Towels can be washed with anything cotton — so t-shirts, socks, cotton or flannel PJs, sweats, sheets and so on are all fair game. Gym clothes — anything with lycra or spandex — hate towels and fleece, so don't mix those things if you can avoid it.
You shouldn't use fabric conditioner at all – or, at most, only a little – when washing towels in order to keep towels soft and absorbent, so this may influence what you choose to put together in the drum. Note also that new towels may shed fluff, so this can be a reason to wash them as a separate load at first.
Wash Towels Separately
For sanitary reasons, you should always wash bath towels separately from clothing items. Putting towels in their own load also makes it easier to adjust the setting based on color. It's also easier to dry towels in the same load since damp towels dry slower than most clothes.
According to Taylor Matthews, owner of Sparkling Queens in Savannah, Georgia, you definitely want to wash towels separately from clothing and other linens. “For one, your other clothes and sheets will get lint and fibers on them from being washed with towels,” she explains.
It's wise to sort clothes and towels of the same fabric before washing them together. So you can wash cotton towels with cotton clothing, bamboo towels with bamboo clothing, etc. Pairing similar or the same fabrics when washing allows you to use the same settings for the wash cycle.
Can you wash your sheets and blankets together? Yes — but avoid washing soiled dish towels and underwear with your bedding. Towels and underwear are items that get especially dirty and need to be washed separately in hot water to remove bacteria.
Dowling suggests washing towels separately from other laundry to avoid “items that could pull or snag the fabric, such as clothing with zippers, hooks or Velcro,” she said. If you've pretreated your towels for stains, check them before putting them in the dryer to see if they're clean.
Washing your towels with a detergent that cleans deep like Defunkify will result in a funk-free towel for future use - but please, don't share towels (aka bacteria breeding receptacles) with your family members between washes! Secondly, sharing towels can lead to skin problems.
A. Generally, it is best not to mix the bathroom cleaning cloths with those used to clean food preparation surfaces or dishes. Bathroom cleaning cloths could carry a risk of contamination with fecal, skin-borne or other pathogens.
Avoid splotchy colors or dingy whites by washing similarly colored towels together. Too many towels washed at once won't get clean, but too few means greater agitation for quicker wear and tear. Most front-loading washing machines can fit seven standard-size bath towels; top-loading washers can fit around nine or ten.
It's very important to wash your lights and darks laundry separately, as darker dyes can ruin lighter fabrics. Sort your greys, blacks, navies, reds, dark purples and similar colours into one load, and your pinks, lavenders, light blues, light greens and yellows into another laundry.
Washing your sheets with other clothes one time isn't going to ruin them, but we don't recommend getting into the habit of it. There are several benefits to giving your sheets a little extra attention in the wash. Cuts down on tangles.
They don't need a special or delicate programme. However, if your washing machine has a large items/bulky setting, this is great for towels. Ideally, they should be washed for a longer cycle with a fast spin speed.
Ultimately, though, when a towel's threads begin to pull—or you notice a lingering odor, despite a careful wash—it's time to toss it; you can expect body and hand towels to last between two to five years depending on their quality. Wash cloths, on the other hand, should be replaced every one or two years, notes Winch.
“We recommend washing bath towels after every three uses, or at least once a week, to ensure truly clean towels,” said Kate Elks, Brooklinen director. “Brooklinen's bath offerings, including bath towels and sheets, hand towels, and washcloths, only differ in size, so you can care for them all the same way.”
Yes, clothes and towels can spread germs. There are 3 main ways that germs are spread by clothes and towels: when towels or bedding are used by more than 1 person germs can spread between them.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health.
Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle. A sanitizing cycle can also be used, but may not be recommended for every wash, depending on the towel fabric.
For household washing machines, the best temperature to wash towels at is at around 40 degrees. Washing at 40 degrees will ensure your towels stay feeling and looking their best for longer, whilst removing most of the germs that breed there.
So use a lower setting, or alternate between air drying and tumble drying. You can also partially dry towels on the line and then finish them up in the dryer. If you prefer line drying, shake the towels out afterwards to fluff up the fibers, or toss them in the dryer on a cool setting for additional softness.
Should we wash towels or underwear at higher temperatures? "Clothes washed at 30C and below will come out clean," says cleaning guru Stephanie Zia, "but dust mites, pet allergens, mould spores, pollen and bacteria will be completely removed only by heat – ie, at 60C plus.
Most towels should be washed in warm water in a regular cycle, but read the tag to be sure. "If the label stresses that you should separate your dark colors from your white colors, you better do that," say Garnet Hill's experts. "And each towel could differ depending on the fibers."
Small drum (up to 7 kg)
As a general guide, one load in a small drum means it can handle 5 small towels and 6 lightweight tops.