If your towels develop a new smell, or if you live in a damp climate where mildew thrives, you should wash your towels every few days.

You may wish to wash your towels separately if you used them to clean up a particularly filthy mess, so you don’t expose your clothing to stains or germs. [4] X Research source

Colored towels should only be washed with the light load if they are faint pastel or pale yellow in color. Otherwise, wash them in the dark load.

If you wish to be especially careful, use this vinegar method the first two or three times you wash a towel.

Use an ordinary amount of detergent when washing towels in a load with tougher clothing, or if the towels are heavily soiled. Instructions should be included on the packaging of your detergent. Many liquid detergents have a cap that can be used as a cup, with a line indicating the recommended quantity to use for a typical load.

You may still need to wash delicate towels on warm instead of cold if they become heavily soiled. The hotter the water, the cleaner and more sanitized the towels will be.

Consult your washing machine manual if you cannot find the fabric softener tray.

Bleach should be placed in the tray labeled for this purpose. If your top-load machine does not have a bleach compartment, mix the bleach with 1 quart water and pour into the machine 5 minutes after the load began. Vinegar is best added during the final rinse when used for this purpose. [9] X Research source Pour it into the fabric softener tray, or simply open a top-load washer near the end of the wash and pour it in directly. [10] X Research source

Do not hang one towel over another if either of them are still damp. Each towel needs to be fully exposed to air for proper drying.

Always remove lint from the lint trap before starting your dryer. A build up of lint could cause a fire. You do not need to sort towels by color when using a dryer. You may include them in a dryer load with other items, but there’s the possibility a towel will trap a piece of clothing and prevent it from drying.

If your towels are slightly damp at the end of a drying cycle, it may be more economical to hang them up to dry as described below instead of running your dryer again. If you do start another drying cycle, check on it halfway through to see if the towels are dry.

Air flow will help dry your towels faster. Pick a breezy location outside or near an open window, but be sure to fasten your towels securely against wind with clothespins. Direct sunlight is best for drying towels and reducing germs. [12] X Research source If no sunlight is available, put your towels in front of (but not on top of) a heater. You could also place them above a heating vent.

Consider using your towels in rotation to avoid wearing them out more quickly. Alternatively, save your nicest towels for guests and use the rest for everyday purposes.

For large towels, the equipment mentioned below is recommended, especially the agitator. However, instructions for washing using only your hands are also included.

A kitchen sink or heavily used bathtub may require stronger cleaning methods. Allow bleach or other cleaning products time to do their work, then rinse off thoroughly before using the container as a laundry tub.

Use eco-friendly detergent if you will be dumping the water outside. Always use mild detergent to protect your hand if you don’t plan on wearing gloves. Try to use it whenever washing towels, since they tend to be easily damaged by harsh detergents.

Try adding one tablespoon of borax per gallon of water (15 mL borax for every 4 L water). You can increase this amount if you are having trouble removing stains, but it’s wise to start with a small amount so there is no chance of staining or damaging delicate items. [17] X Research source

If you are washing hand towels, you may be able to imitate this process by hand. Wearing rubber gloves, squeeze the towels together and against the side of the tub. Large cotton towels will be difficult to wash this way, and if you do not have an agitator tool you should expect to spend much longer than the times listed here to get them fully clean.

Use rubber gloves if you want to keep your hands clean.

When the towels are ready, the water should be free of dirt and soap suds. Leaving soap suds on the towels will make them stiff, starchy, and bad at absorbing water. [20] X Research source