Towel Hooks Buying Guide

Towels are something that every home requires. Whether it be in the kitchen to dry your hands or the bathroom to dry your body, you will at some stage need to use one which means that you also need a place to store or keep all your towels.

For most people, this is done by using a towel rack which is simply a rail or bar that your towels can be hung upon. Racks are usually fitted as fixed fixtures to walls, although they can also come in free-standing units.

The trouble with using towel rails is that whilst they can look very nice when you have your towels placed neatly on them, most people tend to just throw a towel back on the rail when they have finished using it. This can leave your rack looking untidy and messy, and detract from the overall design and appearance of your kitchen or bathroom fixture.

An alternative to using racks for storage is to use towel hooks instead. These have the advantage of taking up far less wall space which means that you can position them in places where a full-sized rack cannot fit. They also tend to make rooms look tidier because a towel can be hung on a hook quite neatly even if it is just thrown back on the hook!

Of course, whether you decide to use a towel rack or hook in your home really comes down to personal preference, and in most cases, people will use a mixture of both.

The trouble is, because there are so many different styles and variations to choose from, when people do go shopping for a towel hook or rack it can sometimes be very confusing knowing what to buy from all the different available options.

If you are thinking of buying some towel racks or hooks for your home, you should find the following buying guide very helpful as in it we review the main types of towel hooks and types of towel racks and also discuss some of the pros and cons of each.

Hopefully, this will then give you a much better idea of what rack, stand or hook you can use in your home, and so make it much easier for you to find the right fixture to buy.

Wall Mounted Towel Racks

If you are looking to add a bit of extra style to your kitchen or bathroom, then a towel rack may be just what you need.

Towel racks can be very useful to have inside your home as they can provide you with a place to hang your towels, and also with a place to store them as many units have tiered racks that can be used as shelves.

When it comes to choosing a towel rack, there are four main types of racks that tend to be available. We will look at each of these in turn below.

1) Basic Shelf Unit

A basic shelf unit or simple towel holder has no hanging space underneath. It looks like a shelf, and is used to stack your towels in a vertical fashion.

This type of rack is useful when all you want is a place to store your towels. For example, if you wanted to store some hand towels in your bathroom, then a simple wall mounted shelf unit could allow you to easily do this.

Some towel holders look really stylish and can give your kitchen or bathroom a modern look and feel to it. For example, an “invisible towel rack” will make it look as though your towels are floating in mid-air by using the stacked towels to conceal the shelf.

2) Railed Hanging Designs

A railed towel rack looks like a basic shelf unit except that it has greater functionality. Towels can be folded and stored on top of the rack, or they can be hung from the rails themselves.

One of the advantages of using a railed towel rack for storage, is that it allows air to flow around your towels which helps to keep them dry and fresher for longer. Dry towels will also keep cleaner for longer, as bacteria tends to grow rapidly on moist towels in shaded environments.

Most units will usually come in a chrome metallic design which makes them ideal for your bathroom as they can help to complement other fixtures such as soap dishes, mirrors and taps. Less expensive designs can be made from plastic although these can look quite cheap, so it’s usually best to go for the metal units.

Note: You can get floor standing towel racks as opposed to just wall mountable units. These shall be discussed in more detail in a later section of this guide.

3) Under-Hanging Rail

Towel racks with under-hanging rails are both extremely stylish and functional. They give you storage space to keep new towels, and hanging space to keep used towels.

Some towel racks will have one under-hanging rail, whilst others will have two or more. Generally, it is not a good idea to have more than two under-hanging rails, as more than two rails can make it awkward to hang and collect your towels.

Some designs have two shelves in addition to a hanging rail. These are great because they allow you to separate different sized towels, such as those for your hands, face and body, in addition to providing greater storage space and functionality.

4) Hook Units

Towel racks with hooks provide the same functionality as towel racks with under-hanging rails, except that they may offer a neater way to store your towels.

The main problem with towel racks that use rails, is that during normal use most people tend to throw their towels back on the rail. This can leave the towel rack looking a mess, which then detracts from its overall appearance.

However, by using hooks rather than a rail, your bathroom towel rack will always look the way it was meant to. Clean, tidy and stylish.

Bathroom Towel Hooks

Towel hooks can be a wonderful and useful addition to any bathroom, and the best thing is that they are relatively simple to install. All they require is a few screws, a screwdriver and a level to ensure that they are not crooked.

An important point to remember before screwing anything into your wall however, is to always check for pipes first. Otherwise you may cause yourself a lot of problems! This can be done quite simply with a wall metal detector, which will tell you where there are pipes and electrical wiring so that you can avoid them.

One of the best things about using towel hooks in your bathroom is that they are small, which means that you can add them virtually anywhere and they won’t become an eyesore.

Of course, there are lots of different types of bathroom towel hooks, and some are larger than others, but generally they will take up far less space than towel racks which tend to be quite large. Another advantage of using bathroom towel hooks, as opposed to bathroom towel racks, is that they always look neat and tidy.

