Dish towels go from fresh to funky faster than almost anything in the kitchen. Alejandra Docampo, a home-cleaning creator known online as @anakedhouse, has a blunt message for anyone who tosses them straight into the washer. Her method starts on the stove, not in the machine. Here’s what she does, why it works, and what research says about kitchen towels.
In short
- Her words, translated from Portuguese: “Don’t even think about putting dirty dish towels in the washing machine; it’s better to boil them in lemon juice and natural soap.”
- She boils them for 10 to 15 minutes, then machine-washes them at about 104°F (40°C).
- The heat loosens grease and trapped food, so the detergent works better in the machine.
- The method is for cotton, linen and cellulose cloths, and boiling water calls for care.
What she recommends
Her method, reported by the Brazilian health site Minha Vida:
- Fill a pot with water and add natural soap and lemon juice.
- Once the water boils, add the dish towels.
- Boil them for 10 to 15 minutes. The water may turn dark, which shows the fibers are releasing dirt.
- Take them out and machine-wash them on a normal cycle at about 104°F (40°C).
- Dry them outdoors when possible.
Why boil first
According to Minha Vida, a machine wash alone may not remove the odors, grease and food residue trapped in the fibers. The heat loosens them, the soap cleans and the lemon helps neutralize odors, so the towels reach the machine with less residue.
The idea isn’t only Brazilian. Chowhound recommends boiling dish towels too, fully submerged, with one cleaning additive: hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, an oxygen powder, white vinegar and dish soap, or chlorine bleach. The site adds that “bad odors can indicate bacteria build-up.”
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What research found
In a study presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers at the University of Mauritius cultured 100 kitchen towels after one month of use. Bacteria grew on 49% of them, and almost three-quarters of those carried intestinal bacteria such as E. coli and Enterococcus. “Humid towels and multipurpose usage of towels should be discouraged,” said lead author Susheela D. Biranjia-Hurdoyal. Paul Dawson, who was not involved in the study, put the finding in perspective: “E. coli as a general genus and species is not a problem,” only specific types are.
The limit
Docampo’s method is her personal practice, not a tested protocol, and Minha Vida gives no amounts of soap or lemon. It’s meant for cotton, linen and cellulose cloths only. The article doesn’t mention safety either: handle the pot and the hot towels with care. If you choose Chowhound’s additives, use one at a time and never put chlorine bleach in the same pot as vinegar, a mix that releases dangerous fumes.
For the rest of the laundry, see how laundry pros bring dingy whites back and what experts toss in the dryer instead of dryer sheets. And for the sink they hang next to, there’s the two-ingredient paste that clears a smelly drain.
One pot, one lemon, fifteen minutes on the stove. That’s the trick.
