Just Kate Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Would you (or do you) wash bath towels with kitchen towels? My mom and I were discussing and I would love to hear what the Hive thinks. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyfordlr Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I've read not to do it b/c of the potential for cross-contamination from bath to kitchen, specifically e.coli IIRC, b/c many people either don't use hot water or hot enough water. I wash them together and use tea tree oil as a disinfectant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I voted No way gross - but with this exception: I will wash my kitchen handtowels with my bath towels - I always use a little bleach too, btw, but my "rag" towels - no way, ewww, gross. My rag towels are walmart bought bundled white towels that I use to wipe down the bathroom, the floor, the kitchen counters at night, the cabinets, the dog... you get the idea - and they get their very own, special hot water bleached to the max wash load. btw - I go through a ton of those towels a day - I can't even imagine how many paper towels/trees I've saved by going the towel route - although, the amount of chemicals I use to wash them may balance that out - I just can't win with my "carbon footprint" :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I never knew anyone didn't wash them together. I always thought towels all went together. Interested to see what others say. Had never thought about cross contamination issues... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachskittles Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Every towel and washcloth I own (bath or kitchen) is white so I wash all together with bleach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Nope... I use my sanitation cycle and wash separately. I don't want bath towels... and what's drying my dishes/hands to mix :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 This is why one buys whites. That's all I'm saying.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. :iagree: exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 BTW, there have been shows where the washer was swabbed and the nastiness was beyond nasty ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Separate them? really? I do a towel load twice a week and gather up all the towels from everywhere to do that. The water is 90 degrees (I don't know what that is in your measures). There's detergent. They hang in the sunshine too. What's to worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I wash rag towels separately. Kitchen hand towels get washed with the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 So, are bathroom towels ones that you clean the bathroom with? Or ones you dry off with? Because how is a towel I dry off with grosser than anything in the kitchen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 No. Bath towels and kitchen cloth are different loads. Always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindergretta Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Never thought about it. :D In our house, it would never come up as I have to do an entire load of bath towels unto itself multiple times a week. (Incidentally, we use all white for ease of washing, too. But I still can't mix them as I have TOO MANY bath towels! :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoLuRu Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I wash them all together in hot water. If the hot water and bleach miss something, the tumble dry will kill it. None of us have died gotten sick from this yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 So, are bathroom towels ones that you clean the bathroom with? Or ones you dry off with? Because how is a towel I dry off with grosser than anything in the kitchen? :lol: This was my thought too! I was trying to figure out which towels would contaminate which. We have a bath mat, which gets washed with the fabric shower curtain and whatever chemical-cleaning rags I've used that week. Other than that, I don't do any towel separation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoLuRu Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 The only thing I separate is cloth diapers. Even the bath mat goes in together with the towels. It all seems to come out clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I wash them all together in hot water. And isn't the kitchen supposed to have more germs than the bathroom? I thought I saw something on TV a long time ago that the kitchen drain is the most germ-laden place in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I get separating laundry because some things are brightly colored, or delicate, or need more washing because they are caked in mud. But I don't get separating things because they are somehow differently dirty. The only reason why putting your body towels in with your foody towels would be a problem would be if you're not planning on actually getting them properly clean. Since I'm not going to use anything again until it's clean, I don't care what it mixes with in the wash. And for people who do wash everything separately, do you clean and sterilize your washing machine in between loads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. Me, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 The only thing I separate is cloth diapers. Even the bath mat goes in together with the towels. It all seems to come out clean! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Yes, I wash them together. However, after a thread on here several years ago, I absolutely no longer wash underwear with towels. :ack2::ack2::ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do 2 loads a day. whites and darks. so depending on their colour is how they get washed, not what the article is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do them seperately even though I don't really believe it's a problem. I just feel like I should, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 OP here...the reason I asked, my family vacationed at my brother's beach house this year. My parents came to the beach house to vacation on the day we left. As I was cleaning our things up and trying to get out the door, I realized that I had a couple of bath towels (that we used to dry our bodies) and kitchen towels (that I used to wash dishes) that were dirty. I told my mom that I would just throw them in the washer and asked if she would mind to fold and put them away for me (since she was coming and we were going). Oh. my. goodness! She said no way and that she would wash them separately herself!!! Now I wasn't going to be using bleach, but I figured that they should get clean in the washer/dryer, even if they were being washed together. I began to wonder if I was crazy for feeling that way! Thanks for making me feel better, Hive! