How to wash kitchen towels in the microwave: best methods, reviews

Kitchen towels require frequent washing to remove tough stains. One way to tidy them up is to use a microwave.

Such a non-standard approach to solving the issue requires compliance with certain rules.

We'll tell you more about how to wash a kitchen towel in the microwave in this article.

Is it possible to wash kitchen towels using a microwave?

At first glance, it seems that the microwave is the most inappropriate place for washing. After all, it is intended for completely different purposes - for heating food and drinks, quickly defrosting semi-finished products.

However, in reality the device can be used much more widely. Using a microwave oven, it is quite possible to wash heavily soiled kitchen towels in a few minutes and eliminate the unpleasant odor emanating from them. The bottom line is that under the influence of microwaves, wet textiles inside the unit reach a very high temperature, and under its influence the structure of even very persistent and old stains disintegrates.

The method is somewhat reminiscent of classic boiling. Only using a microwave is much more convenient, it gives a better quality effect, and washing takes less time.

Washing textiles in a microwave follows the following principles:

First, the towel is thoroughly soaked in a soap solution - it is necessary that it completely saturates the fabric;
then placed in the microwave in a sealed package made of heat-resistant material;
then the microwave oven is turned on briefly, causing the soapy water in the fibers of the fabric to literally boil.

The method makes it possible to highly effectively remove stains from grease and difficult to remove food products. The microwave also eliminates the unpleasant odor that often comes from old towels even after washing.

Process Features

The microwave is an extraordinary method of washing; it is based on boiling water under the influence of microwaves emitted by the device. The result is almost the same as digestion.

The use of detergent compounds in the process makes washing even more effective, which is very important for kitchen towels. Heated soapy water begins to actively work, literally “pushing” dirt out of the fibers.

Advantages of using a microwave oven:

saving time (compared to boiling or washing in a washing machine);
the absence of a large amount of steam, the formation of which occurs during digestion;
simplicity of the method;
harmlessness to humans;
ease of choosing a detergent - even ordinary soap will do;
high efficiency.

Despite the heating, the structure of the material is not damaged when processed in the microwave. The purification process under the influence of radiation is directed from within.

How to wash kitchen towels in the microwave

The washing algorithm using a microwave oven is the same, but the nuances for regular and terry towels may differ. If the fabric has long fibers, you will need to think not only about its high-quality cleaning, but also about maintaining softness.

How to wash regular towels

The easiest way to wash regular fabric or waffle kitchen towels is to use a microwave. The classic algorithm for washing towels in a microwave oven works great here.

Dirty textiles are thoroughly soaked in cold water, and then thoroughly rubbed with a bar of laundry soap. You can treat the fabric with other home remedies, for example, apply a little vinegar to the stains, sprinkle the towel with salt or citric acid.
The prepared kitchen towel is placed in a plastic bag suitable for placing in the microwave. There is no need to close or tie the bag; it must remain open.
The package is placed in the microwave, and then it is turned on at medium power and the time is set to approximately 1.5-2 minutes.
After the microwave finishes its cycle, open the door of the device and remove the bag with long tongs or another device that will prevent you from touching the bag with your hands.

After this, you need to wait until the polyethylene cools down and remove the washed towel from the bag. Next, the fabric should be lightly washed in warm water to remove any residual detergent and rinse.

Advice! For complex stains, you can repeat the procedure twice with a short break - this will help remove stains better.

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How to wash a long pile towel in the microwave

Washing terry kitchen textiles is a little more difficult. First of all, dirt eats into long pile much more firmly, and besides, after intensive washing in hot water, such towels become very hard.

For these reasons, it is necessary to use a special technique to wash long-nap kitchen towels using the microwave. The algorithm looks like this:

as in the previous case, the textiles are thoroughly soaked and, if necessary, treated with strong cleaning agents;
however, instead of laundry soap for long piles, hair shampoo is used; it has a very mild composition, although it effectively removes dirt and grease;
Then the fabric is still wrapped in a bag and placed in the microwave, and then the unit is started for 1.5 minutes.

To wash kitchen textiles completely, you will need to rinse them several times in warm water; it is necessary that the remaining shampoo is completely washed out of the fibers of the fabric.

