Healthline found that you should swap out your dirty towel for a clean one every three uses.
Healthline found that you should swap out your dirty towel for a clean one every three uses.
Everyone has their own special shower ritual.
Whether it is a boujee brand shampoo, sweet-smelling conditioner and mouth-wateringly good coffee scrub or a 3-in-1 combo followed by the quickest lukewarm dip you’ve ever had - it all ends the same way. Wrapped in a cosy Sheridan towel you got onsale at Briscoes.
It’s warm, fluffy, fresh smelling and once it’s tightly secured around you it’s easy to lay on your bed, staring into space or scrolling endlessly on your phone while you happily avoid getting dressed. That is until the daunting realisation of when you last washed your towel sets in.
Suddenly the warm and fluffy towel is no longer appealing. Its fluff is crawling with bacteria, its warmth is actually dampness from continuous use, and it may cause you to spend a moment pondering whether you need to take another shower to clean yourself off.
But you don’t need to worry about that because we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about towel hygiene.
Between the dead skin cells and humid bathroom air, towels can easily become a perfect bacteria breeding ground and if used when dirty they can cause acne and other skin irritations. So, if you want to prevent any nasty zits, there is a super easy solution.
Healthline found that you should swap out your dirty towel for a clean one every three uses. Quoting the American Cleaning Institute, they added, “Regular laundry is sufficient to clean towels and remove any germs that are starting to accumulate.”
If you shower in the morning and at night, that’s a new towel every day and a half or if you are a once-a-day showerer, it’s every three days.
Using a new towel every time you shower is another great option – that is if you don’t mind the laundry or the environmental impact. According to Healthline, “you have 19 million skin cells and 650 sweat glands in every inch of your body” and a fresh towel is one of the easiest ways to avoid the pick and mix of micro-organisms living in your towel.
However, the towel you use to dry off after a shower likely isn’t the only one you use in day-to-day life. There are also gym sweat towels, hand towels, and facecloths that all come with their own set of cleanliness guidelines.
How often you should wash different types of towels:
Healthline recommends your gym sweat towel, no matter how regularly used, should be washed after one use. Between your workout excretion, touching gym equipment and even sitting in your gym bag, it can quickly soak up harmful bacteria so it’s worth grabbing a new one every time you work up a sweat.
As for hand towels that live in the kitchen and bathroom, Well and Good Magazine spoke to microbiologist Jason Tetro who advised changing them out every couple of days or, more sustainably, at least once a week.
Your gym towel can pick up a lot of bacteria. Photo / Getty Images
Tetro said that even if your hand towels don’t come into contact with skin care products, food or toothpaste, they can still attract household germs which provoke bacteria growth on the towel. It could not only cause unpleasant smells but also make you ill.
Finally, when it comes to face or washcloths, they should be washed after every use to avoid any unwanted breakouts. However much like your shower/bath towel, you can push it out to every three uses.
How to wash your dirty towels:
Avoid overloading your washing machine with dirty towels. Photo / Getty Images
Once your towels are ready to be washed, Healthline recommends you let them air dry before placing them in your laundry hamper to avoid further bacteria growth.
When they make it to the washing machine, wash them according to the product instructions or if someone in your household has been sick you can wash them on an extra hot sanitary cycle.
Healthline also states you shouldn’t overload your washing machine as it can affect the amount of detergent, water and movement that are all working together to clean your towels.
