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Original poster

Do you wash towels separately in their own load?

269 replies

JacknDiane · 18/01/2026 09:40

I've always bunged them in with the rest of the washing, am I doing it wrong?

OP posts:
Needtosoundoffandbreathe · 18/01/2026 10:06

Sahara123 · 18/01/2026 10:01

Just out of interest why do people feel towels need a hotter wash ? They’ve just been used to dry clean bodies. I just wash mine with anything else that needs doing on my normal 40 wash .

Because damp towels are a breeding ground for bacteria in a way clothing isn't. A 60 degree wash will also kill viruses so worth remembering if anyone has been ill.

Tinybirdie · 18/01/2026 10:04

Why do towels need a hot wash??
Youve only used them to dry a clean body

Itsasecretnow · 18/01/2026 10:03

As other pps I also wash mine separately. A few reasons tho: I wash at 60 or above because it just seems more hygienic; I use fabric conditioner in all other loads but not with towels, and I also have enough towels that they make up one coloured and one not so coloured/older faded towels. I wouldn’t, for instance, want to put underwear in the same, lower temperature load that I’d wash tea towels in. I wait until there is a full load of towels and do them all at once. I have enough spares that I can do this ‘tho.

Purlant · 18/01/2026 10:03

LittleGreenDragons · 18/01/2026 10:00

They are a full load by themselves but I would still do them separately to clothes. Towels and bedding are 60C, clothes are 30C.

Out of interest, why do wash towels on a higher wash than clothes (especially socks and underwear)? I would have thought towels are likely to be the cleanest thing to wash as they’re used for drying off clean bodies. Whereas as underwear and socks are much more likely to harbour bacteria as they are next to your body all day.

Makingpeace · 18/01/2026 10:02

I wash separately because they unbalance the washing load otherwise, and smaller clothing items get caught in them and don't wash so well!

Sahara123 · 18/01/2026 10:01

Just out of interest why do people feel towels need a hotter wash ? They’ve just been used to dry clean bodies. I just wash mine with anything else that needs doing on my normal 40 wash .

Purlant · 18/01/2026 10:00

Yes as they make up a full load and we don’t use conditioner on them.

I was reading that there is no cleanliness difference between a 30 and 40 wash (40 just costs you more in energy). I’ve never washed towels on 60 (apart from some old ones that were used to clear up a leak) ours are only ever used for clean bodies so they never get dirty, can just smell a bit stale.

MrsMoastyToasty · 18/01/2026 10:00

Washed at 90°c with no fabric conditioner, but a little bit of clear vinegar. Always the first wash of the day, do that they have plenty of time to dry on the line.

LittleGreenDragons · 18/01/2026 10:00

They are a full load by themselves but I would still do them separately to clothes. Towels and bedding are 60C, clothes are 30C.

Iloveeverycat · 18/01/2026 09:59

lovemelongtime · 18/01/2026 09:45

Yes as hotter wash, but put tea towels, pillow cases and underwear in with them too.

This plus flannels and bath mats

BlackCatDiscoClub · 18/01/2026 09:58

I wash towels and microfiber cloths separately and on 60 or hygiene steam but I know im a bit pernickity about these things

ThatsWhatIGoToSchool · 18/01/2026 09:58

I separate by weight of fabric. So towels go in with jeans and joggers.

Illbethereinaminute · 18/01/2026 09:57

Both, it depends how many towels need washing and how much other stuff needs washing.

Recently I've been washing them all together at 60 with Dettol because they have started to smell even when freshly washed and dried in the dryer.

It's mainly the ones that are over 10 years old though..do towels have a lifespan?!

KimberleyClark · 18/01/2026 09:56

Yes, separately with bath mats.

sakura06 · 18/01/2026 09:55

I do, but just because they’re a full load by themselves.

HobnobsChoice · 18/01/2026 09:54

Separate wash as I don't use fabric conditioner on them. They get washed with bathmats, tea towels, facecloths and occasionally period pants.

ItsPronouncedThroatwobblerMangrove · 18/01/2026 09:53

Mine make up a full load with cleaning cloths, so I do that load on its own. Plus it’s washed at 60C instead of the 30 or 40 on which I wash my clothes loads, and has laundry sanitiser instead of fabric conditioner in it.

Matriarchofmenopausemansion · 18/01/2026 09:53

I put them in with dish towels and t shirts at 90, all white.

Kitchenbattle · 18/01/2026 09:52

JamesWebbSpaceTelescope · 18/01/2026 09:52

You wash everything at 60?

Show quote history

Sorry I missed the edit window 😂😂😂 I wash at 40 with bio powder

GentleSheep · 18/01/2026 09:52

Sometimes, if the other items require 60C then they can go in with the towels. I don't use fabric conditioner at all.

JamesWebbSpaceTelescope · 18/01/2026 09:52

Kitchenbattle · 18/01/2026 09:43

good lord no…60degree wash with pretty much everything else.

You wash everything at 60?

HostaCentral · 18/01/2026 09:50

Depends. If I have a full towel load. They go on at 60. If not, random towels go in with the general wash at 40.

Never used fabric conditioner. So not an issue in that regard.

JamesWebbSpaceTelescope · 18/01/2026 09:49

Separate as need to be hotter 60C and need to have no fabric conditioner as that affects the absorbency.

Seawolves · 18/01/2026 09:48

I wash them in with the other stuff that I don't use conditioner on like my little one's bed mats.

Astra53 · 18/01/2026 09:47

Our towels, bath mats and my towelling robe, tea towels and dishcloths make up one load. Washed at 60° no fabric conditioner.