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 We are a small family. If I didn't toss the towels in with the clothes I wouldn't be able to wash my one load every day. Then laundry would get backed up and I think that would be grosser than washing towels separate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I get separating laundry because some things are brightly colored, or delicate, or need more washing because they are caked in mud. But I don't get separating things because they are somehow differently dirty. The only reason why putting your body towels in with your foody towels would be a problem would be if you're not planning on actually getting them properly clean. Since I'm not going to use anything again until it's clean, I don't care what it mixes with in the wash. And for people who do wash everything separately, do you clean and sterilize your washing machine in between loads? This is my philosophy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I wash kitchen towels and dish rags separately. I have a lot of them, so used ones are hung to dry and then put in a basket until I have enough for a full load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Doesn't your washer have a "sanitizing" cycle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. :iagree: I don't sort. I do use hot water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Towels are towels :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do a rinse-only cycle of just kitchen towels, then toss in the rest of the towels and wash on hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I voted other, because I don't wash mine together, but I don't think it's gross if someone does. It's just that my kitchen towels and wash cloths are mostly white and I throw them in the bleach load. My bath towels are mostly darker colors and I wash them as a separate load on the white cycle/sanitize mode without bleach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. :iagree: I do bleach all towels once a month along with all other whites. We have never gotten sick. I also use cold for weekly washing and hang dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I can't fathom towels not being clean coming out of the washer/dryer. We wash together. Occasional bleaching of whites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I wash all my towels together. They are washed on hot with bleach. Then dried on hot. I don't think much can survive that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Unless the wash water is boiling for a time, I doubt it's going to kill much. It's the dryer that does stuff in. I think the only reason for using hot water is to lift off grease better. This is true of lice too. Most hot water heaters don't produce water hot enough to kill lice, so washing in hot water is a waste of time and money. (I don't know how hot the water gets if a washer heats its own water, though.) It's the dryer that will kill lice. Anyway, my guess is that any human diseases are going to spread by human to human contact within a household. Sterilizing towels won't help with that. And as far as truly nasty diseases go, things like salmonella and E. coli are more likely to be on the kitchen towels than the bath towels. More of the chicken that comes into a household is going to be contaminated than the humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I never thought about it, however, I like using Gain Lavendar on our bathroom towels so I usually wash them and the bathrugs by themselves. I don't like that smell on my clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyfordlr Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Yes, I wash them together. However, after a thread on here several years ago, I absolutely no longer wash underwear with towels. :ack2::ack2::ack2: Oh!!!! That's what I was thinking of...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Nope. All towels on hot with TTO. Everything else on warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I wash everything all together, unless some of the kitchen rags have bleach on them, and then I make a separate load for white things. Otherwise.....that's what the Oxi Clean is for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyinND Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I voted yes, but I have a sanitary cycle on my washer that I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I do them seperately even though I don't really believe it's a problem. I just feel like I should, lol. This is me. I wash them seperate but not because I'm concerned one will contaminate the other - I just don't like my microfiber clothes in the kitchen to get bath towel fibers on them. Gotta keep 'em seperated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I wash mine together. I use cold water, don't use bleach or anything except on nappies and line dry. If sunlight kills Golden Staph, it's good enough for my washing. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Yes, but I use bleach. I don't trust just water and detergent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie75 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I wash them all together. Maybe we have strong immune systems but we don't get sick from using washed bath towels that have been washed with cleaning towels. It never occurred to me to worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 yes. nothing can survive the heat of the dryer. I'm 49 and my mother did the same. We never got sick. I never, ever heard to do it differently, but I wouldn't listen if I did.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil' maids in a row Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I throw everything in the washer without sorting it. I wander the house, gather all the laundry and I don't even stop to worry about what I'm putting in the washer together. We haven't gotten sick from it. The only time laundry gets it's own special load is when the children are sick or the clothes are brand new. I figure that the dryer will take care of anything that the washer misses. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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