If you dry yourself with a smelly towel after a fresh-smelling shower, are you really any cleaner than you were before? Rather than allow you to grapple with this existential question, Nutrl Towel is instead introducing towels that claim to be odor-free. How do these pieces of cloth achieve such a feat, you ask? Apparently, by being infused by silver.
Made with 100 percent recycled silver, the Nutrl towel neutralizes odor naturally. These towels have the ability to prevent odor-causing bacteria and mildew from growing, which means that you don’t have to wrinkle your nose in disgust every time you step out of the shower. And if you have a towel that is less bacteria-laden and less smelly, that could also mean that you have to throw it into the washing machine less frequently — a win for both you and the environment.
“We poured over case studies regarding textiles and bacteria growth to find a natural, efficient way to eliminate nasty odor-causing bacteria from growing on our towels,” Nutrl Towel founder Sean Yang said in a statement. “It was then we discovered a natural, efficient and permanent technology that would solve the problem of smelly towels — pure silver.”
This is certainly by no means the first time silver has been heralded as an anti-bacterial solution for our linens. Last year, Silvon debuted silver-infused sheets that promised to be self-cleaning. Really, it was more that — the sheets claimed to prevent bacteria growth, but technicalities aside, they certainly captured the imagination of customers everywhere. Silvon’s Kickstarter campaign ultimately raised more than $500,000 and seemed to jump-start a silver obsession in home goods.
Nutrl Towels’ silver treatment is said to stave off both bacteria and fungi. According to the Nutrl team, silver kills bacteria by binding with proteins inside and outside of the bacteria’s cell membrane. This is said to inhibit the bacteria’s essential need for respiration, effectively killing bacteria. The silver is added to towels at the finishing stages of production and is apparently only active on towels, so even those with sensitive skin should not be affected by the material.
Of course, your entire towel is not made of silver — rather, Nutrl Towel uses American-grown Supima cotton, which is said to be twice as strong and softer than the average towel. Currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter starting at $35, the towels come in three different sizes — bath towels, hand towels, and face towels. Shipment is expected in April.
