Can You Wash Towels and Clothes Together?

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The short answer: it is better not to. Towels and clothes have different washing needs — towels need hotter water and longer cycles, while most clothes need gentler handling to stay in good shape. Washing them together is not a disaster every time, but doing it regularly leads to lint transfer, fabric wear, and clothes that do not come out as clean as they should. This guide explains exactly why, and what to do instead.

Quick Answer: Towels and Clothes Together

• Safe occasionally? Yes — if you use a warm cycle and only combine cotton items
• Safe regularly? No — towels generate lint that coats clothes and trap odors faster
• Biggest risks: lint transfer, uneven cleaning, fabric damage from friction
• Best rule: wash towels in their own load, or group them with other heavy cotton items like bathrobes

Why Laundry Experts Recommend Keeping Them Separate

Towels shed lint — and clothes absorb it

Even after years of use, towels still shed small cotton fibers in every wash. These fibers are attracted to synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and fleece. After a few combined washes, dark clothes in particular develop a visible fuzz that is difficult to remove. A fabric shaver can help restore affected clothes, but preventing the problem is easier.

Towels need more heat and agitation

Cotton towels are heavy, dense, and designed to absorb a lot of moisture. To wash them properly — especially to kill bacteria and dust mites — you typically want water at 60°C (140°F) or higher and a longer, more aggressive cycle. Most delicate fabrics and dyed clothes should not go anywhere near those settings. See Laundry Symbols Explained to check what your garment labels actually allow.

Different drying needs create a practical problem

Towels can usually go straight into a hot dryer. Many clothes — especially synthetic blends, wool, and printed items — need low heat or air drying. If you wash them together you face an impossible choice at the dryer: overheat the clothes or under-dry the towels.

Towels slow down the whole load

A full load of wet towels is significantly heavier than a load of clothes. When mixed, towels absorb most of the available water in the drum, leaving clothes less rinsed than they should be. This contributes to detergent residue and, over time, a musty smell — see Why Clean Laundry Smells Musty for more on that.

When Combining Towels and Clothes Is Acceptable

Both are 100% cotton, similar colors

A white cotton t-shirt and white hand towels can share a load without major issues. Same temperature tolerance, same wash cycle, no color bleed risk. This is the one scenario where combining makes practical sense.

Half-empty machine, you need to run a load

If you only have a few towels and a few casual cotton clothes and you need to run a wash, combining them once is not going to ruin anything. The problems appear with regular mixing, not one-off exceptions.

What about gym clothes with towels?

Skip it. Gym clothes are usually synthetic, odor-trapping fabrics that need a cold or warm gentle cycle. Towels need the opposite. They will both come out worse than if washed separately.

Grouping Strategy That Actually Works

Rather than "towels vs clothes," think in four simple wash groups:

1. Towels + bathrobes + washcloths — hot cycle, long duration
2. Sheets + pillowcases + duvet covers — hot or warm cycle, large-capacity load
3. Everyday clothes (cotton, denim) — warm cycle, normal agitation
4. Delicates + synthetics + activewear — cold cycle, gentle spin

This grouping keeps temperatures, spin speeds, and cycle lengths matched to what each item actually needs. It also prevents lint transfer across groups and makes drying decisions straightforward.

What About Towels and Sheets Together?

This is a separate but related question — covered in detail in Can You Wash Sheets and Towels Together? The short version: also not ideal for similar reasons, but less damaging than mixing towels with clothes.

How to Remove Lint Already on Clothes

If your clothes have already accumulated lint from past combined washes:

• Use a lint roller for light surface fuzz
• Use a fabric shaver for embedded pilling on synthetic items
• Wash affected clothes inside out with a mesh laundry bag to reduce further shedding during the fix cycle

Does Fabric Softener Make Towels Worse?

Yes — fabric softener applied to towels coats the cotton fibers with a waxy layer that reduces absorbency over time. If you have been using fabric softener on towels and they feel less absorbent than they used to, that is likely why. Use wool dryer balls instead. For everything you need to know about fabric softener: Should You Use Fabric Softener?

Recommended Towel Washing Routine

• Wash every 3–4 uses (roughly twice a week for daily-use towels)
• Use a regular enzyme detergent — no extras needed
• Skip fabric softener
• Wash at 60°C where the label allows, or 40°C minimum
• Tumble dry on medium heat, then shake well before folding to restore fluffiness

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I wash towels and dark clothes together?

No — this is one of the worst combinations. Towel lint is white or light-colored and extremely visible on dark fabrics. Even one wash together can leave dark items visibly fuzzy.

Can I wash hand towels with clothes?

Hand towels are lighter and shed less than bath towels, so the lint risk is lower. Still, they need warmer water than most clothes, so it is not ideal. If you do it, stick to cotton casual clothes only and use a warm cycle.

Can bath mats go with towels?

Yes — bath mats and towels are both heavy cotton items with similar temperature tolerances. They wash well together. Just do not overfill the machine.

Why do my towels smell even after washing?

Usually a combination of too much detergent, not enough rinse water, or the towels not drying fast enough after the cycle. See our full guide: Why Clean Laundry Smells Musty.

Can I wash white towels with white clothes?

Yes — white cotton items can share a load at high temperature with no color bleed risk. This is one of the safer exceptions to the usual rule.

Do new towels need to be washed separately first?

Yes — new towels often release excess dye and manufacturing residue in the first wash. Wash them alone or with other towels the first time, never with light-colored clothes.

Conclusion

Towels and clothes can share a load in a pinch, but regular mixing leads to lint-covered clothes, under-washed towels, and a shorter life for both. The fix is simple: one towel load, one clothes load. It takes ten minutes of sorting and saves you a lot of lint removal work down the line.

Next step: Can You Wash Sheets and Towels Together? or How Much Detergent to Use for Towel Loads.