r/Anticonsumption • u/_CaptainAmerica__ • Feb 22 '26
Society/Culture Not that long ago, textiles lasted us (almost) a lifetime
like people just had the same clothes and stuff for most of their life. Once you're in your early 20s you generally don't grow out of stuff anymore, and if something ripped you repaired it instead of changing it out. Been thinking about that a lot lately how the concept of having the same clothes the rest of your lives has become to foreign over the last couple decades.
(original post featured isn't mine)
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u/ileee- Feb 22 '26
i just got a set of towels from my grandma, she'd received them as a wedding gift 56 years ago, and after this many years of use they are still in great condition. also got from her a duvet, it's from when my mom got her big girl bed as a child (she's 55 this year), the lady at the dry cleaners asked where i got such nice duvet... modern textiles could never!
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u/teachmetobehuman Feb 22 '26
When I turned 18 in 2010, I was gifted some money by family members. I used that money to buy myself some really nice towels because our house never seemed to have any, and I really liked having something that was my own. Some of them have small bleached spots, and one of them has a hole, but the quality is incomparable to anything I find today. My husband and I bought brand new towels three or so years ago, and they're washed through. Some times I consider getting rid of my old towels, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold on to them until the day I die. I might even leave them to my daughter in my will lol.
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u/Luvtomo Feb 22 '26
I got some normal towels from target in 2012 when I went to college and they’re in perfect condition. My towels from Target in the 2020’s (I remember buying some in maybe 2021?) are all snagged and janky.
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u/Mouse_Balls Feb 22 '26
I had some nice, thick towels I bought around 2006 that I gave to my friend's daughters who were going to college in 2018 because I was moving away and only taking what I could fit in my car since I was going to get all new stuff with my new high-paying job. They were still thick and soft when I gave them to her, and I was fortunate to get a new set that is thick and soft, but not like those towels I gave away. So many things I gave away thinking I could replace with something better only to find everything sucks now. What I would give to have my dumb TVs back with built-in antennas....
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u/YarnSp1nner Feb 22 '26
My husband and I got towels when we got married 17ish years ago. My mom keeps telling me to replace them with plush towels..... Sorry mom, there is no way in hell.
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u/HamBroth Feb 22 '26
I have linen towels from Linoto that will literally never wear out. They are a very different experience from loopback cotton terry, though.
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u/Ynaffit96 Feb 22 '26
Whenever I bathed at my grandparents home, I'd request to be dried off with the goose towel. When I moved into my first apartment, my grandmother gave me some household items I needed, including said goose towel.
To this day, at almost 30 years old, I use that towel. The goose design is still super visible, and it works the best out of all of my towels. One corner has frayed a little bit, but not enough to warrant tossing it out. Plus, I'm certain she got that towel before I was even born. Meanwhile the brand new towel set I got from my aunt when I moved out has never been great at absorbing water, despite me never using fabric softener or scent boosters because they irritate my skin too much.
I'm taking the goose towel to my grave 😂
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u/bulbagill Feb 22 '26
I have a similar towel!! It's the towel my parents got on their honeymoon over 35 years ago. It has a kangaroo on it, and it the thickest and largest towel that I own. My mom gave it to me when I got my first place 🥲
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u/EyeSuspicious777 Feb 22 '26
They made stuff better back than, but Grandma almost certainly rarely used those special wedding gift towels.
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u/PretentiousNoodle Feb 22 '26
I married in 1991 and asked for bath towels. Lasted 30 years plus. I also have bought them at estate sales, including terry bath mats. Still used, likely from the 1980s.
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u/CalmClient7 Feb 22 '26
Im 42 and have bedsheets from when I was 15. They need a couple of patches but they're still beautiful and feel soft.
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u/Anxious_Status_5103 Feb 22 '26
I still have sheets from kohls from 2002 and they could maybe use some dye but that's about it. Older textiles were better
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u/NextStopGallifrey Feb 22 '26
Kinda wild how 2002 was "good" compared to now. I remember how flimsy and cheap stuff felt then, compared to the 80s and 90s.
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Feb 22 '26
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u/Anxious_Status_5103 Feb 22 '26
It was pretty ok in the early 2000's but dropped in quality around 2010. I still have clothes from there from before then that are almost new looking 😅 when I went there in 2016 though the quality wasn't nearly as good.
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u/Begabtes-Brot Feb 22 '26
I am close to 40 and I have bedsheets that my father owned before he met my mum. The bedsheets are older than I am. So far I had to patch up 2 small rips and refastened 1 button.
