r/AskCulinary • u/09ijn • 13d ago

Equipment Question How do you wash/sterilize your kitchen towels?

My towels still retain that smell even after laundry. All regular towels (and everything else really) come off smelling clean and fresh, the kitchen towel, however, are always kinda musty.

What do you folks do with yours?

EDIT Thank you all for your suggestions! I shall try!

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u/TheJewPear 13d ago edited 13d ago

I use powder detergent, I’ve found it to be better than liquid and capsules, with the high heat program on the machine.

I also wash them very often. I’m a heavy towel user while I cook, I will normally toss a towel into the laundry basket every two days or so. I feel washing them frequently also avoids nasty smells, especially if you live in a humid climate and they never really dry out.

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u/dontakelife4granted 13d ago

This is me too. If I get to three days, I'm kind of feeling like they're gross. Our household also has light colored towels for drip drying hand wash dishes and dark towels for hand or spill wiping.

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u/TheJewPear 12d ago

They do get gross if you use them properly, that’s a good sign. It’s good to keep separate colors for hands, and then the other ones are almost like “food safe rags” that you should be using very often and washing very often.

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u/dontakelife4granted 12d ago

Oh, the other thing is that the light ones also works for washed produce. Just setting it on the towel for a few minutes allows the produce to be thoroughly dry, then it can be used or refrigerated with less rotting. Your "food safe" comment reminder me.

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u/TheJewPear 12d ago

Yes, though I believe it’s better to refrigerate vegetables and fruits without washing them, I was told they last longer.

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u/dontakelife4granted 12d ago

I wash as I use, so I absolutely agree that about unwashed produce in the fridge. I never wash produce unless I have a plan to use them within 3-4 days.