How To Care and Maintain Kitchen Towels

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again.

Kitchen towels are bound to be amongst the most used products kept in your kitchen.

Due to that, they can also get extremely dirty, and fast! Ever notice a musky funk coming from around the sink?

Chances are that it’s due to a dirty towel.

Kitchen towels often come in contact with bacteria from uncooked or unwashed food. They are also often are used to soak up spilled liquids and water, and are left to improperly dry. The last thing that you want to do is dry your hands or wash your silverware with a rancid towel.

We highlight a couple of things that you should do regularly to ensure that your towels are clean and ready for use.

• Make sure to keep your kitchen towels dry, and to allow to dry completely. If you’ve just sopped up some soapy water around the sink, don’t leave your dish rag in a ball. Squeeze out any remaining water and hang up to dry thoroughly before the next use.
• Wash them often. It’s perfectly fine to toss towels in the washer/dryer, so fear not. However, don’t go too long without giving them a wash. If you’ve cleaned up some spilt milk or pasta sauce, give your towel a prompt washing. Be sure to wash your towels with hot water and to immediately place into the dryer. You won’t want to clean your towels only to have them sit in the washing machine over night and have to repeat the process all again. Also – be sure to plan for your washings. It’s important to always have an extra towel or two on hand to grab when your main towel is being washed. The last thing you want is to busily prepping or cooking in the kitchen only to reach for your kitchen towel and have it not be available.
• Notice a particularly heinous smell coming from your kitchen towel? If so, you might opt to spring for a heavier cleaning. Grab a bucket and fill with hot water, a touch of vinegar and a tablespoon of baking soda. The vinegar and baking soda will help eliminate any smells while you let the towel soak for about 15 minutes.
• While it might go without saying, try not to wash your hands or produce with a towel that’s recently cleaned some dishes or wiped up a spill. As mentioned above, dish towels can quickly get unsanitary in the right conditions, and you won’t want to dry recently cleaned hands with a dirty towel.
• Don’t use your towel to soak up spills that might contain raw meat. Leave that kind of cleaning work to your paper towels that can be immediately disposed of. Using a kitchen towel to clean contaminated surfaces can easily spread the bacteria and cause sickness.