Tea towels

We don't dry dishes, they sit in the dishwasher and we unload when dry ... and things that don't go in the dishwasher dry on the rack. Dish towels are used to dry our hands and any spillage, and get flung in with the rest of the wash. Do most stuff at 30-40' and as has been said, haven't died yet!!!

jingl the logic is simple.
If a washing cycle/ detergent combination removes bacteria and viruses and effectively washes knickers, it will do the same for tea towels.
Not that there are many, if any, pathological bacteria lurking in most people's knickers or tea towels anyway.

jingle don't be obtuse! janea was pointing out the unnecessary high temp washing of tea towels If underwear, which was more likely to to have bacteria on it, is clean in a 30deg wash then so is a tea towel.

Mine get washed as and when. They get used for all sorts of mopping up and stuff. Haven't died yet.

making

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How can your laundry habits impinge upon whether you have a life or not? And how many of us are, in fact, the undead? [confuse]

I use a tea towel to dry the likes of tomatos. And apples. And home-made potato chips before frying them.

"If it's good enough for knickers, it's good enough for tea towels"

Hmm. Can't quite see the logic in that. Unless you use your knickers to dry dishes.

Mine go in with the towels at 40°c. I've never washed them with the general washing, but if you think about it, everything comes out clean.

Yes Yes Moomin

I blame Dettol's obsession with killing 99.9% of bacteria on everything.

My one woman campaign against germ phobia.

I do a lot of hot washes as I don't use powerful detergents (mostly because of their stink). Tea towels get chucked in with the rest of the whites and lights. If hot water doesn't kill the bacteria on them, then I'm doomed. Funnily enough, I and my family seem to survive.

psst! I do sometimes mop up stuff on the floor (or the cooker, or a kitchen counter) with them. I don't then use the same one to dry dishes until it's been washed.

Bit of common sense is all that's required. A lot of people seem to think kitchen equipment has to be sterile. It doesn't.

How dirty can a tea towel be unless in the habit if drying the kitchen floor with them? Stick 'em in with the towels and get a life

I don't understand the mania for washing tea towels at 60 or 90 degrees.
If all they have been used for is drying clean dishes that have been washed in detergent, they have probably got fewer bacteria and viruses on them than the average pair of knickers.
Which in my house get washed at 30 deg on the gentle cycle with a mild detergent.
What's good enough for knickers is good enough for tea towels.

Sorry - didn't see the other post - we have moved house 3 times in the last 5 months and my access to internet has been limited until this month. Have read the posts on the original thread about tea towels and relieved to see that there are others who also use the hottest wash to clean their tea towels, not just me then!

...won't copy....your ttea towels reminded me of the IKEA tee shirts....

Spot of the Week 2015/3: IKEA "T-Shirt"



YouTube

Best not to ask what happens to mine. They seem to breed in the drawer then come out in the daytime and dance around every room in the house. When I get up in the morning I round them all up and corall them in the laundry basket. They get into some strange places.

I wash them on a 60 degree wash with the towels

www.gransnet.com/.../a1201616-A-housewifery-question-re-tea-towels
This one?

I rarely use my tea towels apart from drying the glasses which don't go in the dishwasher. Nevertheless, I wash them at 60 with towels and dishcloths.

www.gransnet.com/forums/house_and_home/1201616-A-housewifery-question-re-tea-towels

Scroll down - although it started a couple of years ago, it was revived and discussed again, with last post a couple of weeks ago.

I have a clean tea towel for each meal and wash them either together or in with the towels with bio detergent at 60 degrees. (most of my washing up goes in the dishwasher).

Wasn't this discussed at great length very recently?