Can You Wash Towels With Clothes? Fabric Safety & Hygiene

The question of whether you can wash towels with clothes is a common one. The answer depends on your priorities. Towels are thick, they hold a lot of water, and they release lint. Clothes, meanwhile, often require gentler cycles and can be damaged by rough textures.

Another consideration is that towels generally need warmer water for hygiene. This can lead to a clash between fabric care and cleanliness. So it is bad to wash towels with clothes? Not inherently, but it may reduce a towel’s absorbency or your clothes’ lifespan.

Here’s the compromise: only mix sturdy clothing with towels, such as:

• T-shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Gym wear

Any other clothing should be washed separately from your custom rally towels and other varieties. Separating loads is important for maximum hygiene, fabric protection, and efficiency.

On the surface, it seems logical to wash towels and sheets together - both are large household items. However, you should be mindful that towels are thicker, absorb more water, and take longer to dry. Sheets, meanwhile, are prone to tangling.

When mixed, towels can bunch up inside sheets, preventing thorough cleaning and rinsing. The tangling can also overload the washing machine, causing undue strain. Not to mention that studies have shown that separation improves cleaning and reduces cross-contamination.

Ultimately, towels can be washed with sheets if they are a similar color and fabric, and the machine isn’t overloaded. Use a hot, heavy cycle for cotton towels and sheets, but be sure to separate delicate fabrics like:

• Satin
• Linen
• Silk

While convenient, combining towels and sheets often leads to uneven results.

Towels and blankets are both bulky, heavy, and absorbent, so washing them together can pose challenges. It is likely to put strain on the washer, creating balance issues or incomplete cleaning. Blankets, depending on material, may also shed fibers that stick to towels.

If it can’t be avoided, lightweight cotton blankets and towels can share a load, as long as the machine isn’t overloaded. Here are some tips to make this work:

• Use a strong, hot cycle
• Add ample detergent for hygiene
• Avoid combining towels with wool or delicate blankets since friction could cause piling

Cooling towels work, but they need to be washed regularly. Towels and blankets can sometimes be washed together safely, but it’s rarely ideal. Wash them separately to allow each fabric to receive the care it needs.

There are practical considerations to washing jeans with towels. They may seem a good match because both are heavy fabrics, but there are potential issues. Towels shed lint, which can stick to denim, and denim is a rough fabric, which can weaken fibers in towels and fray edges.

Dark jeans can cause potential problems too. Researchers have found that indigo dyes used in denim for complexes with cellulose, which readily detach and adhere to other fabrics. In other words, your towels could become permanently stained. Thus, washing towels with jeans is possible, but not recommended.

If you combine the two, here are a couple of tips:

• Use cold water to minimize dye bleeding
• Avoid fabric softener as it can reduce towel absorbency

It is better practice to wash jeans separately or with other denim. Towels thrive in hotter water, so separating loads maximizes both hygiene and fabric care.

Laundry rules consistently emphasize separating white. Thus, you can wash towels with white clothes safely on a hot cycle if both are pure white cotton fabrics. This actually helps to keep the whites brighter.

The risk comes when you mix white clothes with patterned towels. Even faint dyes can bleed, leaving the clothes looking gray or tinted. You can only wash towels with white clothes when both are color-safe whites. Avoid mixing colored towels even if they seem “safe’, as dyes transfer under heat.

Keep your whites looking bright by using oxygen-based bleach or baking soda. For best results, separate towels from clothes altogether. If you order a custom hooded beach towel, or any other variety, from us, it will have a vibrant, colorful design on it. Keep this separate from your whites to preserve fabric brightness.

At first glance, the idea of washing socks with towels seems harmless. It would appear that both are small cotton items, so they can go together easily. The reality is less ideal, however. Socks often get trapped inside towel folds, reducing cleaning efficiency and risking mildew.

There is also a hygiene concern. Sweaty socks carry bacteria that thrive in warm, moist towels. While a hot cycle can help sanitize, mixing the two isn’t best practice. If you must combine them, place the socks in a mesh laundry bag to prevent loss and ensure proper cleaning.

Technically, it is possible to wash socks with towels safely, but separating is far better for organization and hygiene. Socks wash well with other lightweight clothes like:

• Undergarments
• Gloves
• Hats

Towels, meanwhile, are best in their own load. This small change can make laundry more efficient and sanitary.

There are hygiene concerns in the question of whether you can wash towels with underwear. Towels tend to trap moisture, while underwear carries bacteria and bodily fluids. Washing them together runs the risk of cross-contamination.

