So here is a sneak peek into what it is like to live with autism and sensory integration issues. Recently we bought some new bath towels because some of our old ones are in pretty bad shape. I love the bright new royal and navy blue towels we bought, but I can’t stand to use them yet. Why? They aren’t coarse enough yet.
You see, if I use a towel that is fluffy and soft, my body doesn’t like the feel of it, and even worse, I never feel like it is drying me – even though it is. It makes the whole bathing experience feel incomplete and messed up. I have to use the old, ragged towels until the new towels have been used by my husband and washed enough times that they lose their fluffy softness, so I can stand the feel of the fibers against my skin after a bath.
It probably sounds minor to you, but it is hard for me to see those beautiful new towels and know that I can’t use them or it will drive me crazy. I don’t want to use the faded, ugly ones, but they do provide a superior drying experience. Ugh, I know – first world autistic problems, right? But it is annoying.
Maranda Russell 
18 responses to “Autistic Bath Towel Sensory Issues”
Never thought about this, probably because my towels are from Target and not very fluffy, but I can totally understand this. It would feel icky!
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Even if they aren’t very fluffy to start with, it still takes a while for them to be comfortable. I’ve bought some of ours from Target, but not the recent batch.
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If someone was smart enough to come up with fabric softener, you’d think they’d be able to come up with an unsoftener for people who are so inclined.
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LOL, yeah, it is funny because in some ways I am hypersensitive to textures, but sometimes I can be a bit hyposensitive as well.
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I would have considered the reverse!
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I could see it going either way depending on whether you are hypo or hypersensitive to that particular sensation. Sensory issues are weird that way.
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This is so real and big stuff for me too my friend, happy to hear I’m not alone in my sensory stuff!! Here’s to feeling less icky 😉
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♥♥
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We all have our own quirks when it comes to our senses, especially taste, smell and touch. To be honest, I prefer a coarser towel myself (remembering when we hung them to dry on a clothesline in the back yard) but I don’t think about the texture of a towel when I use it. I like that we all relate to things differently!
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I wish I didn’t think about it lol.
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How insightful for you to share how you perceive new towels. So much in what others experience is invisible to those around us. Thank you for taking the time to share. I am trying to learn and understand.
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Aw, thanks, I enjoy sharing things like this that others might never even think about.
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hmmmmm! I’m wondering if you always tumble dry your laundry? Because if you try washing towels, without softener, and then leave to dry on clothes airer . . . they should end up less fluffy.
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Yeah, I pretty much always use the dryer. I’ll have to think about doing that, although we don’t have a convenient way to put up a clothesline outside in our little community.
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Greetings Maranda,
What a great post! I too have the same issue. It is nice to know I am not the only one. I realize that it is not environmentally friendly to wash my new towels over and over and over to get rid of the soft nonabsorbent gross feeling but I have to. I also have to get my towels from Costco in the United States. I have found that for me those towels fibers reach peak perfection after only a few washes. I am also experimenting with Moroccan towels which are very thin but they seem to work well. They can be expensive for just one towel. Thanks for the post. Happy Towel hunting—J
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Glad to know I’m not alone ♥
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I can relate…
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The towels are finally usable now lol.
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