One of the major problems with towel racks, is that people tend to just throw their towels back on the rack when they are finished. This leaves the rack looking a mess, and detracts from its overall design. With towel hooks you won’t have this problem, as all you have to do is place the towel back on the hook! If you have children, towel hooks are a great way to keep your bathroom looking tidy.

In addition to all these benefits, bathroom towel hooks also tend to come in greater variety of designs and with more character than rack fixtures.

For example, the picture below shows a 3 hook bathroom towel wall fixture that has a very “homely” feel to it. There are also designs that are geared specifically towards children, so you should be able to find something for the whole family.

However, despite all these benefits, there is one major disadvantage when using bathroom towel hooks. When placed on a hook a towel will remain wetter for longer because it will be bunched up and so exposed to less airflow.

Since bacteria breed rapidly in warm and wet environments, your used towel (especially hand towels) may need to be changed more regularly to prevent them from becoming too dirty. You should therefore change your towels at least once a week when using hooks for hanging your towels.

Magnetic Towel Hooks

If you would like to add some towel hooks to your kitchen or bathroom, but the letters DIY scare you, then have no fear because you can easily install some without having to pick up a screwdriver!

Magnetic towel hooks allow you to install hooks in virtually any room, provided there is some metallic surface that you can attach them to. This is however, also their major limiting factor, as if you don’t have a metallic surface in a particular room, then you won’t be able to use them.

But providing you do, the installation process couldn’t be simpler. You just stick the towel hook to something metallic and you’re good to go! You can then use your hook to hang your towels or clothes, hang bathroom accessories such as face cloths and flannels or hang your kitchen accessories such as knives and aprons.

There are also magnetic towel bars that can be used as an alternative to using hooks. These can be attached to a fridge or oven door for example, so that you can hang your towels in a convenient location.

If you require something a bit more functional than just a single towel hook or bar, there are also magnetic towel racks that include under-hanging rails or hooks.

These will provide you with both storage space and hanging space, but don’t expect the magnetic hook fixtures to be as strong and able to support as much weight as regular screw in wall mounted fixtures because they won’t be able to. You can also get smaller magnetic holders such as for a soap dish or soap dispenser. These tend to be most useful for showers, as there is usually some metal which you will be able to attach the holder to.

Generally, magnetic towel hooks will come in a set of five hooks, although some designs may have more or less than this. Whilst this can be advantageous as it gives you a lot of hanging space, and storage space if you also have racks, it does mean that you have to make sure that you have enough wall space to attach your hooks to.

This however, can sometimes be a problem, as you are limited to a metallic surface which may not always be wide enough to accommodate the rack. So before purchasing a magnetic towel rack, always ensure that you know beforehand the dimensions of the area that you plan to attach your rack to and the dimensions of the rack itself.

Summary

Overall, magnetic towel hooks are a great way to quickly and easily install some hooks in your kitchen or bathroom, without having to be good at DIY. And because they are magnetic, they won’t damage your walls and their position can easily be changed should you need some hooks or a rack elsewhere.

However, because magnetic towel hooks only attach to metal, they are not as versatile as screw mounted hooks because you are limited to metallic surfaces. This may make using them in the bathroom difficult, as there tends not to be a lot of metal in bathrooms.

So magnetic towel hooks may be more useful in the kitchen where they can be attached to the refrigerator, for example by using a magnetic paper towel holder.

Suction Towel Hooks

Suction towel hooks provide an easy and DIY free way of installing hooks within your home or bathroom. They are extremely simple to install as all they require is a bit of moistening, after which they can be stuck onto virtually any surface.

Because suction towel hooks can be placed almost anywhere, they are much more versatile than magnetic towel hooks which can only be attached to metallic surfaces. Suction hooks can be comfortably attached to glass, tile, wood or plastic surfaces, and because the suction mechanism involves the use of air, no surfaces will be damaged.

If you require more than just a regular hook, there are a number of different designs of towel holders that use a suction mechanism.

For example, a suction towel bar can be neatly placed on a bathroom wall to hang small hand towels. For larger towels or clothes, there are suction holder designs that have multiple hooks on them and are designed to look like a regular towel holder so they blend into your wall.

Like with the magnetic towel hooks, suction towel hooks are ideal in locations where you are unable to make permanent holes in the wall, such as in a rented accommodation. They are extremely simple and quick to install, and can instantly provide you with extra storage space for your towels or clothes.

In addition to this, because they use a suction mechanism they can be reused throughout the house and in any room. One of the most popular locations for suction hooks are behind doors.

Reliability

Some people are put off by using suction hooks as they fear that they will not be strong enough. Whilst this may be true for standard suction hooks, suction hooks that are designed to hold a towels weight are extremely reliable and do their job very well.

These types of hooks incorporate a slightly different design to standard suction hooks that allows them to make a firmer and more permanent grip. Generally, these will have some kind of lever that creates this added grip.

Whilst modern suction towel hooks certainly have come a long way from the old suction hooks that used to fall off every five minutes, they are still not as reliable or functional as screw mounted fixtures.

The suction mechanism can only hold a certain amount of weight, which limits not only what you can put on it, but also the overall design of the unit itself. As a result, suction towel holders generally tend to be small, and designed for lightweight objects.

