Caring for your sauna towel: how to keep your favourite piece like new
If you love your sauna towel, you want to keep it soft, absorbent, and dimensionally stable for as long as possible. Especially in the sauna, your towel is constantly in use: it absorbs moisture, lies on warm wooden benches, and comes into contact with sweat, steam, and sometimes salt or chlorinated water. Without proper care, it loses its freshness over time, becomes hard, or starts to look faded. The good news: a few well-chosen routines are enough to keep your sauna towel looking new for a long time – with no complicated special products required.
At the Meri Sauna at Kulkwitzer See, we have seen for over 18 years which towels are well-cared for and which are not. Here, we summarize what has proven effective: washing, drying, storage, and what to do about stains.
First things first: Check the care label
Every towel has its own care requirements – depending on the weave, dyeing, and workmanship. Therefore, the most important rule is: follow the label. For our towels, it looks like this:
- DOTWAVE Sauna Towel XL: 30 °C, can be tumble-dried at a low temperature, no fabric softener.
- HOMELEVEL Sauna Towel: 40 °C.
- Hamam Towels: usually 30 °C, air dry, no fabric softener.
You can find all the information about our textiles compiled in the Size and Care Guide.
Why careful maintenance really changes your sauna towel
Many see towels as a commodity: used, washed, used again – until they eventually become hard, thin, or unsightly. With a high-quality sauna towel, that is a shame, because these pieces are made to accompany you for years. If you consciously care for your towel, you will feel the difference during every sauna session: it remains soft, absorbs moisture reliably, and always feels like a little piece of wellness.
Often, we harm our towels unconsciously – not through major mistakes, but through well-intentioned routines: washing too hot, using too much detergent, constant use of fabric softener, or overloading the machine. All of this can strain the fibers, reduce absorbency, or cause the fabric to stretch out. With a few simple adjustments, this can be avoided.
How often your sauna towel needs a wash
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are proven guidelines. If you shower thoroughly before every sauna session and mainly use the towel as a pad on the bench, washing it after every two to three visits is often enough. If you use it to dry off between sessions or if you sweat heavily, washing it after every visit makes sense. More important than a rigid number is your own feeling: as soon as the towel no longer smells fresh or feels heavy, it belongs in the machine.
Washing: Gentle but thorough
Most cotton towels come clean at 30 to 40 °C – sweat and skin oils dissolve reliably at these temperatures without unnecessarily stressing the fibers. Use higher temperatures only if the label explicitly allows it.
We recommend a cycle for colored or easy-care fabrics with enough water and a medium spin speed. Too high a spin speed twists the fibers heavily and can lead to a harder feel in the long run. It is also important not to overload the machine: your sauna towel needs space so that water and detergent can reach everywhere. An overfilled drum is a typical reason for hard, dull towels.
Wash similar colors together and separate very light from very dark towels. Before the first use, you should wash every new towel once to remove production residues.
How much detergent is really necessary?
Too much detergent is one of the most common mistakes. What sounds like "extra clean" leaves deposits in the fibers, makes them stiff, and causes them to absorb water less effectively. Stick to the dosage for "normally soiled laundry" and choose the lower end of the range. For very hard water, a water softener helps more than extra detergent. For colored towels, a color detergent without bleach is suitable.
Fabric softener: Friend or foe of your sauna towel?
Fabric softener promises fluffy textiles and a pleasant scent. However, it has a decisive disadvantage for sauna towels: it forms a film around the cotton fibers and reduces absorbency. The towel feels soft at first, but absorbs significantly less water. Over time, the residues can accumulate in the fabric and make it dull.
We therefore recommend doing without fabric softener. If a smooth feel is important to you, a short tumble-dry at a low temperature can help – provided the label allows it, as is the case with the DOTWAVE. Dryer balls also loosen the fibers. Another advantage of skipping it: fewer fragrances and additives on your skin.
Drying properly: Air, dryer, or both?
Air drying is the most gentle method. Hang the towel as flat as possible and ensure that air can circulate from all sides. You should avoid direct, strong sunlight for many hours, as it can fade colors. A bright, airy place in the shade is ideal.
