You could damage your clothes
“Towels are bulky and absorbent, so they need more water and agitation to get fully clean,” says Holguin. “Clothing, especially lighter fabrics, doesn’t need that much—and can actually get tangled or stretched out when washed with heavy items like towels.”
Mixing laundry is even worse when new towels are involved, according to Noemy Sibrian, field manager at Avanti Green Eco Cleaning. “Usually, new towels shed lint. That lint will stick to your clothes, especially darker fabrics,” she says.
The wrong water temperature can cause color fading and shrinkage
Water temperature is also an issue. “It’s usually recommended that you wash towels in hot water,” Taylor says. “Clothes are much more likely to be washed in cold water.” If you put the clothes in at a higher temperature, they might shrink, fade and just look worn more quickly than if you separate the laundry loads.
Can you ever wash these items together?
It’s your clothes, your rules. But if you decide to go rogue on laundry day, the experts say to plan for damage control.
Wash towels only with sturdy clothes. No delicates, says Holguin, but you can get away with heftier items like jeans or gym clothes.
Turn clothes inside out. Taylor recommends this to protect the exterior from damage or discoloration. According to Sibrian, “a mesh laundry bag will do wonders.”
Stick with similar colors. This is a good rule of thumb no matter what type of laundry you’re doing, but it’s especially good if you’re using anything but cold water.
Use a cool setting. Again, while towels are best washed on hot for sanitizing power, Taylor notes that it’s better to wash towels in cold water than clothes in hot water.
Don’t overload the washer. “Towels are heavy and need room,” says Holguin.
Use the right detergent. The experts like a detergent that rinses clean, with no fragrance or color. Taylor recommends Tide Free & Gentle.
Skip the fabric softener. Taylor says fabric softener makes towels less absorbent.
Where do linens fit into all of this?
Sheets and linens deserve a wash cycle of their own too. Now, there’s no one really stopping you from tossing in your sheets with towels or clothes, but laundry experts (and now myself) would advise you to refrain from doing so.
“Washing sheets and towels together is not a good idea, but it is better than mixing them with clothes,” says Sibrian. “Since towels are heavier, they will wrap around sheets and will prevent a thorough cleaning.” The same goes for mixing sheets and clothes; your clothes won’t get fully cleaned, Sibrian explains.
Is mixing them in the dryer also a problem?
If you’re hoping all your mixed-laundry issues will come out in the wash—or rather, the dryer—they won’t. “Towels take longer to dry,” says Sibrian. “If you dry towels, linens and clothes together, the towels will remain damp, or the clothes will get over-dried, causing them to shrink in some cases.” Towels also create static and shed lint, both of which will damage clothes.
Holguin notes that any items that don’t fully dry can even get that musty smell, which means you’ll likely have to do your laundry all over again. So it’s definitely worth it to do this right in the first place. Remember that the next time you’re considering a shortcut.
