Professional Guide to Washing Hotel Towels Properly

Washing hotel towels might seem straightforward, but it is a crucial step in maintaining quality standards, hygiene, and the overall customer experience. If not laundered correctly, towels can become stiff, moldy, quickly lose their color, or even cause skin irritation. This article will guide you through the A-Z process of professional hotel towel laundry: ensuring correct methods, adherence to standards, and alignment with actual operational needs-especially suitable for hotels, resorts, spas, and high-end accommodation facilities.

Why is it important to wash hotel towels properly?

Hotel towels are among the items that come into direct contact with human skin most frequently. They retain sweat, dead skin cells, cosmetics, essential oils, and more. If hotel towels are not washed properly, these residues can become breeding grounds for odor causing bacteria, affecting user health and diminishing the premium experience for guests.

Especially within the hospitality industry, where every detail contributes to defining service quality, the method of washing hotel towels plays an indispensable role. A fresh, soft towel not only creates a positive impression but also serves as a testament to the hotel's professionalism and meticulousness, even in the smallest details.

 

Proper hotel towel laundry isn't just a hygiene process; it's a subtle and professional way to enhance the customer experience

Guide to standard hotel towel laundry

To ensure towels are always clean, colorfast, soft, and non irritating to users, here are the professional standard steps for washing hotel towels that you should note:

1. Sorting towels before washing

This is the first crucial step in the hotel towel laundry process. Towels should not be washed with other fabric types like sheets, bathrobes, or curtains to avoid lint transfer, fabric pilling, or color bleeding.

Additionally, towels need to be sorted by color (white, colored, dark), by level of dirtiness (towels used at spas, towels with cosmetic stains, towels with massage oils), and by material (cotton, bamboo, microfiber). Thorough sorting helps in selecting appropriate washing methods, chemicals, and temperatures, ensuring deep cleaning while preserving fabric integrity.

2. Choosing appropriate chemicals

Regular household detergents cannot be used for washing hotel towels. Instead, specialized industrial laundry chemicals for towels are required. These chemicals must be capable of thoroughly cleaning bacteria, oil stains, sweat, cosmetics, and more, yet remain gentle on fabric fibers. Especially for towels stained with essential oils, a specific pre-treatment solution is necessary to prevent common chemicals from reacting with the oils, which can cause odors, yellowing, or even scorching during drying. Furthermore, prioritize eco friendly, non irritating chemicals-this is particularly important in the hotel industry, where Customer experience is always paramount.

 

The secret to effectively removing essential oils, cosmetics, and sweat while keeping fabric soft lies in using specialized chemicals for hotel towel laundry

3. Adjusting water temperature during washing

This is a key factor for effective towel cleaning and disinfection. For white towels, hot water between 60 – 80°C can be used to remove stubborn stains and sanitize. However, for colored towels or soft fiber towels, it is advisable to wash at lower temperatures (around 40°C) to prevent color fading and fabric stretching.

4. Proper drying

This is a critical step for maintaining towel quality. Towels should be dried evenly and thoroughly to prevent mildew and unpleasant odors. Avoid over drying, which can make fibers brittle. Conversely, if towels are not completely dry, they can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. At EcoWash HCMC, fabric moisture is strictly controlled by advanced drying systems, ensuring towels are evenly dried and fragrant, while retaining their natural softness and elasticity.

Professional hotel laundry services at EcoWash HCMC

With a capacity of up to 30 tons per day, EcoWash HCMC is a specialized provider of high quality hotel laundry services, including hotel towel washing, and is a laundry partner for over 200 hotels and resorts in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces. The hotel towel laundry process at EcoWash HCMC is a closed loop system to minimize cross contamination.

Step 1: Specialized towel sorting

Upon receipt, all towels are meticulously sorted by color, material, and usage condition. This process is carried out in a dedicated sorting area, which is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before each shift. All actions that could cause contamination during operation are strictly prohibited. Personnel performing this task must adhere strictly to hygiene regulations: wearing gloves, masks and specialized footwear. This ensures the fabric remains in pristine condition, ready for the next standardized washing process.

Step 2: Washing with dedicated single machines

Towels at EcoWash HCMC are washed using a system of industrial single washing machines, allowing for customized cycles based on fabric material, towel condition and specific hotel requirements. The detergents used are from Ecolab, an international brand that is skin safe, non irritating, and environmentally friendly. The washing process is 100% carried out with hot water for disinfection, yet the temperature and washing mode are flexibly adjusted according to the characteristics of each towel type, helping protect the fabric structure and maintain its softness and long term durability.

