How Many Towels Can I Wash At Once?

After purchasing your favourite towels, it’s important to know how to maintain them because maintaining your towels will make them free from germs and retain the fibres. You are probably wondering how many towels you can hand wash or machine-wash all at once, hence the question.

So, How many towels can I wash at once?” The amount of towels you can wash depends on the type of washing machine you have.

If you have the normal front loader washing machine, it can wash about 7 bath towels. The front-loader washing machine should be able to wash about 12 face towels because they are not as big as the bath towels. 

Additionally, if you have a top-load washing machine, you can wash about 10 bath towels. The top-load washing machine would also be able to wash at least 20 face towels.

Lastly, if you choose to hand wash your towels, you can wash as many towels as you want, regardless of the size.  However, note that you can’t wash all together in one sink or bowl, you’d have to separate some of them.

Having known “how many towels you can wash at once”, let’s find out how you can wash your towels properly.

How do I wash my towels?

Washing your towels is an easy task to do, you’d just need to heed a few steps. You also need a few materials to wash your towels. Below are the materials and washing instructions. 

Materials

• Colour-safe bleach.
• Mild detergent.
• White vinegar.
• Laundry rack (drying).
• Baking soda.

Step 1: Towel separation

Proceed by segregating the towels with a lighter colour from the ones with darker colours. If any of the towels have a colour darker than pale yellow, it should be in the dark colour section. Due to the fabric used to produce towels, they are highly porous. 

So, towels with light colours can be easily bleached by a towel with dark colours when they are washed together. Same as towels with dark colours can fade off quickly when they are washed with lighter towels. 

Step 2: Put your towels in the machine

Put your towels in the washing machine without overloading it, and since you have segregated the towels, you can choose which of the sets (dark or light) go first.

Overloading your washing machine with your towels can result in an uneven wash. A front loader machine can wash about 7 bath towels, while a top loader washing machine can wash 10 bath towels as stated earlier. 

Step 3: Add any mild detergent of your choice

After putting your towels in the machine, add your detergent to the soap section of your machine type. Open the lid and put half of the amount of detergent you’d use for a typical wash load as using excess detergent can stiffen your towels. Detergents such as Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent can be used to wash your towels. 

Step 4: Add a colour safe bleach, if necessary

If your towels are stained, you can add colour-safe bleach as specified by the manufacturer. Below are the specifications for the adding of bleach. 

• If you are washing both the two shades of towels together or only the dark shade, it is more advisable to use colour-safe bleach, unlike the chlorine bleach that will change the colours with time.
• If you are washing just the light shade like white towels, you can use colour-safe or chlorine bleach.

Add the bleach to the bleach reservoir in your washing machine. If your machine doesn’t have this reservoir, you can mix the bleach with a little water and add it to the machine. 

Step 5: Pick the normal cycle on your machine

When you use the normal cycle, the long duration and quick whirl would eradicate the bacteria, dust, and detritus on your towels. 

Step 6: Select the water temperature for washing your towels

Since you have different shades of towels and you are washing them separately, you’d have to use a different water temperature. 

• The light shade of your towels must remain bright and not get dull, therefore, use hot water. Pick the hot water temperature on your machine for towels with light shades. 
• While for towels with darker shades, you should use warm water. Pick the warm water temperature to eliminate bacteria and retain the colour. 

Step 7: Start the washing cycle

Press the start button for your machine to start work. After the wash cycle, bring the towels out and prepare them for the rinse cycle. 

Step 8: Add white vinegar while rinsing 

If your towel is still stinking after the wash cycle, you can add white vinegar to the bleach reservoir to eliminate the odour. Although this step is optional, you can skip it if your towels smell nice after washing. Rinse your towels twice to eliminate any excess detergent.

Step 9: Put your towels in the dryer

You can choose to use your dryer to dry your towels, or you can air-dry. If you are using your drying machine, pick the normal cycle on the dryer.

Using the normal cycle, the softness of your towels would be retained, but if you are not using a drying machine, air-dry them on a drying rack. 

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Should towels be washed in hot water?

The use of hot water depends on the shade of your towels. It is advisable to use hot water on towels with lighter shades, especially white as the colour would be retained; use warm water on towels with darker shades. 

If you use hot water in dark shades, the colour would fade off quickly which is bad for the towel. Besides, hot water can decrease the lifespan of your towels and cause them to shrink. 

How do I make my towels smell good?

Most times, after washing your towels they would still have a bad odour. You shouldn’t worry anymore about this as the way to eliminate the odour would be discussed. Below is how you can make your towel smell good;

Step 1

Add 1 cup of vinegar to the bleach reservoir in your washing machine.

Step 2

Pick the normal temperature or highest temperature on your washing machine.

Step 3

Repeat the washing cycle by adding baking soda (1 spoon).

Step 4

Rinse your towels twice or thrice, then use your dryer on high heat to dry your towels. Also, you can air-dry them on a clothing rack after rinsing. 

Step 5

After drying, bring out the towels quickly. 

FAQs

What happens when you overload your washing machine?

Overloading your washing machine can restrict towels or clothes from moving freely in the machine drum as the clothes would be moving in one motion. The detergent you add would also not be opportune to eliminate the dirt and would lead to uneven wash.

It could also rip your clothes and towels, or even give them marks. That’s why it is advisable to put in the number of clothes your washing machine can wash and not overload it.

If you aren’t sure if the washing machine is overloaded or not, put your hands inside the drum after putting your clothes in, and check if you can easily fill the inside. 

If you can’t fill the inside of the drum easily, then the washing machine is overloaded. But if you can feel the inside without having to push the clothes aside, then your washing machine isn’t overloaded. 

Should new towels be washed before use?

Of course, new towels should be washed before use. Using new towels without washing them would make them less porous, and also cause skin reactions for people with sensitive skin. This is due to the silicone added to the finishing process of a towel, and it should be washed away before any use.

Besides, washing your new towels before use would stop the colours from fading easily. Wash them with mild soap and rinse them properly to get any excess soap away. 

How long should you keep towels?

Towels should be kept for at least 1 year and a half or 2 years max. When your towels start getting old, they will start becoming less effective.

They will also begin to take a longer period to dry when wet, and also be attractive to any kind of germs and bacteria. 

If you want to stay on the safer side, you can change your towel after a year. However, professionals advise that towels should be changed after 2 years. Following this advice would protect you from any form of skin infection or irritation. 

Conclusion – How Many Towels Can I Wash At Once?

You should wash your towels section by section to prevent overloading in your machine. Also, ensure you take note of the colours of your towels to prevent colour bleaching.

Always maintain your towel’s porosity by avoiding the use of iron on your towels, and washing your towels every three days. I hope this article helps you with your questions. Kindly put down your comments in the comment section below.