Just How Clean Are Your Towels, Really?
SINGAPORE — Towels are among the most frequently used, yet least scrutinised items in our homes. We reach for them daily—sometimes multiple times a day—and often wash them weekly, if that. But a recent CNA Insider episode offers a timely reminder of what might be lingering between the fibres.
The 23-minute segment on Talking Point tested used towels from everyday Singaporeans and found significant bacterial and fungal contamination. In several cases, microbial counts were too high to measure. A scientist in the programme warned that even seemingly clean towels could harbour organisms that irritate skin or trigger allergies—particularly in warm, humid climates where towels rarely dry completely between uses.
It’s a detail that quietly reinforces something the team at Bulbul had already been thinking about—long before the episode aired.
The Singapore-based brand, focused on sustainable home essentials, had spent the better part of a year working closely with yarn makers to create the perfect towel. Not just softer or more absorbent—but cleaner by design.
A Different Kind of Towel
The result is the Bulbul Copper Towel: a towel with built-in antimicrobial properties—not added as an afterthought, but engineered from the yarn up, straight from the spinning mills.
Unlike conventional towels with surface coatings or chemical finishes, Bulbul’s copper technology is ionically bonded into each fibre during the yarn-making process. This means the copper ions—known for their ability to disrupt bacteria and fungal growth—are a permanent part of the towel’s structure. They won’t wash out or fade with time.
A Year of Work, from Fibre to Finish
Creating the towel took nearly a year of development and close collaboration with their partners based in the spinning mills of Korea—specialist yarn makers who worked with Bulbul from the highest quality source material through to final production.
The team trialled ionic-bonded yarns, tested durability and softness, and refined the process until they were confident in both performance and feel. Bulbul also prioritised the sustainability of the supply chain, in line with their broader philosophy: make fewer, better things—and make them last.
Images from the production process reveal the detail and craft that went into each stage.
Clean, Without the Constant Laundry
Experts still recommend washing towels every three to four days to minimise bacterial build-up. But in real life, especially in shared or compact living spaces, that isn’t always practical.
The Bulbul Copper Towels doesn’t claim to replace hygiene routines. What it offers is an extra layer of protection—a way to keep towels feeling fresher, longer, and a subtle shift in how we think about everyday objects.
As with all of Bulbul’s products, the copper towel is about intentional living: small changes that quietly make a difference.