Stop this tea towel habit before it turns your home into a germ factory!
- Replies 6
Tea towels are the unsung heroes of our kitchens, tirelessly drying dishes, mopping up spills, and even serving as impromptu oven mitts.
But are you treating your tea towels right? Or are you unwittingly turning them into a breeding ground for bacteria, mould, and unpleasant odours?
The common mistake many make is tossing damp tea towels directly into the laundry hamper or piling them up with other laundry items.
This might seem like a harmless habit, but it can have some seriously gross consequences.
Why is this a problem? Well, dampness and moisture create the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive.
This, coupled with the food residues often found on tea towels, can lead to a microbial party that you definitely don't want to be hosting.
Primrose Freestone, a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, explains: 'One of the reasons tea towels act as such good microbial reservoirs is that they are often damp as they are used to absorb moisture and mop up spills. Water enables germs to grow. And so a moist tea towel left in a warm kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply. This is particularly the case if food traces are present, too.'
The result? Your tea towels can develop unpleasant odours that are hard to wash out. Worse still, the damp conditions can encourage the growth of mould and mildew, which can lead to unsightly stains.
So, what's the solution? It's simple: let your tea towels dry before you throw them into the laundry hamper.
This might sound challenging if you're short on space, but there are plenty of compact clothes airers available that can help.
Some can even be hung over the door, making them a great space-saving solution.
‘In my home I have a folded up clothes airer leaning against the wall on one side of the laundry, this is really handy for drying tea towels and any wet cloths I've used to dust or clean around the kitchen,’ said Rachael Gavin from 9Honey.
‘I also dry the towels over the lid of the washing machine (which is almost always open to dry the appliance after use, because, again, mould) if I run out of space.’
‘Then once they're dry, which could be the following day depending on how damp they were to start with, I toss them in a small tub under my laundry sink to wash when there is enough for a load.’
Gavin added: ‘Oven door handles are another easy spot to dry tea towels, though this is where I store them during use (two on the go, the left one only for drying hands and the right for drying dishes).’
‘Then when it's time to wash, just toss them in the machine with some detergent and then dry outside on the line thoroughly. You can do a hot or warm wash and even use a laundry sanitiser if you're really concerned about germs, but if you get in the habit of drying tea towels after use you're well on the way to cleaner tea towels anyway.’
By allowing your tea towels to dry thoroughly before putting them in the laundry, you're depriving these microorganisms of the conditions they need to grow.
This simple habit can go a long way towards keeping your kitchen clean and hygienic.
So, dear members, let's make the kitchens a safer place, one tea towel at a time. Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
But are you treating your tea towels right? Or are you unwittingly turning them into a breeding ground for bacteria, mould, and unpleasant odours?
The common mistake many make is tossing damp tea towels directly into the laundry hamper or piling them up with other laundry items.
This might seem like a harmless habit, but it can have some seriously gross consequences.
Why is this a problem? Well, dampness and moisture create the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive.
This, coupled with the food residues often found on tea towels, can lead to a microbial party that you definitely don't want to be hosting.
Experts say tea towels have more germs than you think! Image: Freepik
Primrose Freestone, a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, explains: 'One of the reasons tea towels act as such good microbial reservoirs is that they are often damp as they are used to absorb moisture and mop up spills. Water enables germs to grow. And so a moist tea towel left in a warm kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply. This is particularly the case if food traces are present, too.'
The result? Your tea towels can develop unpleasant odours that are hard to wash out. Worse still, the damp conditions can encourage the growth of mould and mildew, which can lead to unsightly stains.
So, what's the solution? It's simple: let your tea towels dry before you throw them into the laundry hamper.
This might sound challenging if you're short on space, but there are plenty of compact clothes airers available that can help.
Some can even be hung over the door, making them a great space-saving solution.
‘In my home I have a folded up clothes airer leaning against the wall on one side of the laundry, this is really handy for drying tea towels and any wet cloths I've used to dust or clean around the kitchen,’ said Rachael Gavin from 9Honey.
‘I also dry the towels over the lid of the washing machine (which is almost always open to dry the appliance after use, because, again, mould) if I run out of space.’
‘Then once they're dry, which could be the following day depending on how damp they were to start with, I toss them in a small tub under my laundry sink to wash when there is enough for a load.’
Gavin added: ‘Oven door handles are another easy spot to dry tea towels, though this is where I store them during use (two on the go, the left one only for drying hands and the right for drying dishes).’
‘Then when it's time to wash, just toss them in the machine with some detergent and then dry outside on the line thoroughly. You can do a hot or warm wash and even use a laundry sanitiser if you're really concerned about germs, but if you get in the habit of drying tea towels after use you're well on the way to cleaner tea towels anyway.’
By allowing your tea towels to dry thoroughly before putting them in the laundry, you're depriving these microorganisms of the conditions they need to grow.
This simple habit can go a long way towards keeping your kitchen clean and hygienic.
So, dear members, let's make the kitchens a safer place, one tea towel at a time. Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
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