Why you should NEVER wash towels and tea towels together

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A professional cleaner has explained why you should never wash your towels and tea towels together.

We all have our own clever tricks for cleaning and routines when it comes to laundry, whether it’s a heavenly smelling detergent or your hack for stain removing.

We all have our laundry days and know to separate darks, whites, and colours but you're probably making another common laundry mistake when it comes to your towels and tea towels. 

A genius mum recently revealed why you need to button up your duvet cover when it goes in the wash and now it's time to take note of this vital towel washing info.

Better Homes and Gardens says that you should be separating all of your towels (body, hands, and face) from your kitchen tea towels.

It may sound like a lot of work but it's important! You should never ever wash your face and body towels with your tea towels as you risk cross-contamination and the spreading of harmful bacteria and germs.

Think how often you wipe down surfaces, clean up a spill or leave your tea towel damp after washing up. Tea towels are an ideal place for germs to grow and spread.

Washing machine with some laundry inside

Germs can easily be transferred between towels if you put them in the same wash. Washing them together can lead to towels not being cleaned properly which can be unhygienic. Using cold water or not enough detergent can also lead to towels not being cleaned thoroughly.

The risk of Covid-19 is another key reason why we should be being diligent with our cleaning, Covid-19 can linger on fabrics for up to three days, so doing regular, hot washes is a good way to avoid germs.

Better Homes advise washing your towels every four days at 40 degrees or higher on a spin cycle to avoid germs. Bath towels and face towels can be washed in a hot wash, at 90 degrees, which is ideal as heat kills bacteria.

A hot wash is especially good for face towels as they come into contact with your eye, nose, and mouth.

Tea Towels can develop an odour, and have more bacteria than you might expect. A great tip to banish nasty smells is adding white vinegar or putting bicarbonate soda in your washing load for a really deep clean. 

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.