Kitchen towels and bath towels may look like harmless laundry companions, but they can carry very different kinds of dirt. Kitchen towels often handle food spills, grease, dirty surfaces, and sometimes raw meat, while bath towels mainly absorb moisture, body oils, and dead skin.

The good news is that you don’t necessarily need separate loads every time. A washing machine can effectively clean both types of towels when you use enough detergent, choose an appropriate warm or hot cycle, and dry them thoroughly afterward.

The biggest exception is kitchen towels that have touched raw poultry, pork, or beef. These should be washed separately from bath towels because raw meat can introduce harmful bacteria and increase the risk of cross-contamination.

Heavily greasy kitchen towels are also better washed separately. Grease can transfer to other fabrics and may make it harder for the entire load to get properly clean.

Another important rule is not to overload the washing machine. Towels need plenty of room for water and detergent to circulate. If the drum is packed too tightly, even a good wash cycle may not clean them thoroughly.

For an easier routine, you can keep separate laundry hampers for kitchen towels, bath towels, and bedding. This isn’t always necessary, but it can make sorting easier and reduce the chance of mixing heavily soiled items with everyday laundry.

So, do kitchen and bath towels need separate loads every time? No. Washing them together isn’t automatically a hygiene disaster if they are properly washed and dried.

But when a kitchen towel has touched raw meat or is heavily contaminated with grease, separating it is the safer choice. A little extra sorting can go a long way toward keeping your laundry—and your home—cleaner.