Colorful swim towels look inviting to hotel and resort guests. But as the colors fade, the towels quickly look cheap and worn out. To avoid faded swim towels that require frequent replacement, consider investing in vat-dyed pool towels. Vat-dyeing offers the color fastness and long product life that you’re looking for in hotel pool towels.
Below, we’ll give an overview of vat dye, the vatting process, and why vat-dyed towels are a smart choice for your hotel, resort, or industrial laundering business.
What is Vat Dye?
Vat dyes are water-insoluble dyes known for their colorfastness. They’ve been used since the Middle Ages to dye fabric. Today, they’re used to create swimming towels, and other textiles.
Since vat dyes aren’t water-soluble like reactive dyes, they cannot be directly applied to fabric. Instead, a reaction called “vatting” must occur.
The vat-dyeing process happens in three main steps:
- Reduction: The vat pigment is reduced to form a leuco compound, which is water soluble.
- Absorption: The material is dyed during this phase. The fibers absorb the water-soluble form of the dye.
- Oxidation: The insoluble pigment is reformed, but this time, inside the fiber. This traps the dye in the fiber, locking in the color.
Pros & Cons of Vat-Dyed Pool Towels
Vatting is more complex and time-consuming than other dye applications. But there’s a good reason this historic way of dyeing materials hasn’t died off.
Vat-dyed towels offer many benefits, including:
- Resist fading in UV light
- Resist fading from exposure to harsh chemicals, such as chlorine or other pool chemicals
- Resist fading after washing
- Dyes don’t bleed, making it possible to achieve Cabana stripe towels
- Retain color longer than reactive-dyed materials
Alternatively, vat-dyed towels do have a few disadvantages worth noting:
- Less bright from the get-go than reactive-dyed towels
- More expensive
Why is Vat Dye Processing the Right Choice for Pool Towels?
Whether used on a cruise ship, at a beach resort, or at your hotel’s outdoor pool, pool towels undergo a lot of wear, tear, and washing cycles. Vat-dyed towels can handle it all. Even after repeated exposure to UV light, chlorine, salt water, and laundering chemicals, the colors remain vivid, use after use, wash after wash.
Vat-dyed swim towels are also a wise investment. Their durability and colorfastness ensure a longer product life despite the higher upfront cost than reactive-dyed towels. Not only will your business enjoy a lower cost per use, but you’ll also spend less time and effort restocking inventory.
For Pool Towels that Last, Turn to Venus
Venus’ pool collection includes a range of colorful vat-dyed swim towels designed to offer colorfastness and longevity. Our U.S.-based manufacturing facilities ensure timely order fulfillment to keep your hotel pools and resorts stocked for summer. Speak to a textile expert today for help choosing the right pool towels by calling 800.421.6599, or emailing sales@venusgroup.com.
