Don’t Put the Tea Towel on the Oven! the Mistake Everyone Makes in the Kitchen

In the kitchen, it is advantageous to always have tea towels at hand. They are used for drying dishes, pottery, and cleaning the work surface. Many people think that placing dish towels on the oven is an excellent way to speed up their drying. However, one mistake should always be avoided: placing the tea towel on the oven door. It’s not the best idea and can have some rather risky implications, here’s why this is a bad idea!

Why shouldn’t you hang the tea towel over the oven?

Kitchen towels primarily serve the purpose of cleaning hands, dishes, glasses, and surfaces to maintain a clean environment in which to cook. In fact, they play a crucial role in limiting the spread of germs and bacteria, helping to minimize the risk of food poisoning and ensuring food safety.

However, bacteria can nest right on the oven door, as well as on the refrigerator and other appliances, potentially contaminating the tea towel when placed there. This is because only a few people take the time to wash their hands before opening the oven door, which can encourage the proliferation of various germs and bacteria in the kitchen environment.

Are you sure you want to use a contaminated tea towel that indeed poses risks to the kitchen’s hygiene and cleanliness? So, the next time you’re tempted to hang it on the oven, consider the potential risks. Now, let’s see how to properly take care of tea towels to ensure they stay clean and sanitized.

First of all, it must be said that a simple hand wash is not sufficient to effectively clean and sanitize tea towels as best as possible, as it cannot kill the bacteria present. Therefore, the best thing you can do is put them in the washing machine and select a 194°F (or 90°C) wash program. For an even better result, you can add some baking soda to the laundry load, which will help you with the most stubborn stains.