Is It Ever OK to Wash Towels and Bed Sheets Together? Here's What Laundry Experts Say

There’s nothing quite like crawling into bed with freshly washed sheets. Sure, the laundry process might not be as fun—especially when you're wrestling with a fitted sheet—but it’s a small price to pay for that cozy, clean-sheets feeling.

That said, how you wash your sheets matters, and if you want your sheets to stay fresh and last, you should avoid shortcuts. So, no more throwing your 400-thread-count sheets in with gym clothes or bath towels. Washing sheets separately helps them get cleaner, reduces wear and tear, and keeps them feeling luxurious longer. Here’s how to wash your sheets and towels properly to make them last as long as possible.

Why You Shouldn't Wash Sheets and Towels Together

Washing your bed sheets with towels might not be as damaging as throwing them in with zippered clothing, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. Towels are thick and heavy, which can put extra stress on delicate sheets, leading to wear, tears, and stretched-out fabric. Towels also produce a lot of lint that can cling to your sheets.

Sheets and towels also have very different drying needs. Sheets are lighter and dry faster, while towels take longer. According to 2U Laundry, drying sheets and towels together can lead to over-dried, damaged sheets and damp towels—aka the perfect environment for mold and mildew.

“The balance between linens in the dryer is like a dance,” the article reads. “You can’t have one dancer dancing to a different song than the other. Everything will get tangled up. And tangled linens take forever to dry. Instead, limit your dry cycles to one type of linen so the tumble dance can be harmonious.” 

How Often to Wash Your Sheets and Towels

Need another reason not to wash sheets and towels together? Your sheets and towels aren’t on the same laundry schedule. According to the Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sleep education, sheets should ideally be washed once a week. Towels, on the other hand, need a refresh every three uses. Why so often? Both fabrics collect dead skin, sweat, body oils, and bacteria quickly.

Hand towels, especially in the kitchen, are the exception because they need even more frequent washing. A 2015 study from Kansas State University found they were the most contaminated item in the kitchen, often because people touched them before washing their hands, or reused them after washing them improperly. 

“Even after properly washing their hands, they reused the towel and contaminated themselves all over again,” the study reports. 

While separating sheets and towels might seem like extra effort, it can actually save you time and frustration. You’ll avoid lint-covered sheets, reduce wear and tear, and keep your linens looking good longer—which means more lounging, less replacing.

When it's time to wash your linens, you should not only separate sheets and towels, but also avoid washing them with your clothes. On laundry day, separate bed sheets and towels into different loads. Wash each load in the hottest water suitable for the fabric, as indicated on the care label. If your washing machine has one, choose a wash cycle specifically for sheets or towels, and use the recommended amount of laundry detergent for the load. Washing sheets on a shorter cycle helps make them last longer. If you have a large load, break it down into smaller loads to avoid overloading the machine. Then, fully dry each load to prevent mold and mildew.