Throwing in the Towel(s)

     I guess you could say the builder of our house was a minimalist.  He built for practicality, with not the slightest concession to luxury.  Every feature of the house is minimal, at best.  The entire house has only 3 shallow closets, one in the kitchen, and a closet in each of 2 bedrooms.  The builder was not a large man, and the closets were evidently constructed to his specifications. He probably could not have conceived of anyone's needing more than a few changes of clothing. The closets close with wooden sliding doors, and are  deep enough only to contain clothing hung on wire hangers, which will swing sideways a little when the closet  doors are closed.  Try to hang an article of clothing, such as a jacket or blazer, on a wooden hanger, and you'll need to take the iron out to press the squashed shoulder before wearing.
   Our bathroom was likewise designed with little storage capacity, no linen closet, not even a single storage shelf, only the limited space beneath the vanity.  Our builder's idea of what was needed in a bathroom most likely included only a few towels.  We did at one point replace the original sink cabinet with a larger vanity, with slightly more storage space underneath, and that's the crux of a problem which occurs on an occasional, but regular, basis.  The reason most likely is too many towels, an accumulation of years' worth.  I admit, I have an issue with getting rid of them.  I think it may stem from my childhood memory of having only one towel in the house, hanging by the kitchen stove, and used by everyone in the family.  I used to buy towels  fairly often, but I have never just thrown them away.  When they get worn, I use them for cleaning, but I always wash them and put them away afterwards, to be used to clean something else.  One time, when I used to drive near the area,  I donated some to the Animal Shelter.  Another time, when my daughter worked for the local youth commission, the director had a circus come to town to perform at the Valley Falls Park, and the troupe stayed at her house.  They needed towels, so we sent a bunch of them up.  We didn't want them back.  Other than that, all towels have remained in my house.
    So our recurring problem is that every so often, something happens beneath the sink.  All the towels and facecloths stored there become sopping wet--to the degree that they are too heavy to deal with as a mass.  They have to be separated, and fed into the washer and then the dryer gradually, or else the weight would burn out the bearings of the machines.  The reason is that the pipe beneath  the sink leaks.  We know that.  I say plumber's putty should be applied to the pipe joints.  He says the towels are pushed against the pipe and loosen it.  I watch "This Old House" and am pretty sure pipe compound would help, but he says not in this case.  It could be possible he is right, so I have decided not to store so many towels there any longer.  Three laundry loads of towels later, I decide to act.  But what to do with them? 
     I could throw them away, but I can't bring myself to do that.  The donation bins in the parking lots specify shoes and clothing ONLY, with severe consequences if you do otherwise.  So that's out.  Someone at the library has offered to take donations of towels and mugs to St. Joseph's House for use by the homeless.  That sounds like a viable option, but I have a feeling that my towels are too old and worn and they may be rejected even by the homeless. That would shatter what little self-esteem I have left.   So here I sit, with a kitchen table loaded with clean but timeworn towels.  Oh, the horror!