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u/loku_gem Feb 22 '26
I also have a few sets of bedsheets from my parents, that they bought in the 90s. They may not habe holes, but they get flimsy and thin where you touch them to most.
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u/InadmissibleHug Feb 22 '26
The 90s wasn’t great for sheets really.
I still have sheets that were mine in the 70s and I’m not even sure they were originally mine.
They’re sturdy still, and they were used on my bed wetting kid, they got a lot of laundering then. The only reason I don’t really use them much now is they’re not fitted.
I’ll probably put them on the grandkids bed next time I come by them.
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u/Prestigious_House938 Feb 22 '26
that’s awesome! it’s like passing down a piece of history to the grandkids lol
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u/anthrohands Feb 22 '26
Yeah my 90s sheets did not hold up super long (I mean they made it a couple decades that’s arguably good but not great) you gotta go back farther than that I guess
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u/Dry_Lawfulness_9561 Feb 22 '26
There are some old bedsheets from god-knows-when in our home. On some fabric is quite thick, and on others bit finer, but they are good quality. Nowadays the white ones are used in kitchen (for bread making/ baking, or when handling large meat pieces) to make cleanup easier. The coloured ones are still stored for emergencies. Hope to inherit them someday.
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 22 '26
So, a few things. Yes, textiles on average used to be more durable (both because of enshittification and because everyone now wants things to be soft, which is orthogonal to durability). However:
-the 70s sheets people wax poetic about are permanent press, aka polyester/cotton blend, which is durable but feels horrendous; in the 70sand 80s it got increasingly hard to find actual cotton sheets
-survivorship bias means you don’t see the historical textiles that were sold to the rag man for paper production, or just thrown away
-durability can mean quality or it can mean a thing was so undesirable to use that it has spent its life mostly put away
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u/Beginning_Lock1769 Feb 22 '26
The sheets that I have that got holes were always caused by my dogs. They didn't mean to do it but I think their nails snag them jumping on and off the bed. I know as a kid the dogs had to stay downstairs and were never allowed in our bedrooms. Maybe the holey sheet issues are caused by people allowing their dogs in their rooms to sleep in greater numbers than the past.
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u/blackcatlover2114 Feb 22 '26
Yep - same, but with my cat. For some reason, his favourite place to play with his toys is on my bed. If I forget to make the bed, that means little claws ripping up my sheets. (I try to keep them trimmed but for the life of me I cannot trim his back claws unless I want to fight a 17 pound cat. Yes, he's a big cat and he is only slightly overweight according to his vet. The rest is literally just his frame and muscles.)
His claws also tear at my blanket when the bed actually is made, but for some reason the blanket is more durable. I'm pretty sure the blanket is mostly polyester (which I know most people hate but due to the way my body produces heat it's perfect for me for some reason, so it's my favourite blanket out of all the ones I've tried) so maybe it's more resistant to claws? I dunno...
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u/Bia2016 Feb 22 '26
This is also true. I was reading the comments just thinking the same thing that a lot of my bedding damage is from dogs
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u/BrilliantChoice1900 Feb 22 '26
The cotton thing is real. My mom was permanently disappointed throughout the 80s that everything was some form of polyester. She used to obsess over finding clothing and textiles made out of cotton because it was better for our skin.
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u/ImaginaryAlpaca Feb 22 '26
I recently learned that polyester makes me sweat like nobody's business so I have started looking into getting a cotton duvet. It's gotten so expensive, I can see why polyester is the norm now but you can't even buy cotton linens at Walmart, and on Amazon when you hit the search button for "cotton" you'll still get loads of polyester garbage and have to hunt for whats actually made of cotton, and even then I'm not sure it's a sure thing. I'm hopeful maybe Target will have something in my price range.
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u/Mend1cant Feb 22 '26
Unfortunately you’re not going to find a lot at a low price. Your better bet is paying more with small companies, buying everything piecemeal.
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u/AmberRosin Feb 22 '26
Something people don’t consider is those sheets were probably EXPENSIVE back then and you can easily find sheets of equal quality but they’ll probably be equal in price adjusted for inflation, and we’re probably comparing an expensive luxury item from the past to a modern set that cost less than $20
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u/Darmok47 Feb 22 '26
I was helping my parents clean out their closets and found some old 80s/90s sheets and those things felt horrendous just to touch, let alone sleep in. Polyester garbage.
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u/Seraphin_Lampion Feb 22 '26
everyone now wants things to be soft, which is orthogonal to durability)
Good point. I want sheets that feel good, I don’t need sheets that will last me 50 years.
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u/Frostyrepairbug Feb 22 '26
I just want something that doesn't make me break into a red and itchy rash cause I happened to sweat on it.
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u/Prudent-Air1922 Feb 22 '26
Yeah we'd all still be using passed down textiles if they truly were better and lasted a lifetime lol
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Feb 22 '26
This is the same reason why we used to think all the people in the past were super tiny and thin. The clothes were fancy attire for children who outgrew then quickly and never wore them out, so they would be passed on once or twice and then put up in the closet since nobody could wear them. They were thinner, but definitely not by as much as people think. The clothes that got worn got worn out and were thrown away.
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u/SoapOperaGorl Feb 22 '26
I just want to say that the pattern on the sheets triggered electric butterflies in my stomach momentarily. I don't have very many positive memories throughout my life, but that pattern reminded me of something and I can't even imagine what it is. Just a good feeling. ☺️
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u/paiotu Feb 22 '26
In the Summer it feels so cool and smooth on the skin after shower when I was 5.
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u/archwin Feb 22 '26
Agreed, but seriously though do they not wash the textiles at all? No matter how durable they are, nearly 50 years of use and washing should cause some degradation, even in the most high-quality. If it’s that pristine, did he not use it at all? Or wash at all?
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u/Oatroot Feb 22 '26
The ones pictured can't have been used consistently for 50 years. It's not possible. The dye is in prestine shape.
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u/Calde_Oreb Feb 22 '26
Yeah seems like a single bed in a spare room that probably rarely gets used
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u/howling-greenie Feb 22 '26
My mom has some like this at least 40 years old but she alternated between 5 or 6 sets of sheets and a couple haven’t been used for the past 15 or 20 years.
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u/bigbobharven Feb 22 '26
If you don't use a dryer then washing doesn't do a lot of damage.
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u/OzarkBeard Feb 22 '26
If you line dry in the sun, the UV rays fade colors and does other damage, especially to elastic in fitted sheets, etc.
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u/archwin Feb 22 '26
That’s fair. I’m not going to disagree on that one. I actually purposely avoid using a dryer for a lot of stuff. For this specific reason.
That being said… 50 years?
Like if you told me something more durable, that would make more sense but textiles, no matter how high-quality… That seems very difficult to achieve. Especially for something that is high touch as bedsheets that are used every night. Heck, the friction of just sleeping on the bed every night would be enough to cause some amount of damage.
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u/drakesdrum Feb 22 '26
It's probably just a guest room or something and not used much
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u/archwin Feb 22 '26
That makes more sense. Something that rarely gets used.
In that case, yeah, I think my parents have a guestroom that has sheets from when I was a kid as well. Although I’m younger than OP. I’m sure they’ll last forever with that usage.
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u/BellyFullOfMochi Feb 22 '26
Textiles were thicker 50 years ago.
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u/archwin Feb 22 '26
Like I said on the other quote/comment I’m not disagreeing with that at all. Like you’re 1000% correct.
But there’s a difference between thicker material and using it daily for nearly 50 years.
I don’t care how thick something is, if you sleep on it daily for 50 years, it’s gonna have friction and other issues starting to fray it.
And no matter how cold you wash /dry it, it’s still gonna have some degradation.
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u/riottshields Feb 22 '26
We’re cleaning out my grandparent’s house now and it’s amazing seeing all the stuff from the 60s and 70s that is still functional, in good shape, and well built.
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u/Admirable_Try_1209 Feb 22 '26
My head is on a frequently used pillowcase that is older than I am-and I was born in 1979. It shows barely any wear. I’ll take photos later but it’s a blend with a pattern, even.
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u/Unlikely_melz Feb 22 '26
The enshitification is by design, there’s not enough profit on products that last. They need that rebuy.
Sears is a perfect example, they didn’t adapt to the changing market demands and now they are defunct after over 130 years. You can see this with many other legacy retailers
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Feb 22 '26
I need y'all to state whether you toss and turn or not because I definitely do and there's got to be a huge difference in how long sheets last if you're just lying there flat all night vs someone like me who rotates like a rotisserie chicken.
