Subtitle: It may seem like a harmless time-saving shortcut, but washing kitchen towels and bath towels together isn’t always the best idea. Learn why separating them can help improve hygiene, extend the life of your towels, and keep your laundry smelling fresh.

Let me tell you about the time I ruined a load of laundry.

I was in a hurry. I threw all my towels—kitchen, bath, hand, dish—into the washing machine together. I thought, “It’s all just fabric, right?”

When I pulled them out, they smelled… off. Not fresh. Not clean. Just, weird. I washed them again. Still not right.

I didn’t know it then, but I’d made a common mistake. You shouldn’t wash kitchen towels and bath towels together.

The Laundry Question Almost Everyone Has Asked

The question is simple: Can I wash kitchen towels and bath towels together?

The answer is: Usually, no.

Here’s why.

The Science of Germs

Kitchen towels: They come into contact with food, grease, and raw meat juices. They can harbor bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Staphylococcus.

Bath towels: They touch your body, which is covered in dead skin cells and bacteria. But they’re also exposed to the moisture of a bathroom, where mold and mildew can thrive.

The problem: When you wash them together, you’re mixing all those germs.

The Temperature Difference