Many people don’t like doing laundry. It takes time to wash, dry, fold, and put things away. Some folks delay it as much as possible. Sadly, this leads to things like towels, which are dirtier than you realize, not getting cleaned often enough.
Shaun Veran, a germ expert and one of the people who started OURA, says towels can hold lots of bacteria. He explains, ‘Most people don’t wash towels enough.’ Thankfully, he tells us exactly how often we should wash towels and why we should replace them more often than we might expect.”
After you read this, you’ll probably want to change all your bath towels, hand towels, and kitchen towels.
How Frequently Should You Clean Bath Towels?
About 90 percent of bath towels contain bacteria from feces,” Veran says. “It’s best to wash your towel every two to three times you use it.”
Even if you’re careful about closing the toilet lid when you flush or have a separate toilet space, your bath towels should still be changed after every two to three uses. This is because “Towels are kept in damp, dark bathrooms where bacteria thrive,” Veran explains.
“Make sure to dry them completely after every use,” Veran says. “Many people don’t dry their towels well, and that can cause mold and bacteria to grow.”
Signs Your Bath Towel Definitely Requires Washing
“Did you ever grab a fresh bath towel that started to smell bad when you used it?” Veran wonders. “That smell is from bacteria on the towel. If towels smell bad, it means there’s too much bacteria or fungus on them.”
When It’s Time for a Full Towel Replacement
“There isn’t a strict rule like with pillows, but usually, a nice bath towel can be used for around two to four years,” Veran explains. “Change them when they stop soaking up water or feel rough. But if a towel keeps smelling bad even after washing, it might have too much bacteria or fungus, and you should get a new one. You might want to think about using towels that fight germs. These towels kill germs before they can grow, so they last way longer than regular towels.”
How Frequently to Clean Kitchen Towels
Kitchen towels get used a lot for different things, like drying hands and cleaning surfaces. This can make it easy for them to get dirty and spread germs in the kitchen,” Veran explains. “Around half of the kitchen towels that get used for lots of things have germs that can make you sick from food or other illnesses after a month if not washed.
So, how often should you change kitchen towels?
Veran suggests: “It’s good to use kitchen towels for one thing and get new ones every week. If they touch any meat (like cleaning up meat juices from the counter), get a new one each time.
How Frequently to Clean Hand Towels
Hand towels usually get used many times each day, often by different people in the house. This can make bacteria grow on them,” Veran explains. “You should get new hand towels every one to two days, especially if someone in the house is sick.
Are you afraid the germs won’t go away? “Usually, washing hand towels in warm or hot water with good soap can make them clean,” Veran says.
Source
You’re Probably Not Washing Your Pillows the Right Way, According to a Microbiologist