Why You Probably Don’t Wash Your Towels Often Enough

The towels we dry ourselves with get a lot of use and pick up a lot of germs along the way. But how long should you wait before throwing them in the laundry?

And even though these fluffy fibers show no signs of dirt, they provide a breeding ground for millions of microbes. Studies have shown that towels can quickly become contaminated with bacteria commonly found on human skinbut also with those found in our guts.

Even after washing, our bodies are still covered in germs and, unsurprisingly, when we dry off, some of them transfer to our towel. But the microbes living on our towels also come from other sources: airborne fungi and bacteria can settle on towel fibers while they hang up. Some bacteria comes from the water we used to wash the towels with in the first place.

In Japan, some households even reuse leftover bath water to do laundry the next day. A study by researchers at Tokushima University in Japan found that although it saved water, many bacteria in used bath water were subsequently transferred to towels and clothes after being washed.

Over time, these microbes can begin to form biofilms on towels, which can even change the appearance of our towels. After two months, even with regular washing, bacteria living on the fibers of cotton towels begin to grow. dull the appearance of the fabric. But perhaps not surprisingly, the total amount of bacteria and the species of bacteria depend on the household’s laundry habits. The real question is: how worried should you be about bacteria living on your towels?

The topic of washing towels may seem trivial, but Elizabeth Scott, professor of biology and co-director of the Simmons University Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community in Boston, US, is interested in what it can reveal about how germs spread in the home.

“They don’t naturally sit on towels,” she says. “Anything that hurts us on a napkin probably came from a human.”

In fact, there are as many as 1,000 different species of bacteria living on our skin alongside many other viruses and fungi. But most are actually good for us – helping to protect us from infections caused by other, less friendly bacteria, by breaking down some of the chemicals we encounter in daily life and playing an important role in the development of our immune system.

Perhaps the biggest problem comes when we pick up potentially harmful microbes on our hands. while we dry them before touching our mouth, nose and eyes. And that may mean the towels we use most frequently for our hands may deserve more attention. Kitchen towels, which are used on our dishes, hands and surfaces, are also another source of spread of foodborne pathogens.

But thinking about towel hygiene could also help combat one of the major health problems facing the world, according to Scott and his colleagues. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, can be transferred by contact with contaminated objects.

Jean-Yves Maillard, professor of pharmaceutical microbiology at Cardiff University, says practices such as washing towels regularly can help reduce bacterial infections and, therefore, reduce the use of antibiotics. “Domestic hygiene is above all a question of prevention, and prevention is better than cure,” explains Maillard.

So, how often should we wash our towels?

Scott suggests washing towels once a week. However, this recommendation does not constitute a fixed rule.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense, because if someone is sick, they have vomiting and diarrhea,” she says. “They should have their own towel and those towels should be washed daily. That’s what we call targeted hygiene, you manage the risk as it arises.”

For low temperature washes, adding enzymes or bleach can help fight microbes on towels. A study in India also found that combining washing with detergent and disinfectant while rinsing and drying towels in the sun was the most effective solution. most effective in reducing bacterial and fungal load.

Scott views domestic hygiene as a form of altruism, as does vaccination. Every little practice you do to protect yourself, you also do to protect the people around you.

“We call it the Swiss cheese model,” she says. “We think of all of these components as hygiene slices, like slices of Swiss cheese, and each hygiene slice covers one of these holes and reduces the risk of spreading pathogens.

“Towels are a relatively small component, but they carry definite risks and it’s easy to manage.”

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