How Many Towels Do You Need? A Simple Household Guide
A practical rule of thumb for every bathroom, and for guests.
How many towels do you need: The short answer
A practical rule: two bath towels per person (one in use, one in the wash or drying), a couple of face towels each, and a small stack of guest towels for visitors. Add a bath sheet if you like a bigger wrap.
Per person
- Bath towels: 2
- Face towels: 2
- Bath sheet: 1, optional
An example: a family of four
That works out at eight bath towels and eight face towels, plus guest towels by the sink. If you wash towels less often, keep a spare or two. If you do laundry every few days, you may be able to manage with less.
How many towels do you need: For the guest room
Allow a bath towel and a face towel for each guest, plus a pack of guest towels (30×30cm) for the bathroom. Our guest towels come in packs of 5 or 10.
Ready-made sets
If you would rather not count, a set does it for you: the Start Duo for one person, the Bathroom Refresh set for a bathroom or the Family Value pack. You can also browse all towels.
Frequently asked questions
How many towels do you need: How many towels should a household have?
As a rule of thumb, two bath towels and two face towels per person, plus guest towels for visitors. Adjust for how often you do laundry.
How many towels do I need for a guest room?
One bath towel and one face towel per guest, plus a few guest towels for the bathroom.
Should towels in one bathroom match?
Not necessarily, but one colour per bathroom keeps things tidy and makes towels easy to tell apart from the rest of the house.
More guides
- Bath towel vs bath sheet: which do you need?
- How to choose a bathrobe
- How to wash towels and keep them soft
Questions about how many towels do you need? Our team will gladly help.