I am incredibly disappointed with these tea towels.  Even before I washed them prior to use (at 30 degrees) they looked dull and grubby.  I, wrongly as it turned out, assumed that grey and white would exist side by side but not so as the dye ran so all the towels now look like horrible tones of grey.  These were to replace towels I had for a while but those are so much better looking than the new ones.  If you like your tea towels to look half decent and not be mistaken for something you've mopped the floor with I would advise steering clear - total waste of money. UPDATE 16/4: These towels do not improve with age, the dye is still running and spoiling things washed with and they do not have acceptable absorbency levels no matter how many times washed.  Supermarket offerings are much better to spend your money on