Why White Robes Turn Grey, and What to Put on the Spec to Stop It

Short answer: greying is dirt and minerals settling back onto the fabric during the wash. It comes from too little detergent for the load, hard water, overloaded machines or mixing whites with other items. A robe made to take hot commercial washing gives the laundry room to fix it.

The four usual causes

Body lotions, sunscreen and spa oils make it worse. They need a hot wash to break down, and they hold dirt if they stay in the fibre.

What yellowing tells you instead

Grey means soil. Yellow usually means something else: chlorine bleach reacting with residues, too much heat in the dryer, or oils that were never washed out. They need different fixes, so look closely before you blame the robe.

What to write on the spec

You can't control the laundry from the purchase order, but you can make sure the robe copes with a proper wash:

• Fibre: 100% cotton, so the robe can take the hot wash that removes oils.
• Whiteness: ask for the white to be agreed against a physical reference, not described as "optical white".
• Stitching and trims: thread, piping and labels in materials that take the same temperature as the fabric.
• Shrinkage: a stated maximum after wash, so the laundry can wash hot without the robe changing size.
• Wash instructions: a care label that matches how your laundry really washes.

A quick test for a new robe

Keep one unwashed robe from each delivery in a sealed bag. Every three months, hold a robe from circulation next to it in daylight. If the difference is obvious after a few months, the problem is the wash, and you have a reference to show your laundry.

More help

Our care problems guide covers greying, yellowing and hardening for towels and robes. For robe weights and fabrics, see the bathrobe GSM and sizing guide. If you are replacing greyed stock, tell us how your laundry washes and we'll quote a robe to suit it.