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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think towels need a hot wash?

325 replies

FirstOfHerName · 09/08/2017 13:11

Recently I was staying with my parents on holiday and I noticed that my mum washes everything (including towels and bedding) on a cold half-hour wash. I told her that towels probably need a warm wash at the least and she got annoyed with me, saying that she used a special washing detergent formulated to work in cold water. They're her towels so I left it at that and said no more.

However, whenever she's stayed with me, she's told me it's grim that I wash towels and bathmats together. Well it would be if I did them on a cold wash, but I wash them (and bedding) at 90 and then tumble dry after, so don't see the problem with it. Any bathmat germs would be killed off at that temperature, I would've thought.

Who is more in the right here, her or me??

(someone telling me we're both disgusting in 3...2...1...)

OP posts:
Elephant17 · 09/08/2017 21:16

Re bath mat and towels not being washed together, in our case, our bathroom floor is really hard to clean (weird texture), the bath mat gets a bit gritty and gross so I'd rather it get washed at a higher temp and the only other things I wash at that temp are bed sheets and nothing else will fit in the wash with them!

christmastreesinaugust · 09/08/2017 21:23

Kids woolly school jumpers and anything that needs a gentle wash on a 30 degree wash with fabric conditioner

Normally filthy clothes get a 40 degree wash

Bath towels, tea towels, really grubby clothes, flannels and wee clothes get a 60 degree wash. All in the same wash- it's clean when it comes out

Poo, vom, heavily wee soaked clothes and bedding gets the 90 treatment.

Fwiw I use soap nuts not powder.

LuluJakey1 · 09/08/2017 21:23

Towels, bathmat, bedding on at least 60 and tumbledried.

Pants on 60

Other clothes on 30 unless need a hotter wash.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/08/2017 21:31

Well I was going to throw the bath mat in with the towels just now we've had it at least six months and it's never been washed but there's a cat asleep on it, so didn't want to disturb him.

What temperature should I wash it on if he deems to let me have it back?

Poshjock · 09/08/2017 21:36

I deal with Infection Control at work, and the advice is all medical uniforms should be cleaned at 60C in a wash that achieves that temperature for at least 10 minutes (this is sufficient to kill the majority of pathogens such as MRSA). It is well known that most domestic machines don't actually do that! I think that's why my workplace paid over a grand for a washing machine that was "certificated". Rip off NHS more like.

I have read articles that state that there is no harm known to come from washing uniforms at 30C with suitable detergent.

My machine has an Eco cycle which washes at 30C but lasts about 2 hours. It supposedly uses less electricity than a standard 40C wash which is quicker. I wash pretty much everything on that wash. I do towels and knickers every few washes at 60C 1 hour wash (with Milton) - mostly for stain removal though.

thingsthatgobumpinthenightouch · 09/08/2017 21:36

Everything gets washed at 40 here. I'm a notorious slattern though!

Anatidae · 09/08/2017 21:52

For those who wash towels at 90 or even 60, what do you think would happen is you washed them at 40? Is it that lower temperatures won't kill bacteria so you'll get sick? Is it about getting out stains? Is it that
you think the towels will smell? Genuine question - am interested.

Even fresh out the shower a towel rubbed over a naked body is picking up skin cells, bacteria from genital/anal areas etc. If that towel goes over an arse then over a baby's eye you can get pinkeye. Just one example. Or atheletes foot, or thrush. Or staph. Or strep if someone iscarryi g that. Impetigo, hand foot and mouth, athletes foot, verrucas. All sorts really, the idea you come out of the shower in some sort of sterile state is false.

Washing them on a hot cycle just takes out anything that's hanging around in there. I do mine with non bio powder and no fabric conditioner then tumble them and it gets them fluffy - if I put them in the forty cycle with regular stuff and conditioner eventually the conditioner builds up and they get less fluffy and absorbent.

Most protein based biological stains are cooked in at high temps - you need a cold initial soak to sort them out, hot washes are for hygiene rather than stain removal.

barbara the bath mat or the cat? Grin

Anatidae · 09/08/2017 21:55

Also having worked in a lab and with, let's put it nicely 'biological materials' I suggest lab coats, scrubs and nursing uniforms et al be washed on the closest thing to 'nuke the fucking thing' your machine has (after an initial cold soak of course to remove the biological effluvia.) Grin

missymayhemsmum · 09/08/2017 22:05

Total slattern in many ways, but towels, bedlinen, tea towels go in on a hot wash to kill cat flea eggs, athletes foot, food poisoning bacteria, cold germs, threadworm eggs and any other other nasties.

elevenclips · 09/08/2017 22:11

I wash towels at 40 but I tumble dry them. The tumble dryer heat will kill anything surviving the 40 wash.

