In this guide
How to wash beach towels: get the sand out first, then wash the towel the way its care label says. Here are the five steps.
- Shake it out. Let the towel dry, then shake out the sand before it goes near the washer.
- Read the care instructions. The tag tells you the water temperature and how to dry the towel.
- Treat any stains. Pretreat marks from sunscreen, lotion or self-tanner.
- Load the washer. Give the towel room to move and leave out the fabric softener.
- Dry your beach towel. Check for stains first, then use the dryer or hang it up, as the tag says.
Each step is explained below, including how to get sand out of towels before they reach the washer. First, a few tips for sand and salt water, because the wash starts at the beach.
Sand and Salt Water: Tips for the Beach
Your used beach towel might be dirtier than you think. A few habits at the beach make the wash at home easier.
- Shake it before you leave. Check which way the wind is blowing before you shake out your towel to avoid sending a sand storm to your beach neighbor.
- Rinse out salt water. A beach-towel brand advises rinsing a towel with fresh water as soon as you can after salt water or a pool. It says the rinse helps prevent stains, smells and fiber damage. A beach shower does the job.
- Don’t leave it wet in a closed bag. A swimwear maker warns, for its own gear, that trapped moisture in damp bags can lead to unpleasant smells and fabric damage. Hang the towel up as soon as you get home. If you can’t wash it the same day, here is how to keep a travel towel from smelling musty.
How to Wash Your Beach Towel: The 5 Steps
The five steps are Shake, Read, Treat, Load, Dry.
1. Shake it Out
The most important thing to do before laundering your beach towel is to shake it out.
When introduced into a washing machine, sand can clog the machine’s filter, which leads to broken water pumps and leaks.
If your towel is wet, hang it to dry before you shake it, as sand tends to cling to the wet parts of the towel.
Once your towel is dry enough, shake it out!
Give your towel a good shake, and if you still have sand, hit it against a hard surface like a chair or the ground.
Once you feel as though your towel is completely free of sand, it’s time to move on to the next step.
2. Read the Care Instructions
As with any garment, you want to read the care instructions on the tag to make sure you do not damage it. Beach towels are most frequently made with cotton or synthetic microfibers, but both fabrics have different care instructions.
The care instructions will also specify what temperature water you should wash your beach towel in. If you plan to wash in warm or hot water, make sure you sort your loads into lights and darks to avoid dye transfer.
Is yours a microfiber beach towel? The care line of our own set is short: wash before first use, cold wash with like colors, no bleach or fabric softener, hang to dry. The full routine, with the reason behind each step, is in how to wash microfiber towels.
Should you wash beach towels before use? Check the tag. One travel towel maker asks for a first wash with like colors, because a small amount of dye might bleed from its towels.
3. Treat Any Stains
Beach towels are often in contact with body products such as sunscreen, lotion, and self-tanner. These products, when mixed with water and sweat, can leave stains on your towel.
If you have a stain on your beach towel, start by running it under cold water and dabbing the stain with a cloth. This will remove the excess product.
To pretreat the stain, pour a small amount of either laundry detergent or dish soap on the stain (make sure the towel is wet first, though). Then, rub the fabric gently together to loosen the stain and spread the detergent. Let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Load The Washer
Once you have treated your stain, it’s time to load.
You’ll want to make sure that you load the washer with enough free space for the towel to move through the water freely, so don’t overfill!
Beach towels can be heavy, especially when they are wet, so you want to wash them in smaller loads to avoid washing machine issues.
Can you wash beach towels with clothes? You can if the care tags agree and the colors are alike, but a small load of towels on their own is easier on the machine. A microfiber towel has one more reason: a maker of microfiber cloths says to wash microfiber apart from cotton towels and clothes, so it doesn’t pick up their lint.
Useful tip: Avoid adding fabric softener, as it can leave a layer on your towel and make it less absorbent.
Once you’ve loaded your towel and added detergent, it’s time to wash!
5. Dry Your Beach Towel
After your towel makes it through a full wash cycle, it’s time to dry.
Once again, check your towel’s care instructions to see whether it should be air-dried or can go in a dryer.
It is essential to check your towel for stains before drying in a dryer, as the heat from the dryer can set in the stains. If your towel is stain-free, put your towel in the dryer at a heat matching the care instructions listed on the tag, or hang your towel up to air dry.
More from the Journal