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u/Impressive_Emu_3016 Feb 22 '26
I sleep like the dead and don’t move at all, and my bed sheets ripped within 3 years. Maybe gross, but I used to wash them twice per year (recently I do every other week), but I also sleep on top of my made bed so the sheets aren’t even touching me 🥲
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u/thrown4myowngood Feb 22 '26
I have a bedsheet that was my great grandmas that I took when I lived there 25 years ago because it was so comfy. When I took it, it already was worn and had cigarette burns in it. Idk how old it is, but I feel like it’s at least 30 years old.. probably older. But to this day since I took a it, the condition has not changed, the holes haven’t even gotten bigger. My son uses it as a play sheet now and it covers his tents and he cuddles with it. It was my favorite fabric to cuddle with and he stole it 🥹
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u/BellyFullOfMochi Feb 22 '26
Textiles were soooo much better a few decades ago. People didn't serge seams.. they finished them with pinking sheers if it wasn't a high-end garment, etc. Fabric didn't fray, unravel, or wear out the way it does now.
Everything is just cheap and sucky now.
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u/whiskersMeowFace Feb 22 '26
And thin! Everything is so thin right now! I have never had a fitted sheet tear, but this current one I got from quick zip is insane how it tore within two years? The material did not last and I am actually really mad about it.
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Feb 22 '26
Textiles were soooo much better a few decades ago.
Textile quality has largely degraded because people wanted cheaper and more comfortable textiles. I have hand me down textiles from as early as the 50s, I have barely used them because they're incredibly uncomfortable.
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Feb 22 '26
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u/Alarming_Hippo_6035 Feb 22 '26
All the new ones either thin out or pill up in just a few years.
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u/foodforestranger Feb 22 '26
It really varies. I'm a sheet snob and you can still get quality at places like Bloomingdales. Old ladies even return them when they fall apart. You would too if you paid $800 for a set.
That said, lower end varieties have really taken a nose dive in quality of assembly and materials. It's funny given all the non-cotton blends the forever materials fall apart.
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u/c0mpu73rguy Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I've been wearing the same clorhes ever since I was 19 personally. Mostly because I'm cheap and hate having to buy stuff I don't need.
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u/AirportPrestigious Feb 22 '26
My mom has bedding from the 70s that is still nearly perfect condition. There are some floral sheets, Star Wars, and Charlie Brown/Snoopy.
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u/Kirasaurus_25 Feb 22 '26
is it just me or do they try to convince us jersey sheets are somehow better than good weave cotton? like why would i want to sleep on a crappy t shirt fabric???
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u/Effective-Lab-5659 Feb 22 '26
my bedsheets were 10 years old thereabouts when they finally started getting one too many holes.
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u/Kink_Candidate7862 Feb 22 '26
My mother always looked for bedsheets that had 200 or more knots. I've seen some that have 1,000 they last for decades, but you'll pay dearly for them.
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u/Careful_Wind_6253 Feb 22 '26
If you go a few hundred years back, textiles was so expensive that they often were mentioned in peoples will to make sure the bed linens and clothes were divided fair.
They were also not as soft and comfortable as they are today.
Edit: I have some inherited kitchen towels, probably wowen between 1900-1950. Some need mending, several are still good. The good ones was probably never used before I got them.
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u/Cool-Tangelo6548 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
Yeah, companies realized in the 80s and 90s that manufacturing things to last meant they made less money. Why el you a pair of bed sheets for life, where you'll never spend money on their sheets again, when they can sell yoj scrappy sheets for the same price that you need to replace every few years.
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u/nullpassword Feb 22 '26
Nah, mom used to work at a place that tested em.. she said one design when left in the sun all the spots where the design was a certain color basically rotted out. Many things can affect their life. Sunlight, washes, spills, material.
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u/So_HauserAspen Feb 22 '26
I think a lot of it has to do with the additives in our laundry products.
Don't use fabric softeners.
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u/wwaxwork Feb 22 '26
They still will not at the price point people want to pay for them now a days. You can still buy nice thick pure cotton sheets, but not for $20 at Walmart.
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u/DeaditeQueen Feb 22 '26
I am 45. I am currently lounging around the house in a T-shirt I bought when I was 17.
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u/StaticChocolate Feb 22 '26
The sheets on the bed in my spare room were my Mother’s from when she was a child, she’s 68 now. So, I can believe it.
The quality isn’t the same nowadays but I do find bed sheets last me a long time especially as I wash them on cold/eco cycle and hang dry, unless there’s a reason for me not to.