But if you keep these limitations in mind, suction hooks can still be extremely useful things to have. They are very inexpensive to purchase, can be used almost anywhere, reused indefinitely and provide you with instant hanging space in locations for which you may have no other alternative.

If you require more than just hanging space, there are also a variety of bathroom and shower accessories that use a suction mechanism. For example, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, toilet roll holders, corner baskets, mirrors and shelves can all be found with fitted with suction cups.

In general, you will find suction cup accessories to be most effective for small and lightweight objects. For heavier objects, you are usually best off getting a screw in fixture if you can as those will be able to support a lot more weight. If you absolutely cannot use a screw in fixture, then look for giant or large suction cups as those will be able to support the most amount of weight.

Decorative Towel Hooks

Towel hooks are an extremely popular way of quickly adding hanging storage space to bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. However, standard hooks tend to be rather unglamorous at best, and most come in very plain and regular designs. Some people find this, for lack of a better word, boring!

If you want some hooks with a little more style and character to them, then you may consider getting some decorative towel hooks instead. These are designed to be both pleasing to look at, whilst also providing the same functionality as traditional hooks.

There are an extremely wide variety of decorative hooks to choose from, ranging from bizarre and wacky to more homely looking hooks. So regardless of your taste, you should be able to find something that you like.

For example, the picture below shows a very nice set of decorative bathroom towel hooks. These would certainly add a warm and cosy “homely” feel to any bathroom, and really do help to add some character that would otherwise be absent with a set of regular undecorated hooks.

If you have young children, why not give them their own little hook? Decorative towel hooks are often designed specifically for children, and can come in a variety of colorful and playful designs such as in the picture below.

Giving your child their own hook to hang their towels or clothes upon is also a great way of encouraging them to keep the house neat and tidy, as they are more likely to want to use a hook that they know is specifically for them.

As there are many decorative designs available in furniture shops or online home accessory stores, it is usually best to ask your child to pick out a design which they like rather than picking a design for them.

The decorative hooks shown below provide an example of something which may be suitable for young boys.

Below is another example of a decorative wall hook, although in this case it is being used to hold a hat. Notice how the hook adds character and warmth to the wall, whilst also retaining a conservative design.

Designs like this can be used to fit in with your interior design color scheme, such as the color of your wallpaper or wall paint, and even to add contrast to furniture, rugs, ceramic tiles or lighting fixtures that you have.

You would be surprised at how adding a little color to a room can make a big difference to the way that it looks, so experimenting with brighter colors is certainly something that is worth trying if you want to liven up a room.

For something a bit more colorful, hand towel holders such as the ones shown below can be great fun for both children and adults!

Overall, decorative towel holders can be a superb addition to any home. They add character, color, and most importantly, are fun and interesting to look at! With a wide selection of designs to choose from, you should easily be able to find something that you like.

However, decorative hooks are not for everyone, as they tend to be preferred more by young adults or adults with children.

For more modern looking bathrooms, decorative hooks may look out of place and so would be inappropriate. This of course, really depends on how you are trying to decorate a particular room, and whether decorating it with a particular style of hook would look odd or not.

So it is still worth at least considering a decorative hook, as the many designs available will mean that you stand a good chance of finding something that will fit in with your style of interior design no matter how plain or grand it may be.

Towel Stands

If you need to add some additional storage space for your towels in the bathroom, but cannot use the walls, then a bathroom towel stand may be just what you need.

One of the major advantages of using a freestanding towel stand is that they are portable, and because they are freestanding, they will not damage your walls. This can be particularly useful for example, if you are living in a rented accommodation but need more space and functionality than what is provided.

Even if you do own your own home, using a simple cast aluminium towel stand like the one shown in the picture below, can quickly give you some extra space to hang your hand and body towels without having to do any DIY!

If you require more functionality from your stand, some bathroom towel stands include a shelf or shelves at the bottom of the unit, thereby giving you extra room to store new towels or other bathroom accessories such as shampoos, hair conditioners, face creams and deodorants.

However, you should take into account that the overall size of such units will be physically larger than a regular floor towel stand, so you need to make sure that you have the room for it first before you buy it.

In addition to just holding towels, some floor stands can also be connected to your mains supply and heated. These heated towel stands will gently warm up your towels so that they are warm when you use them and dry them rapidly when you have finished with them.

Heated towel stands come in both portable and wall mounted versions. Portable stands must be connected to your mains supply which may subsequently limit where they can be used, or if at all, in some bathrooms. Wall mounted stands are likely to require professional installation, and so this will add to the overall cost of the stand.

One advantage of using heated towel stands is that because your towels dry quickly, there is less time for bacteria to grow on them. As bacteria thrive on wet surfaces, your fabrics will therefore remain cleaner and fresher for longer.

Overall, bath towel stands can be a great addition to any bathroom and can quickly give you that extra storage space you needed with minimal effort and fuss.

However, because towel stands generally tend to be quite large, they may not be suitable for smaller bathrooms where space is limited.