Washing Pot Holders

Pot holders here at the HQ get grungy.  Like seriously burnt looking from constant use.  They sit on my counter because as of right now I have no idea where to put them especially since they get used so much.  I’m continually grabbing for them to check on things in the oven, handle pots on the stove, or crockpot.

Always in use!  I have some nice long ones too that don’t cause me to fight for space as I’m pulling out a baking sheet from a 425 oven.

One thing I never knew regarding pot holders is that they can be washed!  In the washing machine! Just tossed in with your other wash and into the dryer like everything else.

Okay, maybe you knew this and do this all the time but it never occurred to me.  For some reason I just assumed they were filled with some magical heat resistant material that wasn’t supposed to get wet.  Therefore I never washed them.

Then I saw a blogger friend who was talking about laundry and how she washed her pot holders. This was a huge new piece of information for me and you know I immediately tossed mine in the next wash cycle.

Of course mine are stained and did not come out pristine but they did look a lot better than when they went in.  Now I make sure to toss them in the wash every so often to keep them fresh and not so grungy looking.

Did you know that you could wash pot holders? What kind of pot holders do you like? I admit that I don’t really care for the mitt style ones.  I like my hand to be free!

14 thoughts on “Washing Pot Holders

  1. Jo says:

    Great timing on this post. My pot holder is currently looking very scuzzy… I was just going to toss it in the next wash and see what happened. Hahaha. Good to know that it will turn out well! :)

  2. I didn’t know that either! I have a mitt style just because it’s pretty and matches a current set of towels, but I understand what you mean about needing your hands free- I usually end up swapping the mitt to the other hand once I pull something out of the oven.

  3. Lol – I know you can wash them, I just wish I did it more often! Mine look pretty dingy.
    I don’t like the mitt style ones either – they’re too bulky and I feel like I’m going to drop the tray or whatever I’m carrying!

  4. Yup I’ve been doing it for 30 years at least! Sometimes the obvious is the last place you look. The dog loves laundry day when I pull out all the wash and throw it on the floor to sort. She always goes for the oven mitts and the pot holders for a lick because there is still some good eating on them.

  5. Just watch the drying time/heat level! I have shrunk far too many pot holders to a too-small size to be really useful.

    So I end up usually just letting them get gross and stained and burnt and then tossing them. :)

  6. Rose: Thanks for reminding me about knitted potholders. What a great way to use up yarn left over from my knitting projects–especially since wool still insulates when wet.

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