Unless something is in a really bad way (i.e. Puked on) then it all goes in at 40. Puked on stuff will go at 60. 90 is for machine cleaning, alth

FruitCider · 09/08/2017 22:17

It worries me that people are using really hot washes regularly!?

Come and visit my work place and you'll see why a boil wash is necessary for my sanity!

FruitCider · 09/08/2017 22:18

Also having worked in a lab and with, let's put it nicely 'biological materials' I suggest lab coats, scrubs and nursing uniforms et al be washed on the closest thing to 'nuke the fucking thing' your machine has (after an initial cold soak of course to remove the biological effluvia.) 

Exactly! Grin

Ravenqueen85 · 09/08/2017 22:21

60 for towels here. Underwear washed separately at 60 too.

Icklepickle101 · 09/08/2017 22:22

Towels and bedding together at 40

Clothes at 30

toddler ds's clothes at 40/50 because he is mud monster

Napisan in every load

c3pu · 09/08/2017 22:33

If its white I wash it on 90, and I only really do that as it's good for the machine now and again. Almost all my towels are white.

Everything else gets done on 40. Everything smells nice and fresh, not died from cold wash bedding syndrome yet... Not sure if it's a thing?

crazyhorses3 · 09/08/2017 22:38

i have always washing bedding and towels on 60 degrees until I bought high thread count bedding and wondered why it was all shrinking. It cost a bloody fortune and I was furious when the sheets would not fit the mattress. I bought some more bedding and was told in the shop I should never wash it above 40 degrees or it would shrink!! So now I wash all bedding on 40 degrees. However, I believe dust mites are not killed below 60 degrees, so feel very unhappy doing so. I now wash everything on 40 degrees, including towels because it is all just so complicated.
I would never wash anything on 90 except perhaps tea towels as it would shrink most things surely?

What's the answer then?

QuinionsRainbow · 09/08/2017 22:48

Clothes 30 or40
Bedding and knickers 60
Towels and bath-mats 90

ImIncognito · 09/08/2017 22:56

People who wash at 30 - what on earth do you think you're washing away exactly?

Do you wash your hands at below body-temperature too?

Here we wash towels, bedding and bath mats at 90 degrees every week and kitchen towels, hand towels daily (or rather they get changed daily).

Damp wet towels that have been rubbed all over from foot to arse to eyes are a rampant breeding ground for coliform, e.coli, fungi, worm eggs and a million other nasty things. 40 degrees does not kill these bugs.

cardibach · 09/08/2017 23:03

Zaurak maybe we are talking about different things. People smell of person all the time unless they mask it with perfume. Mostly I prefer the people smell. This is a different thing from smelling dirty/unwashed, which is rare enough to make me notice when I smell it. I'm a teacher, so I mix with a lot of (mainly teenage) people.
Anitidae I don't think those sort of infections from towels are very common are they? I've never had/heard of any of my friends having any of them by virtue of a non-boil washed every day towel.

NewBrian · 09/08/2017 23:10

Towels, bedding and the bath mat all go on 60. Occasionally a 90.

tigercub50 · 09/08/2017 23:14

I do everything at 40 unless it specifically says 30 eg for delicates.

Binkybix · 09/08/2017 23:18

Re infections from towels - that's why you just keep your own isn't it?

I don't really dry the actual hole of my arse. I tend to wrap the towel around me and actively dry arms, legs and the rest just drys naturally. I suppose if I was scrubbing my bum hole etc dry then I'd be more concerned about it.

ShesABloodyLoon · 09/08/2017 23:23

My SIL puts everything on the 14 minute freshen up.

She never changed the bedsheets before we went to stay so sleeping in there was rank. I used to put a t shirt over the pillow and my towel over the top of duvet near my face. Now after seeing that it's only ever a 14 minute wash, maybe sometimes they were "clean". Yuck.

ShesABloodyLoon · 09/08/2017 23:23

Towels and bedding need a good warm wash. 60 at least!

BabsGanoush · 09/08/2017 23:26

Damp wet towels that have been rubbed all over from foot to arse to eyes are a rampant breeding ground for coliform, e.coli, fungi, worm eggs and a million other nasty things. 40 degrees does not kill these bugs.

I've washed on 40 for years and no one's had any infections and we sometimes share towels!

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