Top Tips for Cleaning Bar Towels

Cleaning bar towels correctly may seem simple but we want to break it down for you with our top tips. It’s a good idea to wash bar towels on a regular basis to avoid contamination. If you work in a restaurant or a kitchen then you already know these bar towels get used and abused. Almost all restaurants will have large piles of dirty rags after a busy night.

Let’s get to cleaning bar towels!

No sweat!!!

Cleaning Bar Towels

Step 1: Separate First

Make sure you are cleaning bar towels as a separate load. It’s helpful to have a laundry cart or bin specifically for bar towels. These rags can come into contact with food and it makes sense to separate them. It’s always a good idea to rinse out and dry them as much as possible. If you can air dry them before washing that’s great, a pile of wet dirty rags can grow bacteria fast.

Step 2: Now it’s time to get washing!

Crank it up. You want to use a hot cycle and these guys can handle a heavy duty spin. Bar towels are very durable and you need the high heat to kill any bacteria. Some suggest soaking them in warm water and vinegar for 15 minutes before washing.

Step 3: Dry and Fold

Go ahead and use high heat; we want these bar towels nice and dry. When folding bar towels it doesn’t hurt to check to make sure they are 100% dry before you store them.

Dos and Don’ts

  • Hold Up – Don’t use fabric softener. Using fabric softener while cleaning bar towels can affect the ability for towels to be properly sanitized.
  • It’s OK – Use some bleach. One of the advantages of a white bar towel is you can bleach it, so go ahead and throw in a little bleach.
  • Never leave your bar towels in the washing machine for too long, the faster they get to the dryer the less chance of mildew.

Top Tips for Cleaning Bar Towels

Cleaning bar towels correctly may seem simple but we want to break it down for you with our top tips. It’s a good idea to wash bar towels on a regular basis to avoid contamination. If you work in a restaurant or a kitchen then you already know these bar towels get used and abused. Almost all restaurants will have large piles of dirty rags after a busy night.

Let’s get to cleaning bar towels!

No sweat!!!

Cleaning Bar Towels

Step 1: Separate First

Make sure you are cleaning bar towels as a separate load. It’s helpful to have a laundry cart or bin specifically for bar towels. These rags can come into contact with food and it makes sense to separate them. It’s always a good idea to rinse out and dry them as much as possible. If you can air dry them before washing that’s great, a pile of wet dirty rags can grow bacteria fast.

Step 2: Now it’s time to get washing!

Crank it up. You want to use a hot cycle and these guys can handle a heavy duty spin. Bar towels are very durable and you need the high heat to kill any bacteria. Some suggest soaking them in warm water and vinegar for 15 minutes before washing.

Step 3: Dry and Fold

Go ahead and use high heat; we want these bar towels nice and dry. When folding bar towels it doesn’t hurt to check to make sure they are 100% dry before you store them.

Dos and Don’ts

  • Hold Up – Don’t use fabric softener. Using fabric softener while cleaning bar towels can affect the ability for towels to be properly sanitized.
  • It’s OK – Use some bleach. One of the advantages of a white bar towel is you can bleach it, so go ahead and throw in a little bleach.
  • Never leave your bar towels in the washing machine for too long, the faster they get to the dryer the less chance of mildew.