Fresh, fluffy towels turn a daily shower into a spa-like experience. But if your towels smell musty or feel like sandpaper, your laundry routine might be to blame.
From water temperature to the “shake method,” we are breaking down exactly how to wash towels to keep them soft, absorbent, and smelling great for years.
Key Takeaways
- Wash bath towels every three uses to prevent bacteria buildup; wash face cloths and gym towels after every single use.
- Skip the fabric softener and dryer sheets, as they coat fibers and ruin absorbency. Use wool dryer balls instead.
- Use warm water for most towels to kill germs, but always check the care label for specialty fabrics like bamboo or microfiber.
- Refresh dingy or smelly towels by washing them with one cup of white vinegar and no detergent.
How Often Should You Wash Towels?
You should wash your standard bath towel after every three uses. Towels absorb water and dead skin cells, making them the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Always let your towel air dry completely between showers to slow down germ growth.
However, specific scenarios require a wash after every single use:
- Washcloths: These scrub your face and hold onto heavy amounts of moisture and skin cells (1).
- Gym Towels: Sweat creates a rapid bacterial bloom that leads to bad odors quickly.
- Kitchen Towels: If they touch raw meat or food residue, wash them immediately to prevent cross-contamination.
- Illness or Skin Conditions: If you are sick, or if you have eczema or open wounds, a fresh towel every time prevents reinfection and irritation.
Bonus Tip
How to Wash Towels by Hand
While machine washing is standard, hand-washing is gentler on fibers and saves energy. It is also a great skill to have if your appliance breaks or you are traveling.
What You Need
- Clean bathtub, sink, or basin.
- Liquid laundry detergent.
- Rubber gloves.
- Borax (optional for hard water).
Instructions
- Prep the basin: Clean your sink or tub thoroughly. Fill it with cool or warm water. You do not need scalding hot water to get a good clean.
- Add detergent: Use about one tablespoon of detergent for a sink or four tablespoons for a bathtub. Swish the water with your gloved hands to mix it. If you have hard water, add a tablespoon of Borax to help the soap work effectively.
- Soak the towels: Submerge your towels and let them soak for 30 to 60 minutes. This loosens dirt and oils.
- Agitate: Knead the towels with your hands. Rub fabric against fabric to scrub out stains. Lift and plunge them into the water a few times to force the soap through the loops.
- Rinse thoroughly: Drain the dirty soapy water. Refill the tub with fresh, cool water and agitate the towels again. Repeat this rinse process until the water runs clear and no soap bubbles appear.
- Remove water: Press the towels against the side of the tub to squeeze out water. Do not twist or wring them aggressively, as this damages the fibers.
How to Wash Towels in the Washing Machine
Machine washing is efficient, but tossing towels in blindly can ruin them. The key is managing detergent buildup and friction.
What You Need
- Laundry detergent (high quality).
- Distilled white vinegar.
- Baking soda (optional).
- Stain remover (if needed).
Instructions
Before you start, separate your laundry. Wash towels in their own load to prevent zippers and buttons from snagging the loops. You should also separate white towels from colored ones to prevent graying or dye transfer.
- Check the label: Read the care instructions. Cotton usually likes hot water, while bamboo and microfiber prefer warm or cool settings.
- Load loosely: Do not stuff the machine. Towels become heavy when wet and need room to agitate for a proper clean.
- Use less detergent: Use half the recommended amount of detergent. Excess soap builds up inside the fibers, trapping odors and making the towel feel stiff.
- Skip the softener: Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets. They coat the fabric in a waxy layer that repels water (2). Instead, pour one cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment to soften fibers and kill odors naturally.
- Select the cycle: Use a “Normal” or “Towels” cycle with a high spin speed to extract as much water as possible.
- Optional baking soda boost: If your towels smell particularly funky, add 1/2 cup of baking soda directly to the drum (not the dispenser) along with your detergent. This helps neutralize acidic odors.
Warning
How to Dry Towels
The way you dry your towels determines how fluffy they turn out. Over-drying can make them brittle, while under-drying leads to mildew.
