Towels absorb a lot of water and remain damp for hours, which is the perfect breeding ground for unwanted germs. That's why towels should be washed every three uses.
People should wash any bathroom towels after about two days of use, Gerba says, particularly if you have young children in the house. And not just any rinse will do. Bacteria can survive regular detergent, according to Gerba, so use hot water and a product with activated oxygen bleach to thoroughly clean towels.
In a yet-to-be-published study, Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found that nearly 90% of bathroom towels are contaminated with coliform bacteria, a broad class of bacteria found in human feces, according to Time Magazine. Gerba also found that 14% of bathroom towels contain E. coli.
coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus can survive and persist for up to 16 days on a kitchen sponge and up to 13 days on microfiber towels.
The bacteria were also more likely to be found on wet towels than dry towels and on towels that were used for multiple purposes, such as wiping utensils, drying hands and cleaning surfaces, according to the study.
Damp towels make the perfect environment for mold to grow especially when left in a dark location for extended periods of time.
Bacteria can live in hotter and colder temperatures than humans, but they do best in a warm, moist, protein-rich environment that is pH neutral or slightly acidic.
Tierno recommend washing bath towels every two or three days. Hold out longer than that, and all those microorganisms will make your towel grungy. “You may not get sick after using a towel for two weeks, but that's not the point,” says Dr.
Just like the gut has a microbiome, so does the skin. “There are bacteria on every surface of your body, and you'll never eradicate them by taking a shower or bath,” Philip Tierno, Ph. D., a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF.
The Cleaning Institute states that bath towels should always be hung to dry between uses. If you're following this instruction and allowing your towel to completely dry before use again, then it's advised to wash your towels between every three to five uses.
Can damp towels make you sick? “The longer towels stay damp, the longer the yeasts, bacteria, molds and viruses remain alive and stay active,” explains dermatologist Alok Vij, MD. “They can cause an outbreak of toenail fungus, athlete's foot, jock itch and warts, or cause these skin conditions to spread,” he says.
Air-drying is not bad for your skin! There's no reason you would need to towel off after getting wet, other than the water may get on your clothes or make you a little colder.
“The longer towels stay damp, the longer the yeasts, bacteria, molds and viruses remain alive and stay active,” explains dermatologist Alok Vij, MD. “They can cause an outbreak of toenail fungus, athlete's foot, jock itch and warts, or cause these skin conditions to spread,” he says.
Mold growths, or colonies, can start to grow on a damp surface within 24 to 48 hours. They reproduce by spores - tiny, lightweight “seeds”- that travel through the air.
Solve a household debate: How many times can you use a towel before having to wash it? Three or four, say consumer and environmental health agencies. Any longer and towels can breed bacteria and mold.
Also, a wet towel is bound to stink up and be unhygienic to be used the next time as it has not been properly dried.
Warm and cold water remove the same number of germs from your hands. The water helps create soap lather that removes germs from your skin when you wash your hands. Water itself does not usually kill germs; to kill germs, water would need to be hot enough to scald your hands.
Soap and water don't kill germs; they work by mechanically removing them from your hands. Running water by itself does a pretty good job of germ removal, but soap increases the overall effectiveness by pulling unwanted material off the skin and into the water.
Experts say energy-efficient home washing machines can be a haven for bacteria because they wash clothes at lower temperatures. But experts say most of the bacteria concentrations aren't enough to make people seriously ill.
Sanitizing towels and bed sheets
To wash bleach-safe bed sheets and towels, machine wash in the hottest water recommended using a good detergent and ⅔ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach in a traditional deep-fill washer, or ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach in a high efficiency clothes washer.
Can I reuse a towel after one use? It's OK to reuse a towel a few times before you wash and dry -- and it's better for the environment, too. Reusing towels a few times is better for the environment and likely won't be a cause for alarm.
Dr. James says any time there's an increased presence of moisture (like when you're not fully dry after a shower) can create a potential breeding ground that's favorable to yeast.
Only low inocula of 100 CFU were found on all types of textiles with a short survival time of ≤3 days. Most bacterial species survived better at elevated air humidity. The infectivity of viruses on textiles is lost much faster at room temperature, typically within 2–4 weeks.
Moisture – Bacteria need moisture in order to grow. This is why they grow on foods with high moisture content such as chicken. Foods that are dehydrated or freeze-dried can be stored for much longer as the moisture has been removed.
Germs especially like to live and grow in water when it is stagnant (not flowing) or when it is not treated with enough disinfectant, like chlorine. It is important to know where your tap water comes from and how to safely use it for purposes other than drinking.