Laundering Towels

[toploader55]

Here are some thoughts that I believe we here know but is a good article for the average person who really does not put much thought into Laundry.

I mean really... All of us at AW.org are the World's authority on doing Wash right ? LOL.

Disclaimer... This article is for entertainment purposes only. Your actually milage/ results may vary

7 Ways You're Ruining Your Towels

Woops. 😶

www.huffingtonpost.com

 

[frigilux]

I agree with several of the bullet points in the article, although I use liquid chlorine bleach and hot water as all bath linens in the house are white. Aside: Interesting that an article discouraging the use of bleach is surrounded--at least on my computer--with ads for Clorox, LOL.

I cringe when using the bathroom at a particular friend's house. Wet towels are usually in a pile on the floor or stacked atop each other on the towel bar. And people wonder why they have mildew problems.

Some wash towels in cold water to preserve colors, to which I'd advise the use of a top-quality detergent formulated for that purpose and to be diligent about drying them properly. Washing in cold water is a point of contention to begin with, but doing so using an ill-equipped detergent is simply asking for trouble.

In fact, I would have added a bullet point advising to dry towels thoroughly at a high temperature to avoid mold/mildew issues no matter how you choose to wash them. [this post was last edited: 9/18/2015-05:19]

 

[polkanut]

After bath towels are used in our household they get hung either out on the clothesline or hung on the back of the bathroom door to dry before going in the hamper.  When they're laundered we usually use Ariel or Sears detergent, 2 tbsp. STPP, ammonia, and maybe a dose of BIZ or bluing.  Dried in the dryer on medium heat or line dried.

 

[Marky_Mark]

I agree with you -- I think it's important to dry towels thoroughly (without over drying) before storing.  Also I installed an electrically-heated towel rail in my bathroom to dry them off after using.

 

I recently stayed in a house in Arizona.  The washer (Neptune FL, no internal heater) and towels had a mildew smell.  I immediately corrected this after a visit to Target to pick up some supplies!

 

I always wash towels at 60 ℃ (140 ℉), 3 deep rinses, 1600 RPM spin in my FL here in Spain.  Then dried to "normal dry" which leaves the tiniest amount of residual moisture without over drying.  Occasionally I do them at 90 ℃ (194 ℉) as much for the benefit of the machine as for the towels.  If I do them in my old British Hotpoint TL, then I do them at 50 ℃ (122 ℉) as this is what I have my hot water set to, so it avoids the machine having to pause for a long time to heat the water further, with the occasional wash at 90 ℃.  Always using powder with oxygen bleach in both machines for towels (all white).

 

I never normally use chlorine bleach on laundry.  Although with the FLs I've used in the USA (some are overpriced, hideous excuses for a washing machine) you have to adapt and take the necessary measures to alleviate their shortcomings.

 

[whirlcool]

We do the same with wet towels. On the other side of the bathroom are two towel bars. Normally they are not occupied. When we have wet towels we hang them there to dry. Usually in a couple of hours they are completely dry, but most of the time we let them sit overnight before putting in the dirty clothes hamper.

We wash on hot using All Free & Clear. Two warm rinses. Then each towel is shaken out before it's placed in the dryer. Once again on folding when removed from the dryer. I tried adding some vinegar to the rinse, but it gives the towels an odd smell similar to being baked in an oven. So we don't use any FS at all.

We have some mid 1980's towels that are still in use (Fieldcrest) and still look great. I have a couple of wash cloths that I used in college that are used on the occasion when we run out of new ones. So much for the shredmore.

 

[henene4]

Our weekls towels are washed on a nice long 40°C wash with usual color detergent, no FS, the dried either on the normal dry with reduced drying degree (the normal dry on the WP is the renamed normal dry plus) or the rating cycle (actual normal dry) with extended dry.

Every two weeks, our bath towels (which hang behind the bathroom door all the time) get a long 60°C wash together with the other towels and go through 4 or 5 rinses depending on which machine. This wash includes my bathrobe and additional 100cm*50cm towel made of Morgenstern Super Soft material (sysnthetic, but the most awesome and only pure synthetic thing (except for some sport shorts) I ever use), which have this tendency to soak up more water then the cotton, but drying twice as fast.

I once had a literal mildew problem on 1 single wash cloth. We went on holiday and it hung in the shower for 2 weeks. I mixed a liter of hot water with 100ml of LCB, put it in a bucket, soaked the wash cloth for 15 minutes, then rinsed it and washed it at 60°C with the rest of the towels. That thing looked new. Actually, this was a washcloth I bought at Harrods in London. The only thing we bought there, LOL.

 

[washer111]

Ours get a weekly 60º run, sometimes with a Pre-Wash, and sometimes not. It depends on the load size, in most instances.  Triple rinsing, always, as towels really hold onto the suds quite nicely and often cause a water/suds lock in the washer due to an odd software error. (The machine generally tweaks itself to avoid this with near-capacity loads). 

 

We don't have a tumble dryer, and absolutely do not need it hear "in the stix" of Australia. Most of the time, an hour or two on the line outside is plenty - although one should thoroughly shake the towels to prevent the luxurious sandpaper feeling! 

In the middle of Summer, I kid you not it takes all of 15-20 minutes, even in the shade, to dry laundry!

 

So the UV light, in my instance, is what helps to "disinfect" the towels, and prevent dirty problems. 

 

[mamapinky]

All white towels and face cloths for me, Speed Queen TL . They get started at 130 degrees f with Tide Professional with oxi, let agitate 5 minutes shut off to soak 30 minutes, than water temp is boosted with a large soup pot of boiling water that usually raises the temp to 145, continue agitation . Rinse gets a tablespoon Members Mark LFS , shook in 2 directions and dried on med till dry but not baked. They always look and feel great and smell clean and fresh. I only use chlorine bleach if someone's been sick with like the flu. Cheryl

 

[askolover]

All white towels and wash cloths for us too...hot 150F with Clorox always, 4 rinses always by default, washed after EVERY use. No problems with wear...some starting to show after only 14 years since they were bought.

 

[joeypete]

I usually wash my towels after 2 uses. I normally take 2 showers a day so that means i use about 1 towel a day...depending. When I first got my Kenmore 28102 I used the Heavy Duty cycle to wash them but i switched to the Deep Wash cycle (the manual recommended it for towels) and I get better rinsing. I've been using about 2 scoops of Sears Ultra Plus, plus 1 scoop of STPP. I just bought a box of Biz so I will add that to the Oxy dispenser next time. I have Cheer powder but it's very sudsy so I'd have to reduce the amount of detergent I use should I decide to switch to that.

My towels always come out really fresh. I most always hang them or lay them flat to dry though before putting in the hamper.

 

[iej]

I just use good quality powder and that's it.

Aerial or Persil.

 

[frigilux]

What!? A single laundry product and a standard, unadulterated cycle? I believe that violates several tenets of AW membership, James!

 

[iej]

Meh!

I like my laundry the be *automatic* & convenient - let the technology do the work.

Open door, stuff towels in as many towels as will reasonably fit, add a not particularly well measured scoop of Persil, Ariel or equivalent into the drawer, a splodge of Comfort Pure (fabric softener) (I like my towels fluffy). select Cottons, 60°C, select 1600 rpm spin.
Slam door.
Press start!

Come back when I hear a beep - put towels in dryer.

Cycle in a Miele W1 takes approx 2:00 for the full cottons 60 cycle.

Vented Miele Dryer takes a little over 1h35

Fold towels - store in "hot press" (airing cupboard that keeps them at about 35C) to ensure they're always warm and fluffy!

