NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Towel cleaning hack reveals disgusting dirt in 'clean' linen

By Shireen Khalil
news.com.au·
21 Sep, 2020 08:26 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A US man got the shock of his life after his wife tried a towel hack that revealed the clean item was anything but hygienic. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook

A US man got the shock of his life after his wife tried a towel hack that revealed the clean item was anything but hygienic. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook

It's normal to assume that when using a freshly washed towel, it's just that, freshly washed and clean.

But a US man got the shock of his life after his wife tried a towel hack that revealed the clean item was anything but hygienic.

Jared Guyens took to Facebook in June to share a photo of the gross discovery which has since attracted nearly 30,000 comments and 86,000 shares from people equally as stunned by the results of the 12-hour test.

Guyens, of Rockwall, Texas, posted a photo that showed a tub filled with cloudy brown liquid that the couple's freshly washed towels produced.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
A man's photo of a tub filled with dirty brown water has gone viral. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook
A man's photo of a tub filled with dirty brown water has gone viral. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook

He said his wife watched a YouTube tutorial on "Towel Stripping" which involves using a specific combination of household cleaning chemicals to do a deep clean of towels.

"In this case she took our collection of clean towels, let me say that again, the towels were totally clean, washed and folded and in the linen closet, completely clean, completely normal," he emphasised in the caption.

"So she took those clean towels, and put them here in the tub with this mixture of Arm & Hammer baking soda, borax and Oxi Clean, and hot water and let these things soak overnight."

His wife tried the 'towel stripping' hack using household cleaning chemicals including Oxi Clean and borax - and the results left him shocked. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook
His wife tried the 'towel stripping' hack using household cleaning chemicals including Oxi Clean and borax - and the results left him shocked. Photo / Jared Guynes / Facebook

Guyens, who also happens to be a nerf champion and Guinness World Record holder, explained that the reason behind the dirty water was due to built-up grime.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The story that she [wife] told me is that over the years of use, microscopic amounts of soap and detergent get locked in to the fibres of the towels," he said.

"Subsequently that stuff gets gummed up and can also trap microscopic amount of dirt and grime and bacteria, even after going through the washing machine with detergent.

"So after seeing someone else do it she decided to do the experiment on our own towels here in the tub."

Guyens said he is "literally freaking out right now" following the discovery.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Woman's clever hack to save you time on last-minute ironing

18 Sep 10:52 PM
Royals

Meghan's lawyers deny she cooperated with royal book authors

21 Sep 07:54 PM
Royals

Scobie to give evidence in Meghan Markle court battle

21 Sep 07:31 PM
Lifestyle

How to spend less time on your phone

21 Sep 07:00 PM

"The towels at your house, no matter how clean you think they are, are probably this nasty too," he finished the post.

Facebook users have continued to bombard his post, with one woman saying: "OMG, I need to clean my towels now!"

"OMG I hope hotels use Oxi Clean and borax with baking soda after they bleach them," another added.

But not everyone agreed with the method, with one person saying the ingredients strip the colour to cause the discoloured water.

While many were shocked by the results, some weren't convinced. Photo / Facebook
While many were shocked by the results, some weren't convinced. Photo / Facebook

"It's a chemical that brought most of the dye out of the towels," one Facebook user wrote.

"You're absolutely correct," another agreed, adding, "I can't believe people actually get sucked in so easily. Lolol. It happens EVERY TIME with EVERY ITEM you do because you're using the same ingredients that cause this reaction."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

One woman disagreed, saying she tried it on white items and got the same result.

"I've done it with pure white clothes and gotten this result," she wrote.

Another Facebook user said she tried it on an old sofa and was completely disgusted. Photo / Supplied
Another Facebook user said she tried it on an old sofa and was completely disgusted. Photo / Supplied

"I wash my husband's work clothes two times before I call them 'clean' and I did it after I went through the washing routine and it left dirt on the bottom of my tub where it settled after water was drained," another added.

Others believe you wouldn't ever have to strip your towels if you wash them at a high temperature for long enough.

"If you wash your clothing and towels properly each time, stripping is unnecessary and this won't happen. This is what happens when you always wash on 30/quick wash – minging!"

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

LifestyleUpdated

Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

02 Jul 10:36 PM
Royals

Princess of Wales opens up about cancer recovery's 'new normal'

02 Jul 08:02 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

I’m a relationship psychotherapist – this is how to put your divorce behind you

02 Jul 07:00 PM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

02 Jul 10:36 PM

Some customers found 'foreign matter' in their meals before the recall was announced.

Princess of Wales opens up about cancer recovery's 'new normal'

Princess of Wales opens up about cancer recovery's 'new normal'

02 Jul 08:02 PM
Premium
I’m a relationship psychotherapist – this is how to put your divorce behind you

I’m a relationship psychotherapist – this is how to put your divorce behind you

02 Jul 07:00 PM
Premium
Society Insider: Martin Henderson’s house with Kiwi girlfriend; Designer expands into Arrowtown; AFC star’s romantic proposal

Society Insider: Martin Henderson’s house with Kiwi girlfriend; Designer expands into Arrowtown; AFC star’s romantic proposal

02 Jul 05:00 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP