How to wash your kitchen towels to remove odors?

Read in EnglishWith kitchen towels, we wipe up any spills we see, but also residues from everything typical in the kitchen: eggs, milk, oil, juices, and a thousand ingredient mixtures, so it's not unusual to want to know how to wash kitchen towels to remove odors.If putting them in the washing machine no longer works, we bring you some simple tips to remove any undesirable odors and keep them clean without having to throw them away and replace them with new ones.Why do kitchen towels smell bad?Generally, kitchen towels have a characteristic sour smell that is not only unpleasant but is also the aroma of bacteria reproduction. Among the food particles, grease, things you wipe off your hands while using them, and moisture, there is enough food to help bacteria grow.To make matters worse, those bacteria will transfer to any surface you clean with a stinky kitchen towel: shelves, sinks, appliances, even your hands. From there, it's a small step to food contamination.Photo by Micheile Henderson on UnsplashHow to wash kitchen towels to remove bad odors?The best way to keep kitchen towels clean and odor-free is to wash them with hot water and soap immediately after use and then rinse them thoroughly. Wring them out well and then hang them where they can air dry. It is very common to leave them on the edge of the sink, but this is not suitable because they do not air out properly; however, the oven door might be a good spot. For very smelly towels, the first step is to boil them to remove any buildup. Follow these steps to eliminate the odor: Fill a large pot with 3 liters of water and heat on high on the stove until it boils.Add 1 cup of white vinegar and place the kitchen towels into the pot. You do not need to add soap.Boil the towels in the vinegar water for 15 minutes to remove odors, bacteria, mold, and fungi.Turn off the heat and let the kitchen towels and liquid cool to room temperature.Once cooled, wring out the towels by hand one at a time before hanging them to dry in a sunny spot.As an extra tip, try to have thin and lightweight kitchen towels, like microfiber cloths, which dry much faster than standard fabric towels.Cover photo: Guido Hofmann on Unsplash