Preliminary Ruling on Guest Towel Rules
Four towels designated for guest use have been washed, folded, and stored since a visit in October of last year.
CLASSIFICATION NOTICE
Object(s) under review: Four matching hand towels, pale grey, presently located on the second shelf of the linen cupboard, folded with the folded edge facing outward.
Designation: Guest towels.
Status: Preserved.
The guest towels were purchased in preparation for a visit in October. The visit occurred. The guest towels were not made available. The regular towels were used instead, the reasoning being that the guest towels were "too nice" for that particular visit, which was informal.
The guest towels were returned to the linen cupboard after the visit.
Under the governing rule, any guest towel rules that survives three cleanups must be treated as permanent household infrastructure.
Since October, the linen cupboard has been reorganized twice. On both occasions the guest towels were identified, recognized as unused, assessed for future use, and returned to their position on the second shelf. Other towels in the cupboard have been rotated through active duty. The guest towels have not.
The towels are in excellent condition, having never been used by a guest or, for that matter, anyone else.
Inquiry has been made into the conditions required for guest towel deployment. The following criteria have been identified through informal research:
- The guest must be staying overnight.
- The guest must be visiting for the first time, or visiting after a gap of sufficient length that the quality of the household's linens warrants re-establishing.
- The visit must carry some social significance justifying the release of reserved resources.
No visit meeting all three criteria has occurred since the towels' acquisition.
A preferred location has been established at the second shelf. Adjacent towels have been reorganized to protect the arrangement. One household member referred to the guest towels as "the good ones" without being prompted, suggesting the designation has been transmitted informally.
The towels remain available for guest use. No guests have been scheduled.
The shelf is their home now.