Tea towels in food businesses

Tea towels are considered equipment and must be maintained in good condition, and be clean and adequate for safe food production.

Tea towels and cloth towels are very absorbent and provide an ideal, moisture rich environment for bacteria to grow and spread. Growth of bacteria creates a cross-contamination risk in the kitchen. A used tea towel can spread bacteria to your hands, to food contact surfaces and directly into food.

Drying your hands

When washing your hands, thoroughly dry them with a single use disposable towel or in a way that is not likely to transfer bacteria.

Tea towels are not suitable for drying your hands unless they are used once, and then discarded to be washed.

Tips for using tea towels

• Only use tea towels that are clean, dry and in good condition.
• When using tea towels for different tasks, treat them as single use only - for example, one tea towel for cleaning tables and a different tea towel for drying dishes.
• Have a container of clean tea towels ready to be used instead of tucking them into your clothes or apron.
• Don't hang tea towels to dry for later, put them into a container ready to be washed.
• Don't use a tea towel to cover food, use food safe materials such as cling wrap or a lid.

Cleaning tea towels

Rinsing tea towels and cloths or hanging them to dry for later use does not destroy bacteria.

To properly clean tea towels, wash them on a hot cycle in the washing machine or boil them for 15 minutes. They can be dried in the sun or in a tumble drier.