Can You Dry Towels With Clothes Or Not? – Know Here!

Can you dry towels with clothes?

Oh, I know combining washing loads is extremely tempting because we want to save time and energy. But is it a good idea to mix towels and clothes?

Tossing your towels into the washing machine and setting it to wash may seem like an easy enough chore.

However, if you care about your towels and want them to last as long as possible, there are a few extra considerations to make.

So, can you dry clothes with towels without having to worry about causing any damage?

You should not mix your towels and garments in the washer, but you can add a towel to the dryer with clothes to speed up the drying process. 

Can You Dry Towels With Clothes Or Not?

If you want to dry your clothes quickly, it is natural to throw them in a tumble dryer. Its goal is to reduce the amount of moisture present and eliminate it from your clothes.

Clothes and other objects dried in a washing machine typically retain a pleasant warmth due to the machine’s constant high temperature and agitation. 

If you have selected the “ready-to-wear” cycle, the garment will be finished and ready to be worn immediately.

And it is possible to make the whole drying process more efficiently by tossing a towel in your dryer with other clothes.

Tip: You will be better off washing towels separately because they collect dead skin cells and bacteria and require washing at a high temperature. 

Is It A Good Idea To Dry Towels And Clothes Together?

Drying a load of laundry with a dry towel is said to speed up the drying process.

It appears that the towel’s ability to absorb moisture from the laundry results in the washing machine requiring less power to complete the cycle.

In fact, you can use the towel in different ways to significantly affect the drying time and the outcome. For instance: 

Increase The Drying Time

If you are like most people and leave your clothes in the dryer for so long that they get all wrinkly, the towel method may help avoid the issue. 

Simply add a damp towel or more wet garments and increase the drying time.

The steam and moisture will smooth out the wrinkles, and you will not even need an iron. 

Enable Quick Drying

Without a doubt, the towel is effective if you simply need to dry a few items of clothing at a time.

It is quite useful in situations such as before heading out for the evening.

This time, you simply need to add a dried towel inside the dryer along with other clothes.

The towel will also soak the additional moisture from your clothes, which will likely cut the drying time short.

Tip: Do not mix towels, clothes, and sheets together because they can get trapped in larger sheets during the spinning cycle. 

Can You Always Dry Towels With Clothes For The Best Results?

If you have wet towels and clothes, it may be a good idea to not combine them together.

It is also generally accepted that drying similar materials together can mitigate the dry-wet issue.

I have found great success using a laundry mat to do my laundry. And I have noticed that towels and jeans dry faster when grouped together with other heavy items than when dried alone.  

Putting your clothes and a towel in the dryer is not sufficient. Keeping a close check on everything is essential to its success. 

It is clear that the “set it and forget it” approach will not work. Also, you need to combine your towel with similar fabrics to avoid any issues. 

How Do You Dry Your Clothes Faster Using Your Towels?

Using your towels to help clothes dry faster is a great strategy. Though you will have to go through some trial-and-error, you will eventually learn how to use it to your advantage. 

But, it is true that if you put a towel in the dryer before you put in your clothes, you can speed up the drying process by 15 or 20 minutes. 

Your clothes will come out drier than they would without the towels.

It is important to note that as your towel soaks the excess water, they are more likely to be damp after the cycle. 

In most cases, even after wringing out excess water, the towel will still be damp and has to be hung to dry.   

An Important Consideration

Do not dry many towels with your clothing; each towel needs its own drying cycle.

It is likely the case because the towels take up a lot of space inside the dryer.

Similarly, they play a role in increasing the humidity level. These factors combine to increase the drying time. 

Can You Wash Towels and Clothes Together?

While drying a towel with your clothes may sound like a good idea, washing it with your clothes and sheets is not. 

For the most part, towels require different wash settings than most items, therefore washing them with clothes is not recommended.

Towels should be washed with other towels, and garments should be washed with other items to play it safe. 

Why Is It Not A Good Idea To Wash Your Towels With Clothes?

It is not rocket science to know that you are asking for trouble when you put your towel next to something more delicate, like nylon, for example.

Drying towels necessitates a higher temperature and more time in the dryer than most other types of laundry.

Drying time for nylon should not exceed 15 minutes, as doing so will cause the fabric to shrink.

Twenty to thirty minutes is the average time needed to dry a towel. You get the point; this is not just for nylon, but for any cloth that is more sensitive than a towel. 

Heat Matters A Lot In Washing Towels

Normal laundry does not require a hot wash or a lengthy cycle. Normal use just necessitates a “standard” wash cycle; the “heavy-duty” cycle is unnecessary.

This is not the case with towels though.

The standard for laundering towels and linens is a long, hot cycle. 

You have probably been using the same set of sheets for a week. So they are probably covered in dead skin and sweat.

You have probably used those towels a few times, so your dead skin cells have spread all over them, too.

You will speed up the deterioration of your clothes if you combine them with towels and routinely subject them to a hot, lengthy wash cycle. 

Towels Can Damage Delicate Clothes

Imagine combining towels with wool sweaters in your washer. Does that sound like a good idea?

Probably not!

The towel and wool sweater will rub together during the wash cycle.

Towels are heavy and have rough surfaces, so they can damage delicate clothing by shredding, scratching, wrapping, shrinking, and squeezing them.  

Tip: Do not combine towels and undergarments together in the washer or dryer or you may end up damaging them. 

How Do You Dry Towels And Clothes Quickly And Effectively?

Whether drying towels alone or with other heavy clothing items, you should always remember a few tips to get better results. For instance:

Do Not Ignore The Lint Trap

Before starting a fresh load of laundry or when you are done, always empty the lint trap. 

That is because lint might create a fire or at least reduce the efficiency of your machine by blocking vents and prolonging the drying process. 

Do Not Ignore The Fabric Care Labels

Before combining different clothing items for washing or drying, you should always practice some care.

It is always a good idea to pay attention to fabric care labels. Only put it in the dryer if the label says it is fine to do so. 

Use The Right Setting

Depending on your dryer, you should take your time and familiarize yourself with different settings. It is also important to check that the dryer vents properly. 

If there is any issue, it will no longer be energy efficient. 

Keep Things Separate

Throw in a few tennis balls to assist in aerating the load and keep everything organized.

Tumble dryer balls soaked in essential oil are another excellent choice. 

They work because they aerate the machine and impart a lovely aroma to the laundry.

Tip: Think twice before putting cotton towels in the dryer because they produce lint, which could affect the efficiency of your machine. 

Takeaway

Can you dry towels with clothes?

The answer usually depends on what you want to achieve by combing the two.

Sometimes, using your dry towel can help shorten the drying cycle, which is a good thing. 

But, combining multiple towels with any load can cause all sorts of problems. Similarly, washing towels with your sheets and clothes is not recommended either. 

So, take your time, consider the washer or dryer you have, and then decide if you really want to combine your towels with clothes.