Guide · Kitchen and dishes ·
How to Wash Kitchen Towels
Kitchen towels and cloths are used all day to dry hands, dry dishes, wipe worktops and hold pots; they pick up grease, tomato paste, tea and coffee stains and, the longer they stay damp, the more they stain and smell. To wash a kitchen towel properly, it is enough to pre-treat greasy stains before washing, wash towels separately from other laundry at the most suitable temperature allowed by the label and hang them up to dry after use. This guide explains how to wash kitchen towels and cloths and how to clean greasy and yellowed cloths.
After use
- Hang to dry: do not leave a wet kitchen towel crumpled on the worktop or in the laundry basket; dry it open on a rail.
- Separate: using separate towels and cloths for drying hands, drying dishes and wiping worktops keeps each of them less dirty.
- Do not wait: wash a towel with grease or tomato paste on it without leaving it for days; stains that are left soak into the fabric.
- Change them often: replace kitchen towels with clean ones as they get dirty and at regular intervals.
How to wash kitchen towels? Step by step
- Shake crumbs and dry dirt off the towel.
- Before washing, pre-treat grease, tomato paste and tea stains with İLK BOR stain remover, or spray on TETİK Kar Aspirin, whose label lists white and coloured laundry, and rub lightly.
- Wash kitchen towels and cloths separately from other laundry, especially clothes.
- Wash cotton towels at the highest temperature allowed by the fabric care label (what temperature to wash clothes).
- Use detergent for whites for white towels and detergent for coloureds for coloured towels, and add the detergent at the dose on the label.
- Take the towels out of the machine as soon as the wash ends and dry them completely.
How to clean greasy kitchen towels?
Grease builds up in towels used around the hob and for holding pots, and the towel stiffens and darkens. Pre-treat greasy areas with stain remover before washing, leave it for the time on the label and wash the towel at the highest temperature the label allows; repeat the pre-treatment if necessary. Do not put dishwashing liquid in the washing machine; it makes too much foam (wash clothes with dish soap). For details on grease stains, see how to remove grease stains.
How to whiten kitchen cloths?
First wash greyed and yellowed white cotton kitchen towels with detergent for whites at the highest temperature the label allows. If the fabric care label allows bleaching, bleach may be used at the dose on the product label and only on white cotton and linen towels (how to use bleach). Do not use bleach on coloured, patterned and synthetic-blend kitchen towels. For greyed whites, see how to whiten yellowed clothes.
Why do kitchen towels smell and stiffen?
Smell in kitchen towels mostly comes from leaving the towel wet and crumpled and from food residue. Hang used towels to dry, do not leave them in the machine after washing and use the right amount of detergent. Too much detergent and fabric softener leave residue in the towel; it stiffens and absorbs less water. Use only a little fabric softener on kitchen towels or none at all. For general towel care, see how to wash towels.
Microfibre kitchen cloths
Wash microfibre cloths separately from cotton towels, at the temperature the label allows and with little detergent; do not use fabric softener or bleach, as the fibres close up and the cloth stops absorbing water. Wash greasy microfibre cloths separately from glass and dusting cloths. For details, see how to wash microfibre cloths.
Hand washing
If you hand wash kitchen towels, put lukewarm water in a basin and use TETİK Hand-Wash Powder Detergent fully dissolved in the water. Wash stained areas by rubbing after pre-treatment, rinse until no detergent remains and hang to dry. For details, see how to hand wash clothes.
What not to do
- Leaving a wet kitchen towel crumpled up.
- Putting dishwashing liquid in the washing machine.
- Using bleach on coloured and synthetic-blend towels.
- Using fabric softener on microfibre cloths.
- Washing greasy towels at a low temperature without pre-treatment.
- Mixing different cleaning products (can cleaning products be mixed).
For restaurants, hotels and canteens
In restaurant, hotel and canteen kitchens, towels, service cloths and aprons are washed in large numbers every day; collecting greasy textiles separately, pre-treating them before washing and using colour-coded cloths by area make things easier. Powder machine detergents for coloureds and whites are sold in 20 kg, TETİK Detergent for Whites and Detergent for Coloureds in 4 kg and TETİK Kar Aspirin in 750 g, 5 kg and 30 kg packs. For aprons, see how to wash an apron; for a product list, see restaurant cleaning supplies; for bulk purchases, you can request a quote.