The “Shake” Method
Before you move wet towels to the dryer or clothesline, grab each one and give it a hard snap or shake. This uncrumples the terry cloth loops that got matted down in the washer. Doing this ensures the towel dries fluffy rather than stiff.
Machine Drying
- Check the lint trap: A clogged lint trap reduces airflow and creates a fire hazard. clean it before every load.
- Add dryer balls: Toss in a few wool dryer balls or a clean tennis ball. These bounce around, separating the towels to speed up drying time and naturally soften the fabric.
- Watch the heat: High heat is fine for cotton, but medium heat preserves the fibers longer.
- Don’t over-dry: Remove towels while they are barely damp (about 95% dry) and air dry them for the final few minutes. This prevents the heat from “baking” the fibers into a scratchy texture.
Air Drying
If you prefer line drying, hang towels flat to prevent overlapping layers that harbor moisture. Direct sunlight is a natural disinfectant and bleach for white towels, but it can fade colored towels over time. To avoid the “cardboard” feel of line-dried towels, shake them vigorously once they are dry.
FAQs
Why Do Towels Smell Even After Washing?
A sour smell usually indicates mildew or detergent buildup trapped deep in the fibers. To fix this, run a “strip wash.” Wash the towels with hot water and one cup of white vinegar, no detergent. Follow this immediately with a second cycle using hot water and half a cup of baking soda. This strips away the residue and kills the bacteria causing the odor.
What Cycle Do You Wash Towels On?
For 100% cotton towels, use the “Regular” or “Normal” cycle with warm or hot water. This provides the strong agitation and high spin speed needed for heavy fabrics. For microfiber or bamboo blends, use a “Gentle” or “Synthetic” cycle with warm water to avoid damaging the delicate fibers.
Is It Ok to Wash Towels With Clothes?
No, you should avoid mixing them. Towels produce a lot of lint that sticks to clothing, and heavy wet towels can damage delicate fabrics like silk or satin during the spin cycle. Additionally, towels often need hotter water than your standard t-shirts or jeans can handle.
How Do Hotels Keep Their Towels So White?
Hotels use a specific three-step process: First, they wash with laundry detergent and baking soda. Second, they use vinegar (or a mild acid) in the rinse cycle to strip residue. Third, they dry towels thoroughly to fluff the fibers. They also adhere strictly to keeping whites separate from all other colors to prevent graying.
How Do You Wash Microfiber Towels?
Microfiber is unique because it melts in high heat and clogs easily. Wash microfiber towels in cool or warm water with a mild detergent. Never use fabric softener or powdered detergent, as these get stuck in the tiny fibers. Air dry them or tumble dry on the lowest heat setting available.
How Do You Revive Old Scratchy Towels?
Scratchiness is usually caused by dried soap residue. Run a hot cycle with two cups of white vinegar and no detergent. After that cycle finishes, run a second hot cycle with half a cup of baking soda and no detergent. Finally, dry them with wool dryer balls. If they are still scratchy after this detox, the fibers have likely worn down, and it is time to buy new ones.
How Do You Keep Towels Soft?
The secret to softness is reducing chemical buildup and increasing air. Use half the recommended detergent, never use liquid softener, and shake your towels out vigorously before drying. Using wool dryer balls in the machine creates air pockets that fluff up the loops naturally.
Should You Iron Towels?
No. Ironing crushes the loops of the fabric, which permanently reduces absorbency and fluffiness. If you want wrinkle-free towels, fold them immediately while they are warm from the dryer.
Can I Wash Sheets and Towels Together?
It is best not to. Towels are heavy and rough, while sheets are large and thinner. Washing them together often results in the towels trapping the sheets in a ball, preventing them from getting clean. The friction from the heavy towels can also cause your sheets to pill (develop small fabric balls) faster.
Don’t Throw in the Towel
You don’t need to replace your linens just because they look a little tired. A simple change in your laundry routine, like swapping softener for vinegar or adjusting your water temperature, can bring the fluffiness back.
Treat your towels right, and they will keep you dry and cozy for years to come.
