How Often Should Salons Wash Towels? (What California Law Actually Requires)
If you run a salon in California, you already know cleanliness matters. But when it comes to towel laundering, most salon owners are surprised by how specific the law actually is — and how steep the fines can be for getting it wrong. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology performs unannounced inspections, and towel hygiene is one of the first things they check.
Here's what the law requires, how often you really need to wash your towels, what's at stake if you don't, and the easiest way to stay compliant without it eating into your day.
What Does California Law Require for Salon Towels?
Title 16, Section 987 of the California Code of Regulations lays out three non-negotiable requirements for every salon and cosmetology school in the state:
- Single use only. After a towel, sheet, robe, linen, or smock has been used once, it must be deposited in a closed container and cannot be used again until it has been properly laundered and sanitized.
- Proper laundering temperature. Towels must be laundered using either regular commercial laundering or a process that includes immersion in water at least 160°F for no less than 25 minutes. Alternatively, the law permits the use of chemicals and cold water to reduce organisms, provided the laundry follows manufacturers' instructions for washing machines, dryers, detergents, and additives.
- Proper storage. All clean towels must be stored in clean, closed cabinets or clean, closed containers. No open shelves, no piles on counters.
These aren't suggestions — they're enforceable regulations. And the temperature standard isn't unique to California. The CDC's laundry guidelines for healthcare facilities recommend the same 160°F minimum for hot-water washing, which tells you the threshold exists for a reason: it's what's actually needed to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens on reusable textiles.
How Often Should Salon Towels Be Washed?
The short answer: after every single client. Not at the end of the day. Not when the hamper is full. After each use, immediately into a closed container, then laundered before the next use. That's what §987 requires.
Now do the math for a typical mid-size salon. Eight stylists each seeing six to eight clients per day, using two to three towels per client. That's 96 to 192 towels every single day, or roughly 500 to 1,000 towels per week.
That kind of volume creates real problems when you're trying to handle it in-house. Consumer-grade machines can't keep up during peak hours. Staff ends up overloading washers to get through the backlog, which means towels don't fully reach the required temperature. Drying creates another bottleneck — towels sitting damp in a pile are the perfect environment for bacteria and mildew to grow, which is exactly what you're trying to prevent.
A lot of salon owners assume washing at the end of the day is good enough. It's not. The law is clear: after each use, into a closed container, then laundered before the towel touches another client.
The Risks of Non-Compliant Salon Towel Laundering
Getting this wrong costs you in three ways.
Fines add up fast. The Board performs unannounced inspections, and they check towel and linen handling every time. According to the Board's list of most common inspection violations, sanitation-related citations carry fines ranging from $50 to $500 per violation. If an inspector finds soiled towels in an unlabeled container, clean towels stored improperly, and evidence that laundering temperature isn't being met, that's three separate violations in a single visit.
Bacteria are a real liability. Improperly laundered towels harbor pathogens that pose genuine health risks. Research has confirmed that bacteria like Staph and E. coli survive on contaminated textiles and can transfer to skin on contact. For salons performing color treatments, cuts near the hairline, waxing, or any service where the skin is exposed or compromised, a contaminated towel isn't just a hygiene issue — it's a liability issue.
Your reputation is on the line. A failed inspection becomes part of the public record. One client who develops a skin reaction and leaves a one-star review mentioning "dirty towels" can do more damage to your business than a year of fines. In an industry built on trust and personal care, hygiene perception is everything.
Why More California Salons Are Outsourcing Towel Laundry
When you're washing 500 to 1,000 towels a week, doing it in-house means dedicating staff time, floor space, and utilities to something that isn't generating revenue. More and more salon owners are finding that a professional salon towel laundry service is both more reliable and more cost-effective.
Commercial laundry operations are purpose-built for compliance. They hit proper temperatures on every load, use commercial-grade equipment that handles high volumes without compromise, and maintain quality control processes that a back-room washer and dryer simply can't match.
Some services go even further. University research has shown that ozone washing completely eliminates harmful pathogens — including coronavirus, Staph, and E. coli — even at lower temperatures. Ozone laundering is also significantly gentler on fabrics than traditional hot-water methods, which means your towels last longer and you spend less on replacements over time.
With a pickup and delivery model, your staff spends zero time sorting, washing, drying, or folding. You get a reliable supply of clean, compliant towels on a schedule that fits your salon's rhythm. And if an inspector walks in, you've got delivery records to prove your towels are being professionally laundered to standard.
For a salon doing 500-plus towels a week, the math usually works out: the cost of a professional service is comparable to — or less than — what you're spending on water, electricity, detergent, machine maintenance, and the staff hours it takes to manage laundry in-house.
Salon Towel Compliance Checklist
Keep this somewhere your team can see it:
- ✅ Fresh towel for every client, no exceptions
- ✅ Soiled towels immediately into a closed, labeled container ("Dirty," "Soiled," or "Contaminated")
- ✅ Laundered at 160°F for 25+ minutes, or using an approved chemical process per manufacturer instructions
- ✅ Clean towels stored in closed, clean cabinets or containers
- ✅ If using a commercial laundry service, keep delivery records on file for inspections
Stop Worrying About Towel Compliance
If managing towel laundry in-house is eating into your time and you're not confident every load is hitting the mark, it might be time to hand it off. MAXfresh Laundry provides commercial laundry for salons across North County San Diego — with pickup, professional ozone laundering that exceeds California's §987 requirements, and delivery on your schedule.
One less thing to think about before the next inspection.