 

[whirlykenmore78]

All white bath and kitchen towels here

Hot wash Water Heater set to 60C (140F) With Tide liquid and Clorox Bleach, 2 cold rinses and 1/2 of a small dose of Downy Clean Breeze. Dry on auto dry to normal dry. Always fresh, bright and soft. Using 1/2 dose of softener prevents waterproofing versus a full dose.
WK78

 

[appnut]

I use a bath towe4l twice at the most and it gets hung up to completely dry and placed in the hamper until a full load of towels exists.  They're washed on Allergen which is required to reach 130 or 131 and hold it there for a few minutes.  Just standard rinses per the cycle, no added rinsing.  Snuggle is added to final rinse.  Dried on medium heat. 

 

[jerrod6]

I guess I am the dirty, I don't care kid

I have two sets of towels going in the house each month  One is the dark green set, the other is white.

The towels get used for 7 days each, the wash clothes get replaced twice a week.

Both sets are washed every two weeks at 120F, and each set is washed at 140F once a month.

 

They don't smell, they aren't dirty, and I am not dying of an illness...in fact I haven't had a cold or flu in 6 or 7 years. So as far as towels go I guess I just don't care too much about it, and I am healthy.

 

I might feel differently if I had long term illness or other chronic communicable health issues going on in the house, but without that I don't feel the need to over clean towels that are not developing issues  using my current  lazy washing routine.

 

[toploader55]

Here's something interesting...

Just reading this about laundering Gym Clothes...

 

I happen to like cotton. Yes, it does absorb sweat and retain it.  But... man made fibers which I own a few "Wicking T shirts" leave my skin feeling weird.  That "Slinky" type fabric is strange. I also wonder if the fiber they use in these shirts and other gear are good or toxic to your skin.   And Expensive.$$$.  I refuse to pay $28.00 for a Under Armour T shirt.  That gear is so expensive. Yeah, Yeah, the compression thing...of Under Armour. I usually buy Champion or Adidas.

 

Bottom Line, Washing my gear...

Warm Water to release the Body Oils and odors

I use Rosalie's or Persil Detergent

Gentle Agitation and Spin or Express on the Miele.

I throw in a Extra Rinse... One Warm and One Cold

And either Air Dry or if I'm in a rush, 10 minutes on Low Heat usually does it.

 

"Do soak Stinky Items."  Really... What do these people do ? Wear the same gym gear for 2 weeks ?  I can't even imagine re wearing work out tops twice let alone putting anything on that smells. But then again, there are those in the gym that are "Aromatic". Aromatic body odor is usually a sign of a poor diet or a imbalance in your body's flora but that's another whole thread.

 

Another thing I found out by accident...  If you use a wicker type Hamper or Laundry Basket it can snag and "run" or damage the material. So, I air dry my damp gear and keep it in a Cotton Laundry Bag until ready to wash.

http://https//blog.myfitnesspal.com/how-to-wash-your-workout-gear/?user_id=199300997959469&alt_source=mfp&alt_medium=email&alt_campaign=workouts20150914&utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=workouts20150914&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoks6rNZKXonjHpfsX

 

[appnut]

Eddie, I cannot stand any of that silky, slinky athletic and lounging around garmets that are so pervasive in the stores.  Just makes me cringe.  I have one item that was my dad's but that's it.  It's hard to find all cotton, jersey type material for extercise or casual around thehouse type stuff and that's all I will wear.  Even "sweat shirts and sweat pants" have all be supplanted with this crap. 

 

[sudsmaster]

I distinguish between bath towels and kitchen towels.

 

Bath towels get hung up on a rack after use, and are generally dry before being put into hamper. They then get washed in the Neptune front loader at 130F with a mild liquid detergent, using just enough for a few suds to show. I don't bother to shake them out before machine drying, and have never seen creases "ironed" into them.

 

Kitchen towels get washed in a Miele at 160F using an STPP boosted powder, usually with an oxygen based bleach. I don't use chlorine bleach on fabrics; it's just too harsh on fabric and it would destroy the Miele. The result is that the kitchen towels get sparkling clean. The high temp likely kills any pathogens that might be present.

 

PS-Off topic, but lately I've been using a little wire cage to hold small kitchen sponges and then sticking them in the dishwasher when the cage is full. The sponges come out clean and fresh without the deterioration that can occur if they are put into the clothes washer.