Got a spill to clean up? A wineglass that needs hand-drying? Or do you simply need to dry your freshly washed hands? In these situations, and many more, you probably reach for a dish towel. Dish towels are indispensable in the kitchen thanks to their all-around usefulness. And because of their frequent use, it’s important to keep them clean. Read on to find out how often you should be washing your dish towels—plus, get tips for washing them properly.
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How Often Should You Wash Dish Towels?
TheAmerican Cleaning Instituterecommends replacing towels frequently—we suggest every three to five days. Depending on how you use the dish towel, you may need to wash it more often. For example, if you use a dish towel to clean up spills and messes, we recommend swapping it out immediately for a clean one and washing it sooner so bacteria don’t build up. If you primarily use the dish towel to dry your hands after washing dishes, it’s most likely OK to wait the full five days before laundering. But if you’re not sure, follow this motto: When in doubt, swap it out.
Kitchen towels are known sources of bacteria, so it’s important to wash them on a regular basis. A 2019 study published in theJournal of Food Protectionexamined potential areas of microbiological contamination in kitchens of older adults, and discovered that bacterial growth was high on dish towels. Of the bacteria they tested for, dish cloths had the highest levels of aerobic bacteria,Enterobacteriaceae(the family of bacteria that includesE. coli,a common bacteria related to foodborne illness) andS. aureus.
Researchers concluded that “the dishcloth can be a vehicle for microbiological contamination and the subsequent cause of cross-contamination,” and noted that wet surfaces were more susceptible to bacterial growth than dry ones. So in addition to washing your dish towels often, make sure they are also hung up properly to dry between uses. In addition, keep a stack of dish towels on hand so you can change them out frequently.
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How to Clean Kitchen Towels
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