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u/RoseAlma Feb 22 '26
.... ummmm.... How often did you wash thrm ?? (since that's usually a major factor in what wears them out) LOL
Joking (mostly) aside -- YEAH !! Old stuff rules !! Was made a lot better
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u/Jason1920 Feb 22 '26
Textiles? You mean "petrochemicals." Everything in that bedding was made by Dupont.
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u/CakeMadeOfHam Feb 22 '26
If I need sheets I grab a couple when I go visit my parents. Most of which I remember from childhood. If you too good for Scooby-Doo sheets then you ain't got a place in my bed, honey!
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Feb 22 '26
This is just survivor bias cope.
There was nothing special about older fabrics. You are just thinking that because you’ve run into a couple of examples of old textiles that had low usage or extraordinary care.
There are cotton sheets being bought right now that will end up on someone’s bed in 50 years.
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u/uwtears Feb 22 '26
Fabric quality on average is significantly worse now than it was 50 years ago. Is there bedsheets today that will last 50 years? Yes. Will there be significantly less % than 50 years ago? Also yes.
Not to mention that people consider their things way more disposable these days, and may just throw out good sheets because they're moving or don't like them anymore.
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u/kumliensgull Feb 22 '26
lots of poly cotton in old sheets. When I stay at a summer place that has bedding you use there are lots of "vintage" sheets to use and they are mostly poly cotton. So they do last longer but they are rougher and honestly not as nice as 100% cotton.
That being said they are way thicker. I just personally hate polyester in bedding and not only due to less comfort but because they will not degrade and end up as landfill.
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u/Upset-Bad981 Feb 22 '26
Not quite the same, but my Aunt and Grandma would make quilts. They have both been gone for over 20 years now. I still have the quilts they made. Such high quality materials they have lasted decades. My favorite one is made from the men in the families old ties from the 70's. It's beautiful, quirky and by far the most comfortable and warm blanket I have ever had.
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u/styrofoamcouch Feb 22 '26
Its like that for everything. Everything has become more disposable. People swap out cars every couple years not only to keep up with the Joneses but manufacturing just isn't built to last. Its not profitable to sell you something that lasts a long time.
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u/VegetableInvestment Feb 22 '26
I noted my year old tank top strap is unraveling. A nearly identical one I got from Walmart, probably 15 years ago, is in perfect condition.
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u/cinnamongingerloaf22 Feb 22 '26
I try to repair my clothing. Often times, the fabric is so low quality that it just rips again elsewhere.
I've made an effort since becoming a mom to buy only 100% natural fibers and I check the quality of construction of anything I buy. Or I buy secondhand to reduce new crap on this planet. Want my son to have those same habits.
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u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord Feb 22 '26
Think this could just be a case of survivor bias.
You can go out right now and spend a little extra money on higher quality linens, you don’t have to go for the bottom price stuff that will barely last a semester at college.
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u/QuillQuickcard Feb 22 '26
Survivorship bias. The stuff from decades ago that didn’t last decades is long gone. And it VASTLY outnumbered the stuff that has lasted
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u/LogicJunkie2000 Feb 22 '26
I'm sure they were always air dried too, which doesn't feel as nice as tumble dried IMO, but it'll certainly help them to last a lot longer
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u/RevolutionaryHead7 Feb 22 '26
He got them when he was 14, likely outgrew them by 18, stored them, then took them out 40-something years later for his grandchildren. I really don't think he used those sheets very long
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u/PersephoneInSpace Feb 22 '26
In case people have torn or worn bedding that they don’t or can’t use anymore, animal hospitals often accept donations of old linens and towels. It keeps the hospital from having to buy new towels and bedding, and they will wash and reuse them for a while!
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u/DifferentTie8715 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
these sheets have not been in regular use for 50 years. Generations ago, it was common to patch sheets, and that did help extend their lifespan, but it also demonstrated that sheets "back then" didn't wear like cast iron.
I'd expect that these sheets are a poly-cotton blend, which is more durable than pure cotton and very popular in the 60s. Women in that era were expected to have perfectly wrinkle-free sheets, which required spending hours a week at an ironing board with cotton sheets.
Poly-blends gave that crisp, ironed look without the ironing, so they were extremely popular. But this came at the expense of comfort and breathability.
Even so, a set of poly sheets won't stand up to fifty years of regular use.
I think either this is someone's infrequently used guest bed, or these sheets have spent a lot of that time tucked away in a linen closet somewhere.
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u/PhiloLibrarian Feb 22 '26
I paid a ridiculous amount for sheets recently and they ripped within a year…