How often should you really wash your towels? Experts weigh in
It's important to maintain the cleanliness of towels. After all, we use them to dry our bodies, hands, and faces. So, how often should we wash them? The expert leaves no illusions.
Towels, combined with the moisture and warmth in the bathroom, become an excellent breeding ground for various types of bacteria. How can we protect ourselves from them? All we need to do is wash them regularly. But how do we know when they are dirty enough? Professor Charles Gerba from the University of Arizona revealed this in an interview with Time magazine, as cited by the Interia Kobieta website.
How often should you wash towels?
A dirty and unusable towel might seem to be recognized by smell and appearance. However, this is a misconception. It's important to know that harmful bacteria often develop on them much earlier.
"After about two days, if you dry your face on a hand towel, you're probably getting more E. coli on your face than if you stuck your head in a toilet and flushed it on it than if you put your head in the toilet and flushed it," asserts Professor Gerba.
It turns out that towels should be changed every two days at most, although many believe it's best to do this daily. At the same time, make sure to thoroughly dry them immediately after use.
What to remember when washing towels
Regularly washing towels may not be enough. It's also crucial to know how to do it properly to remove not only bacteria but also microbes. In this case, the key is the right temperature.
It's best to wash towels at temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius. Many people resort to boiling them for a good reason. This method can be very effective, for example, when wanting to avoid using various chemicals.
