The most common complaint about issued towels, and it is entirely predictable before the order.

Bleach is doing what bleach does

Hot washing with bleach is what keeps issued towels hygienic, and it is chemically aggressive toward dye. Some dyes hold; others grey, or shift toward pink or yellow.

Because the whole stock goes through the same cycle, the change happens to all of it together. That is why it reads as a sudden failure rather than gradual wear.

Colour choice matters more than people think

Mid and dark tones show shift most obviously. Some colours are far more stable under bleach than others, and a supplier who knows their dyes can tell you which.

White is the most bleach-stable choice available and the reason so much institutional linen is white. If your brand colour is fragile, put it in a woven border rather than in the body of the towel.

Ask for the figure, in writing

Colour-fastness to bleach is a measurable property with a scale. It belongs on the quote next to the price.

A supplier who cannot provide it is not necessarily selling you a bad towel — but they are selling you an unknown, and you will find out in month nine.

What to do with stock that has already gone

Rotate it out to equipment or back-of-house use rather than binning it, and take the opportunity to move equipment towels to a distinct colour.

Then specify fastness on the replacement. It costs very little and it is the difference between replacing towels because they are worn and replacing them because they look wrong.