Attention! Washing kitchen textiles using a mild shampoo is very convenient - the long pile after the procedure becomes soft, tender and fluffy. The kitchen towel will be completely clean, but will not lose its attractiveness and will remain pleasant to the touch.

Washing machine or microwave: which is better?

An automatic washing machine has become a part of everyday life for any housewife; today, not everyone is able to give up this habitual method of washing. If you compare a microwave and a washing machine, the conclusion suggests itself about saving time, water and electricity when working with a microwave.

Washing in a washing machine takes several hours, so more electricity is consumed, and the same goes for water. And when using a microwave, much less time is spent. In the absence of a special powder for machine washing in the microwave, you can easily get by with ordinary laundry soap.

You need to get used to any innovation. Those housewives who chose to wash kitchen towels in the microwave no longer return to their usual methods. Ease, efficiency and cost-effectiveness allowed this method to firmly enter the life of a housewife. Free time is no less valuable; it can be spent communicating with children and family, and cleanliness in the kitchen will make you want to get together with your family more often for tea.

How to bleach kitchen towels in the microwave

According to reviews, you can wash kitchen towels in the microwave even if they were once white, but then lost their original color. Bleaching in a microwave oven is carried out as follows:

pour hot water into a fairly deep bowl, leaving a little space to the edge;
bleach is added to the water - 100 g of bleach is required for 1 liter of water;
kitchen towels are immersed in water, but it is advisable that the water does not cover them completely;
cover the container with a special lid intended for use in a microwave oven, or with other utensils - this must be done to avoid splashing;
The microwave is set to medium power and the time is set from 10 to 15 minutes.

Under the influence of microwaves, kitchen towels in bleach can be thoroughly boiled, and even the most difficult stains - grease, coffee, tea stains - will be removed from them. The fabric will become perfectly clean and white, and bleaching in a microwave oven will eliminate the unpleasant old smell from towels.

Important! After the bleaching procedure, the towels will need to be washed as usual to remove any remaining bleach from the fabric.

When should you use this method?

If long-term boiling of textile products, soaking and washing them is not your thing, then it’s worth trying a new method.
Judging by the numerous reviews from those who have already used the microwave, the effect will not disappoint you, and as a bonus, you will save a lot of time. Few people associate a microwave oven with washing clothes; we usually heat food in it. But in some cases, only this will help solve the problem.

A washing machine is indispensable if the dirt is not too noticeable. But when washing, the machine will consume electricity, a lot of water, and at least an hour of time. Detergents will have to be selected to match different colors. And the main drawback is that heavy contamination will still not be removed.

Washing in the microwave does not have these disadvantages. Although, there is still one. It will not be possible to place many towels in the oven at the same time.

Microwave safety precautions

You can wash kitchen towels in the microwave until they are perfectly clean. However, it must be remembered that a microwave oven is a complex device that requires compliance with safety rules.

To wash kitchen textiles, it is enough to set the unit to medium power and a short operating time - there is no need to process textiles for too long or with very high intensity.
Wet towels can only be packed in plastic bags. You cannot use foil - it will start to sparkle in the microwave, and the cling film will simply melt.
The wet cloth bag must be left open. If you tie it, the plastic will explode, it may not harm the microwave, but it's better not to risk it.
After completing the wash cycle, the bag of towels should only be removed from the microwave oven using tongs or oven mitts. The polyethylene will be very hot and if you handle it with bare hands, it will cause burns on your skin.

If you follow basic safety precautions, washing kitchen textiles in the microwave will be successful and you will be pleased with the results.

Useful tips

Caring for kitchen towels will be much easier if you follow simple rules. First of all, this is the choice of home textiles. Terry products are best left for the bathroom or bathhouse. In the kitchen, small towels made from natural fibers are the most practical option. The traditional “waffle” option is optimal: the structure allows you to quickly absorb moisture during use, and the small thickness, in turn, is easy to wash.

The more often you change towels, the better they wash. Experienced housewives advise doing this once every 2-3 days, in large families daily. Separate napkins should be used for hands, table and utensils. In this case, heavy soiling will not appear on all towels; most of them can be easily washed using standard methods. The freshness of textiles also prolongs the correct use of items: do not replace pot holders or hot pads with towels, or hand napkins at the table.

