfied customers and loss of potential future customers who would switch to another brand of them. This is where pre-shipment inspection comes into the picture. Helping you make sure that your supplier is producing towels that are in compliance with essential product specifications, such as:
Towels That Are In Compliance With Essential Product Specifications
- Towel size: It is important to produce towels that exactly match their specified dimensions. Depending upon their types, such as large bath sheets, beach towels, hand towels, or smaller washcloths. Each type will have a different size that should be exactly in accordance with the specifications provided.
- Towel material: It is essential to make sure that the material used are those that are mentioned on the packaging. Otherwise your customers can hold you liable in the court of law for misinformation. Materials commonly used include Cotton (Egyptian, Turkish, Pima or organic), polyester blend, microfiber or even bamboo
- Towel weight: Each towel category has a different weight which is measured in grams per square meter
However, your bath towels need not be in-line with your brand’s specifications only. In fact, in order to be able to sell them in the market for use. They must meet several international safety standards after which they will be certified for consumer use. These standards are related to the safety, absorbancy, and material used in the bath towels. This is why QC professionals make sure that all of these compliances are fulfilled and that the bath towels are safe to use according to a quality control checklist that they have, along with other inspection protocols.
Some of the most commonly prevalent international standards for bath towel inspection are:
Oeko-Tex
The Oeko-Tex is one of the international standards which is widely as one of the best international standards. For finished textile products. It is also used to evaluate suppliers in terms of bath towel safety. Making sure they free of contaminants and potentially harmful substances. In order to be Oke-Tex approved, bath towels must be in accordance with:
- Regulations regarding harmful chemicals and banned colorants
- In accordance with regulations for chemicals such as nickel, cadmium and formaldehyde,
- The EU’s REACH requirements for relevant for fabrics and textiles
- For the US they should be in accordance with CPSIA requirements regarding lead content
ASTM D4772 – 14
The American society develop a test ASTM D4772-17 for testing materials. That ensure that bath towels have sufficient water absorption ability. It is essential for towels to be able to adequately absorb and retain liquid. However, this test is not applicable to non-terry fabrics.
ASTM D5433 – 12
The ASTM D5433 – 12 applies to both Terry and non-terry towels for everyday use. This involves testing the bath towels for several features that affect their functionality, such as:
- Strength
- Color
- Laundering
- Crocking
- Absorbency
- GOTS certification
The GOTS certification is a comprehensive test that evaluates the whole towel supply chain process. It requires that Your towels must contain a minimum of 70 percent organic fibers. And undergo annual on-site bath towel inspection, auditing, and residue testing to become GOTS certified.