How often should you wash your towel

Posted by Matt Thompson on September 21st, 2019

You may become surprised by knowing that the maximum number of people pay less attention to washing their towels. Everyone thinks that washing the towel once in a week is enough. But the harsh truth is that it is not enough if you wash your towel once in a week. To get the proper service from the towel it needs to be washed properly. Moreover, you will not get the same service from your towel after several uses until you washed it.  

Importance of proper washing  

“The longer towels stay damp, the longer the yeasts, bacteria, molds, and viruses remain alive and stay active,” explains dermatologist Alok Vij, MD.

When you dry off your body with towel it gets moist. The moist and damp towel is the perfect ground for breeding bacterias and germs. And that’s why your towel stinks and it becomes smelly. Without your consent, your bathroom towels could be a great home for bacterias and germs which irritate your skins. Proper washing prevents those bacteria and germ.

 How often should you wash

Now comes the most confusing question that how often should you wash your towel to save yourself from those dirty bacterias. Just have a look at what specialists are saying about washing the towel.

 According to the American Cleaning Institute, under the normal condition, “you should wash your towel every three or four uses”.

A microbiologist at New York University School of medicine, Philip Tierno, said that “your towel should not be used more than three times”.    

 So based on the specialist your confusion might be ended up with a solution that you should wash your towel every three or four uses. But there is a difference with the towel which is used after a workout. Because after workout it is more likely the towel gets too dirty used for drying off our body. So it needs to be washed regularly.  

 Methods of Washing

 The Infection Control Department of Mid-Western Regional Hospital of Ennis, Ireland recommends killing the bacterias and germs from the towel the water needs to be at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees Celcius hot. While washing your towel avoid fabric conditioner you don’t need it for towel. Try to put your towel in the dryer rather than letting them in air dry. After washing your towel to keep it fluffy try to put a tennis ball within your towel. 

Effects from dirty towel

 Often the use of dirty towels could be at the risk of infection. There are a lot of tiny breaks in your skin which are too small to notice. When you are using a dirty towel that contains bacteria basically you are giving an entryway to those bacteria through your tiny breaks of skin. You need to wash your towel after each uses if you are an acne-prone. 

 It is really important to wash the towel we use every day to keep ourselves healthy. We should wash the towel in a proper manner to keep it germ-free. Don’t make your towel stink and smelly.