It is wrong to accumulate large quantities of dirty towels. Dried stains require repeated boiling, which is unacceptable for products with bright colors and terry towels. For many tasks, it is advisable to use paper towels rather than cloth napkins. For example, for greasy hands or wiping tables. Their cost is low, comparable to the cost of regular washing.

Mustard

Mustard will remove light stains (Photo: pixabay.com)

Mustard powder is used as a dishwashing detergent and bleach. To deal with light stains, soak towels in a mustard solution.

How to use

Pour 6 tablespoons of chopped mustard into 2 liters of water.
Stir and wait 20 minutes for the mustard to dissolve.
Submerge the towels completely and leave for 12 hours.
Wash with laundry soap and rinse.

The method is suitable for colored and white things. Like vinegar, mustard brightens colors. Mustard powder copes with stains on synthetic fabrics that cannot be boiled.

How to remove stubborn stains using this method?

To remove stains that are too difficult, you can additionally use stain removers. To do this, you need to dissolve the stain remover in warm water, using the volume recommended by the manufacturer. Next, you need to soak the towels in this solution and follow the procedure described above. In some cases, for greater effectiveness, the stain remover can be applied directly to the problem area.

If there are grease stains on the towels, you can remove them using dishwashing detergent. The algorithm is the same: dissolve the detergent in water, soak the product in the solution and put it in the microwave.

Starch

Fabrics washed with starch are less dirty (Photo: dashu83, ru.freepik.com)

A bleaching agent that removes fresh, stubborn stains.

How to use

Add 300 g of starch to a bowl of warm water.
Stir until completely dissolved.
Soak dirty towels and leave overnight.
Hang items to dry.

There is no need to rinse or wring out the fabric. To prevent the towel from turning into cardboard after this procedure, add more water. The solution should be slightly cloudy.

How do you wash kitchen towels? Share your recipes in the comments.

Author - Natalya Strelnikova

Traditional methods

White towels can be bleached using traditional methods - this is a cheap, but not the fastest method. You should also remember that some ingredients are quite aggressive on fabric, for example, boric acid.

Hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and boiling

Add 1 tbsp to the pan of water. l. ammonia and 2 tbsp. l. peroxide. The container is placed on the stove and heated, but the liquid should not be brought to a boil. Towels are placed in a pan and stirred until the stains are removed. At the end of the procedure, you need to rinse them.

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Hydrogen peroxide and soda

The recipe is popular not only because of its effectiveness, but also because of the low cost of the ingredients. To prepare the solution, take 5 liters of water, 5 tbsp. l. soda and 15 ml of peroxide. After stirring the ingredients, add a measuring spoon of laundry detergent.

Leave the towels in the resulting product for 3 hours and then wash them as usual.

Soap and soda

First you need to grate a quarter of a bar of soap and add 50 g of soda. After this, the ingredients are mixed in 4 liters of warm water.

Towels should be boiled in the solution for about 2 hours to remove old stains and make the product white. It should be noted that synthetic fabrics cannot be washed in this way.

Potassium permangantsovka

For 10 liters take 7 crystals of potassium permanganate. It is recommended to first pour 0.5 liters of water into a jar and add the product there to make it easier to stir.

Towels are soaked in a basin, after which you need to add ¼ piece of laundry soap. It is better to purchase soap in the form of shavings so that you do not have to grate it. The items are soaked overnight and thrown into the machine for a full wash in the morning.

Boric acid

This pharmaceutical product effectively removes mold and grayness from kitchen towels. For 5 liters of heated water, 2 large tablespoons of boric acid are enough. You need to wash the towels in the resulting solution for a couple of hours. For serious or old stains, the procedure should be repeated until the stains are lightened. After the expiration of time, the products must be washed in a machine or by hand.

The method is recommended only for waffle or cotton towels. More delicate fabrics should not be treated with antiseptic.

To whiten towels at home, folk recipes are not enough - then you can use professional chemistry. It must be remembered that before the procedure you need to read the instructions for use so as not to exceed the dosage and not damage the product.

Unusual but effective: how to wash a kitchen towel in the microwave