I went to $ Tree today and bought 9 towels. Some people asked about them shrinking, so I washed them. Didn't get to the washer right away; maybe 15 minutes passed before I dried them. When I took them out of the dryer they hadn't shrunk too much, no more than any other waffle towels. But the red in the stripes is splashed all over the towels. I didn't think to use color catchers. So I guess I have to wash them again. These may become my towels instead of gifts.