It’s true that hot water cycles can reduce bacteria, but not all fabrics can tolerate high heat. What’s more, towels shed lint, which may cling to undergarments. Though it’s technically possible to wash towels and underwear together, it is not ideal for fabric safety or hygiene.

The best thing to do for underwear is this:

• Wash it separately
• Choose a warm, gentle cycle
• Use an antibacterial detergent if needed

Towels are popular types of promotional products for business, and can feature eye-catching designs for branding or personal use. When they need washing, they benefit from hotter, heavier cycles to maintain freshness. Keeping them separate reduces risk and extends fabric life.

The answer to whether you can wash towels with a robe depends on the robe’s material. For example, cotton or terry cloth robes are similar in texture and weight to towels, so they can be washed together without major issues. Use a hot cycle to maintain hygiene and prevent odors.

However, it’s important to note that certain robe materials require special care and should not be mixed with towels. These include:

• Satin
• Silk
• Fleece

The rough fibers of towels can damage delicate fabrics, causing piling or snags. Towels can be washed with robes if both are cotton and similarly weighted. Otherwise, separate loads ensure fabric longevity.

Towels thrive in hotter cycles, but studies show that reactive dyes are likely to bleed into wash water, particularly when hot. Moreover, specialty robes often require cooler washes. Check garment labels and use your judgment before washing towels and robes together.

Physically, you can put clothes and towels together in the dryer, but this isn’t always a smart approach. Towels are heavier and more absorbent, meaning they need longer wash and dry cycles. Clothes, especially lightweight items, dry faster.

Research has shown that consumers want to separate clothing by type and fabric, but many don’t due to time or load size restrictions. Unfortunately, mixing clothes and towels can lead to issues like:

• Over-drying
• Shrinkage
• Wasted energy

In the washer, bulky towels can also prevent clothes from cleaning thoroughly. In the dryer, towels trap smaller garments, leaving them damp. You may sometimes be able to get away with washing clothes with towels safely, but it’s best to match fabric weights.

If combined, use medium heat and avoid overloading machines. For better efficiency and care, wash and dry towels alone.

Sorting is one of the oldest laundry rules, and it is best to wash towels separately. Clothes - especially delicates or synthetics, fare best in cooler, gentler cycles. What’s more towels can cause issues like:

• Excessive lint
• Absorbing detergent
• Needing hotter cycles to sanitize

Washing towels with clothes reduces efficiency and risks fabric wear. This is true for your home bathroom and hand towels, or for the dirtier jobs gym and golf towels are used for. They may be okay to wash with clothes if the fabrics are similar, like sturdy cotton shirts or gym wear.

Still, separating is better for both hygiene and fabric longevity. Items that pair well with towels include bathrobes or cotton blankets. Items to avoid include denim, synthetics, and delicate lingerie.

While convenience tempts mixing, separating preserves absorbency in towels and quality in clothing.

There are several reasons why separating towels is recommended:

• Lint and fiber transfer: Towels shed, and this can cling to clothing.
• Hygiene: Towels hold bacteria and need sanitizing cycles. Studies show washing at low temperatures can allow microbial contamination to spread.
• Fabric care: Delicate clothes risk damage against rough towel fibers.
• Absorbency and detergent usage: Towels soak up detergent, leaving less for clothes.
• Washing settings: Towels thrive on hot, heavy cycles - clothes often need gentler ones.
• Avoid fabric softener: It reduces towel absorbency.
• Dry separately: Towels require longer drying than clothes.

These reasons explain why not to wash towels with clothes. Separating is more sanitary, efficient, and fabric-friendly. The small extra effort pays off with longer-lasting laundry that stays fresh, bright, and fabric-friendly.

From a hygiene perspective, it may not be sanitary to wash towels with clothes. Towels harbor bacteria from moisture, while clothes carry body oils and dirt. Combining them risks cross-contamination.

While hot water and quality detergent help sanitize, not all clothes can withstand these conditions. Mixing loads often means compromising on temperature:

• Too low for towels
• Too high for clothes

The result: less effective cleaning. That said, using a sanitizing cycle or antibacterial detergent makes it safer in emergencies.

You can wash bath towels with clothes occasionally, but regular mixing isn’t ideal. For consistent hygiene and freshness, separate towels and clothes whenever possible. This ensures bacteria is minimized, laundry is properly cleaned, and you custom yoga towels and all clothing types retain their intended softness and lifespan.