How to Dry Kitchen Cloths

Lotus58

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posted on 5 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Dishcloth are great tools for the kitchen and help you cut down on paper towel usage. However, like all reusable items, they eventually get dirty and wet from repeated use. Keeping your towels dry is an important way to prevent bacteria and mold from growing on them. Fortunately, washing and drying them is easy. You can either use your dryer or hang them up in your kitchen. This way, you’ll always have a ready supply of fresh towels.

Steps

Using the Washer and Dryer

Wash dirty cloths on the hot water cycle. Dishcloths harbor millions of bacteria, so they need to be washed daily. Set the washing machine to the hot cycle to kill any germs. Use detergent with bleach for white cloths and peroxide soap for colored ones. Then run the cloths through a normal laundry cycle. It’s best to wash heavily-soiled items like dishcloths, mopheads, and other cleaning items in their own load rather than with other clothes. Food particles and dirt could get on your other clothes or the hot water setting could be too much for delicate items. You can also handwash your cloths with hot water and detergent.

Set your dryer to the hot setting. Just in case the wash cycle doesn’t kill all the bacteria, use the hot setting so the high temperatures kill any remaining germs. Then run the cloths in the dryer for a normal cycle. Don’t mix other clothes into this drying cycle unless they can handle high temperatures. The hot setting can shrink clothes.

Keep each cloth in the dryer until it’s completely dry. Damp towels are a magnet for bacteria. If you take them out and they’re not completely dry, put them back in the dryer for a few minutes. This ensures that all the bacteria are dead and the cloth won’t attract more germs. You could also hang the towel in a sunny location to let it dry further instead of starting the dryer again.

Store the cloths in a dry location until you plan on using them. When your cloths are clean and dry, make sure they stay that way until you’re ready to use them. Designate a clean, dry drawer or cabinet in your kitchen to keep the towels.

Air-Drying Damp Towels

Squeeze the cloth out over the sink. If you use your towel to dry dishes or wipe up a spill, then store it somewhere it can dry out. First, make sure all the excess water is gone. Wring it out over the sink before hanging it. If you used the towel to wipe something besides water, then it’s best to get a new one right away. Other materials attract bacteria.

Hang the cloth in a sunny location. Find the spot in your kitchen that gets the most sun. Either spread the towel out flat or hang it over a countertop to help it dry faster. Don’t hang the towels over the side of the sink. Kitchen sinks are full of bacteria, so you’ll contaminate the towel further. If there’s no sun in your kitchen, then still lay the towel out flat or hang it. This helps it dry faster. You could also hang the towels on a line outside.

Avoid rolling up the cloth. Never store used towels while they’re bunched up. This makes them dry slower and traps bacteria. Even if the towel is dry, always spread it out instead of bunching it up.

Throw the cloth in the laundry basket at the end of the day. Even if you airdry your towels well, this isn’t a substitute for thorough washing. The cloths can still house bacteria, so don’t use them for more than a day at a time. Throw an old one in the wash and replace it with a fresh one. If you use the towel to wipe up food, then don’t use it again. Mold and bacteria can start growing quickly.