 

EcoWash HCMC uses dedicated single washing machines for hotel towels, making it easy to sort and customize cycles for each type of towel, ensuring optimal effectiveness

Step 3: Automated drying and ironing

After washing, towels are transferred to dryers. Centrifugal force and drying temperature are precisely adjusted to maintain appropriate moisture levels for each fabric type. For instance, spa towels and soft towels are lightly dried to prevent them from becoming completely dry and stiff; while regular towels are dried using standard settings for quick drying while maintaining their correct shape.

Next is the automated ironing and folding stage using a modern production line, ensuring towels are always flat, tidy, and meet 5 star aesthetic standards. Notably, EcoWash HCMC can adjust the towel folding method according to each hotel's specific requirements-such as folding to expose the brand name, specific folding styles for different service areas (spa, pool, guest rooms), helping ensure consistency and professionalism in every small detail.

Step 4: Identification tagging and on time delivery

Each batch of washed towels is tagged with a traceability slip, including the hotel name, towel type, quantity, packing date and packer's name. Goods are carefully packaged and delivered on time as committed, without mixing between partners

Key considerations for hotel towel laundry

1. Prioritize maintaining fabric softness and thickness

A white towel that feels stiff, becomes thinner, or wrinkles after each wash will make guests feel like they are using an old towel, even if it is clean. That is why at EcoWash HCMC, each wash batch undergoes rigorous control of moisture, drying temperature, and washing time to ensure towels remain soft, retain their natural fluffiness, and do not fray after multiple use cycles.

2. Establish separate processes for each towel type

The same washing process should not be applied to all types of towels. Bath towels, face towels, spa towels, or sauna towels all have different materials and soiling characteristics. For example, spa towels often contain essential oils or cosmetics, which require pre-treatment with specialized solutions before washing to prevent odors or yellowing during drying. For colored towels, adjusting water temperature and spin speed appropriately helps maintain colorfastness while ensuring effective disinfection.

3. Emphasize selecting safe and user friendly chemicals

Inappropriate detergents can cause skin irritation or damage fabric fibers after a few washes. Therefore, EcoWash HCMC uses a system of high quality chemicals that meet international safety standards, are free from harmful ingredients and ensure towels are always soft, bacteria free, and do not leave behind any harsh odors. This is particularly important in the hotel environment, where customer experience is the top priority.

4. Ensure towels are evenly dried, free from mildew and not overheated

Over drying towels will make the fibers brittle and prone to breakage. Conversely, towels that are not completely dry create an ideal environment for bacteria and mold growth. At EcoWash HCMC, fabric moisture is strictly controlled by an advanced drying system, ensuring towels are evenly dried and fragrant, while retaining their natural softness and elasticity.

5. Fold towels correctly and package hygienically

After washing, towels should not be allowed to come into direct contact with the floor or dusty environments. The hotel towel laundry process at EcoWash HCMC includes semi automated folding, manual inspection, and packaging in a clean environment to minimize cross contamination. Towels are delivered directly to the location using specialized vehicles, always maintaining their smooth, folded appearance and readiness for immediate use.

 

After undergoing the professional hotel towel laundry process, towels are thoroughly cleaned, neatly folded, and carefully packaged, maintaining their cleanliness and softness upon delivery to the client

6. Monitor towel lifespan and plan replacements reasonably

One often overlooked aspect is monitoring the lifespan of towels. Even with proper washing, towels have a limited lifespan. EcoWash HCMC supports clients in tracking towel lifespans by batch, thereby advising on appropriate replacement times. This helps hotels consistently maintain a professional image while optimizing operational costs. EcoWash HCMC not only cleans towels but also helps hotels maintain service standards from the smallest details. With experience partnering with hundreds of hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, we are committed to providing specialized, flexible, and reliable hotel towel laundry services for each partner. If you are looking for a professional laundry provider who understands the specific needs of the hotel industry and actively enhances customer experience, EcoWash HCMC is the right choice.

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Contact information:

EcoWash HCMC

- Office: R. 1508, 15th Floor Vincom Center, 72 Le Thanh Ton Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCM City

- EcoWash HCMC factory: C5, No.3 Street, Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, Nha Be, Ho Chi Minh City

Hotline: 0906 981 113

Email: cs@ecowash.net.vn   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecowash.net.vn     

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecowashhcmc