Ishita Roy

Your Towels Are Making You Sick— How Often Should You Wash Them?

How often should you wash towels?

Just out of a hot shower, you feel fresh and clean. Then you grab that travel to pat dry yourself, smelling fresh, further cleaning off all and any droplets on your body. But wait, your towel may be transferring bacteria to your body. You may have come off clean from that shower, but with that towel, the cleanliness is no longer there. 

Many of us put that towel into a washing machine once a week, in a study among 100 people, a third of them did so once a month. In fact, a UK survey found that few only did it once a year. While we do not see any signs of dirt in our towel, they are actually a breeding ground for millions of microbes. 

As per a 2023 study titled Analysis of biofilm and bacterial communities in the towel environment with daily use, the towel is not only contaminated with bacteria commonly found on human skin, but also with those found in our guts. These can transfer back to our skin. Often, bacteria and airborne fungi too can settle on the towel as they are hanging up.

In Japan, some households use leftover bathwater for laundering the next day, while it may be a great way to save water, as per the researchers at the University of Tokushima, many of the bacteria found in used bath water can be transferred to towels and clothing. If you are someone who hangs the towel in the bathroom, there is more bad news for you. Every time you flush, the bacteria from your toilet and specks of your and your family's bodily waste settles on that towel. This is the same towel you use to wipe your face and rest of the body.

As time passes, these microbes start to form biofilms, and it changes how the towel looks. If you have ever noticed the color of your towel change, turning to a dark dirt color, it is because of these biofilms. After two months, even with regular washing, you cannot get the color back, as the bacteria living in the cotton fiber starts to dull the appearance of the cloth. 

<h4>So, how often should you wash your towel?</h4>

There are 1,000 different species of bacteria that live on our skin alongside the viruses and fungi. Most of it can be good for us, and help us keep safe from infections from other infections. However, many of what we find on our towels are common in the environment we live in, including Staphylococcus bacteria and Escherichia coli, found in the human gut. The towel could also contain Salmonella and Shigella bacteria, which causes foodborne illness and diarrhoea.

Some of these bacteria could also be opportunistic pathogens, where they can cause more harm to humans, whether through a cut, and they enter the body, causing to produce more toxic, and weakening the immune systems. While skin is a natural barrier against infection, washing and scrubbing and rubbing with a dry towel can disrupt this skin barrier function, and bacteria could enter your body.

As per a 2021 study titled The Stability of Model Human Coronaviruses on Textiles in the Environment and during Health Care Laundering, COVID-19 virus can survive on cotton for up to 24 hours, even though transmission through touching contaminated surfaces is not the main way how the virus spreads.

Research also shows that the human papillomaviruses, common cause of warts and verrucae can also spread through contact of towels shared with other people. This risk of spreading viruses through a shared towel is the reason why hospitals and other public places now use disposable paper towels. 

Weighing all such risks, the correct answer to how often should you wash your towels would be: the sooner you can do it! Though experts recommend that there is no set rule to wash it once a week, but it is of course better than doing it once a month or even a year!

Health Conditions A-Z

health

towel washing

bath hygiene

how often should you wash towel

diseases

E. coli (Escherichia coli)

escherichia

staphylococcus

shigella

hygiene

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Just out of a hot shower, you feel fresh and clean. Then you grab that travel to pat dry yourself, smelling fresh, further cleaning off all and any droplets on your body. But wait, your towel may be transferring bacteria to your body. You may have come off clean from that shower, but with that towel, the cleanliness is no longer there. Many of us put that towel into a washing machine once a week, in a study among 100 people, a third of them did so once a month. In fact, a UK survey found that few only did it once a year. While we do not see any signs of dirt in our towel, they are actually a breeding ground for millions of microbes. As per a 2023 study titled Analysis of biofilm and bacterial communities in the towel environment with daily use, the towel is not only contaminated with bacteria commonly found on human skin, but also with those found in our guts. These can transfer back to our skin. Often, bacteria and airborne fungi too can settle on the towel as they are hanging up. In Japan, some households use leftover bathwater for laundering the next day, while it may be a great way to save water, as per the researchers at the University of Tokushima, many of the bacteria found in used bath water can be transferred to towels and clothing. If you are someone who hangs the towel in the bathroom, there is more bad news for you. Every time you flush, the bacteria from your toilet and specks of your and your family's bodily waste settles on that towel. This is the same towel you use to wipe your face and rest of the body.As time passes, these microbes start to form biofilms, and it changes how the towel looks. If you have ever noticed the color of your towel change, turning to a dark dirt color, it is because of these biofilms. After two months, even with regular washing, you cannot get the color back, as the bacteria living in the cotton fiber starts to dull the appearance of the cloth. So, how often should you wash your towel?There are 1,000 different species of bacteria that live on our skin alongside the viruses and fungi. Most of it can be good for us, and help us keep safe from infections from other infections. However, many of what we find on our towels are common in the environment we live in, including Staphylococcus bacteria and Escherichia coli, found in the human gut. The towel could also contain Salmonella and Shigella bacteria, which causes foodborne illness and diarrhoea. Some of these bacteria could also be opportunistic pathogens, where they can cause more harm to humans, whether through a cut, and they enter the body, causing to produce more toxic, and weakening the immune systems. While skin is a natural barrier against infection, washing and scrubbing and rubbing with a dry towel can disrupt this skin barrier function, and bacteria could enter your body.As per a 2021 study titled The Stability of Model Human Coronaviruses on Textiles in the Environment and during Health Care Laundering, COVID-19 virus can survive on cotton for up to 24 hours, even though transmission through touching contaminated surfaces is not the main way how the virus spreads. Research also shows that the human papillomaviruses, common cause of warts and verrucae can also spread through contact of towels shared with other people. This risk of spreading viruses through a shared towel is the reason why hospitals and other public places now use disposable paper towels. Weighing all such risks, the correct answer to how often should you wash your towels would be: the sooner you can do it! Though experts recommend that there is no set rule to wash it once a week, but it is of course better than doing it once a month or even a year!