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Have you ever wondered how often you should wash towels, or which setting is the best for getting them clean? How to Wash Towels offers tips and instructions that will ensure that your towels are at their cleanest and most absorbent.
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Introduction
- You may not think about one until you need it, but towels are an every day part of life. There is nothing quite like stepping out of the shower or bath and wrapping yourself into a nice clean towel, and drying dishes would take forever without them. We use them for drying and cleaning during everyday chores, and anyone who has ever bought towels for a family can tell you they aren't exactly cheap to replace on a regular basis. Washing and drying towels properly will not only keep your household dry and clean, but it can prolong their life up to five or ten years.
Washing Towels
- How often you launder your bath towels will depend on how often you use them and how well they dry between each use. Martha Stewart recommends washing them every four days, while an online laundry poll suggests that as long as towels aren't kept in steamy conditions and allowed proper ventilation to dry, one could go as long as two or three weeks between washings.
- Gather towels and sort them into light and dark piles. Sort patterned towels by dominant color.
- Arrange your first load of towels in the washer so the load is balanced.
- Choose a hot wash with cold rinse to kill any bacteria the towels might have collected.
- Wash in a mild detergent and avoid using bleach, which damages the fibers.
- Avoid using silicon based fabric softeners. They are water repellent and will affect the absorbency of your towels.
Drying Towels
- Once the wash cycle is complete, it's time to dry the towels. Proper drying is essential to the life of your towels, as you don't want them to become mildewed. When it comes to drying you have two choices: the electric dryer or air drying.
Electric Dryer
- Unload the towels from the washer and into the dryer.
- Add one dryer sheet to keep static cling at bay.
- Dry towels on high heat.
- Remove towels when 80% dry and allow them to finish air drying to prevent mildew.
Air Drying
- Air drying in the spring and summer saves electricity.
- Air drying, either indoors or outdoors prolongs the life of towels.
- If hanging outside or on a rack, shake towels out before hanging and before folding to fluff up the fibers.
- To avoid fading don't hang brightly colored towels in direct sunlight.
Tips and Tricks
- Here are a few extra tips to maintain the longevity of your towels.
- Avoid overstuffing the washer so towels have room to get clean.
- Break in new towels by soaking them overnight in with one cup of ammonia.
- Never use bleach on towels. Bleach breaks down the fibers and causes lint.
- Don't wash or dry towels with clothes, especially items with zippers. Zippers could snag the towels.
- After using towels hang them to dry in well ventilated areas to prolong use between washes.
- Never toss dirty towels into a pile or a hamper. This will speed up production of mildew.
Resources for How to Wash Towels
- eHow: How to Wash Towels
- ERC: Towel Tips
- iVillage: Laundering Your Linens
- Jot Sheet Blog Post: Washing Towels (September 2006)
- Martha Stewart: Washing Bath Towels
- Real Simple: Caring for Your Towels
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