How to Wash Dirty Kitchen Towels

Photo by Caroline Attwood on Unsplash laundry washing

Kitchen towels are a must-have. It keeps one’s self sanitary while also preparing meals for the entire family. However, it is also one of the dirtiest things imaginable in a household. From tomato sauce, wet hands, and sometimes vegetable peelings- anything can be touching the towels. Disgusting? Totally. To think that the bacteria might infect your family is horrifying. This CBS article cites a study done by the American Society of Microbiology. The research itself shows how 49% of all kitchen towels used in the study has an astronomical amount of E.coli, a type of microbe that causes diarrhoea, urinary tract infection, among others. Another bacteria, staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus), is known to cause blood infections. laundry washing

S.aureus is especially terrifying as the kitchen is also one of the sites in the house where one could get injured from chopping or grating, thus resulting in open wounds. A person would most likely wash the wound then dry it off with the kitchen towel, not knowing the amount of risk they are placing themselves and their companions. Factor in the fact that these towels don’t usually get the laundry washing treatment, it isn’t hard to imagine how someone or anyone could get sick just by drying their hands.

To keep things as clean and as healthy as possible, we have laid out some tips and reminders to keep your kitchen towels clean, and your entire household protected. During these trying times, we must work together to keep ourselves healthy, and we at Eazihome would like to give you a hand regarding that.

Laundry Washing Starts with Laundry Soaking

Soaking is a reasonably common laundry method all across the world. It mainly consists of a fabric’s overnight stint in a shallow tub of water mixed with detergent. For kitchen towels though, this can be upped by using hot water. It is a fact that germs instantly die when exposed to at least 100 degrees centigrade. This, combined with heavy-duty detergent, is sure to clear out almost all of the bacteria present in the fabric. The overnight soak will also help in making sure that the chemicals in the detergent can make its way to every inch of the cloth and ensure that it is clean by the next day.

Go Bleach!

After the soaking period, it is time to wash the towels. This time, use bleach to entirely, truly eliminate all the nasty germs still hiding in the weave of the cloth. For coloured towels, using colour-safe bleach can help preserve the vibrance of the colours, while at the same time keep it clean. Either way, only use a small amount, about 1-2 tablespoons worth. Bleach is composed of potent chemical compounds. When overdone, it may result in the death of not just the bacteria, but the fabric itself as well.

You may opt for the washer, or you can go manual. Either way, agitating the fabric the best you (or your machine) could is the only option. Kitchen towels are usually cheap, so you need not worry too much if it gets damaged. Besides, replacing kitchen towels as much as you can is recommendable to keep your kitchen sanitary. Do remember to dry them under the sun to aid in the germ-killing. This also prevents the towel from smelling bad.

A Few Reminders…

Never Wash Kitchen Towels with Regular Laundry

Sure, you want to wash your things in one go, and that is understandable. Who doesn’t want convenience anyway? But never forget that your kitchen towels is as clean as the sole of your shoes- it’s not. Mixing it in with your clothes and other fabrics can only have disastrous consequences. The washing needs of your clothes is vastly different from needs of your kitchen towels. Contamination of bacteria in clothing is also a very real risk.

Replace Your Kitchen Towels as much as You Could

The ideal when it comes to towels is replacing them every day. We explained why in this article. But let’s be real. We don’t. We think it’s wasteful when a perfectly okay towel is still there. You can, instead, replace them every 2-3 days. For those living with more than four people at home, though, it is optimal to have it changed every 1-2 days. Who knows what kind of epidemic might spawn in your household if you aren’t careful?

Don’t Be Afraid to Throw Out

Some people are deathly sentimental. But for kitchen towels, this is not an option. They are cheap and mostly made of equally cheap materials. Once they’ve started to wear out, it’s time to buy fresh new towels. Don’t buy expensive ones! You certainly won’t get the value for your money if you do.

Give Us a Ring!

If you’re still unsure of what to do, or you just don’t want to do this entire thing by yourself, we can help you! You can contact us using our Whatsapp or our email. You can find the details for both on our homepage. If you’re in Singapore and want us to do the cleaning, you can check out our services here. Just tell us that it’s a kitchen towel and we’ll be sure to do the appropriate treatment for it.

Author’s Note: The methodology specified in this article has been used and passed down from my grandmother and mother. I now use them, especially when I’m at my flat where I live alone. It has done wonders, and hopefully, it will be as effective to you, as it has been to us.