If your towel is dryer-safe according to the label, use a gentle program with a low temperature and take it out as soon as it is dry. A good compromise: loosen it briefly in the dryer, then let it finish drying in the air. Hamam towels, on the other hand, generally do not belong in the dryer.
Very important: Never leave your sauna towel damp in the washing machine or bag for a long time. This creates odors and, in the worst case, mold stains.
Why your sauna towel sometimes becomes hard – and what helps
Almost everyone knows this: towels that become harder after a few months. The causes are usually a combination of lime in the water, detergent residues, excessive temperatures, and strong spinning. What helps:
- Dose detergent more sparingly and occasionally add an extra rinse cycle.
- Use a water softener in areas with hard water.
- Occasionally add a splash of household vinegar to the fabric softener compartment to dissolve limescale – in small amounts and not with every wash.
- Give the towel a vigorous shake after washing so that the fibers stand up.
Between washes: How to treat your sauna towel
Care does not end with washing. After a day at the spa, you should take the towel out of the bag as soon as possible and spread it out so that residual moisture can escape. A towel crumpled up while damp overnight is the perfect breeding ground for odors.
Also, avoid repeatedly lying on the same towel with heavily creamed or oily skin. Sunscreen, body oils, or exfoliating residues can settle in the fabric and cause a grayish haze. Anyone using an oil or salt scrub before the sauna should rinse it off thoroughly in the shower before drying off.
You can also do something during transport: a separate bag for damp textiles prevents your sauna towel from exchanging odors with swimwear or bath shoes. Our packing list shows what else belongs in the bag: What goes in the sauna bag?
Storing in the closet: Airy instead of squashed
Store your towels clean, completely dry, and loosely folded. Do not stack them too high so that air can circulate. You can also roll up hamam towels – this saves space and avoids creases. Strongly perfumed sprays applied directly to the textile are unnecessary: true cleanliness is always better than masking scents.
Stains, sunscreen & Co.: What to do in an emergency?
Even with careful use, stains sometimes cannot be avoided. It is important to react as early as possible: rinse the area first with lukewarm water and do not rub the dirt deeper into the fabric. For fat or oil stains, a little mild dish soap, which you carefully massage in and rinse out thoroughly, helps.
Before the next wash, you can treat the stain with a gentle stain remover for colored cotton. Test it on an inconspicuous area first and avoid bleach if you want to keep the color. Only dry the towel once the stain is really gone – heat in the dryer can otherwise set it.
FAQ: Sauna towel care – frequent questions
At what temperature should I wash my sauna towel?
As stated on the label. For our towels, this is 30 °C (DOTWAVE, hamam towels) or 40 °C (HOMELEVEL). Go higher only if the manufacturer allows it.
Can I use fabric softener?
Better not. Fabric softener wraps around the fibers and significantly reduces absorbency. Better: dose sparingly, rinse thoroughly, and – if allowed – loosen it up briefly in the dryer.
Why does my sauna towel become hard after a while?
Hard water, too much detergent, and incomplete rinsing are usually the cause. Dose more sparingly, use a water softener, and occasionally add an extra rinse cycle.
Can I dry my sauna towel in the dryer?
Only if the label allows it – for the DOTWAVE, for example, at a low temperature. It is best to air-dry hamam towels.
What can I do if my sauna towel smells musty?
A musty smell usually means the towel was damp for too long. Wash it again with mild detergent and an additional rinse cycle, then let it dry completely. In the future, unpack and hang it up immediately after the sauna.
Conclusion: Caring for your sauna towel – a small ritual with a big impact
If you want to properly care for your sauna towel, it is not about complicated special techniques, but about conscious basics: the temperature from the label, economical detergent, no fabric softener, gentle drying, and attentive handling between uses. This way, your favorite piece will remain soft, absorbent, and comfortable on the skin for a long time.
You can find all care instructions for our textiles in the Size and Care Guide, and our sauna towels in the category Sauna Towels.
Written personally by Martin – founder of BeachAndSteam and sauna operator at Kulkwitzer See for over 18 years.