Furious debate rages over how often you should wash your bath towels... here's what the science says

Experts recommend washing bath towels after three uses to prevent bacteria buildup, sparking online debate as many users argue weekly washing is sufficient. Microbiologists warn that damp towels breed germs, while a 2023 study found bacteria persist even in regularly washed towels.

Furious debate rages over how often you should wash your bath towels... here's what the science says MORE: Toxic sewage tsunami racing toward US coast threatens wealthy beach towns with biohazard contamination /sciencetech/article-15808841/tijuana-river-sewage-california-beaches.html See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source https://google.com/preferences/source?q=dailymail.com A fresh debate over how often people should be washing their towels has erupted online, as experts claim they should be going in the laundry multiple times a week. Cleaning product experts recently weighed in on the question of how many showers people can take before it is time to put that towel in the washing machine, generally agreeing that towels need a wash after just three uses. That number even included when someone properly hangs up and completely dries a towel after using it. Experts said the reasoning has to do with skin and other germs still coming off /sciencetech/article-15818181/scientists-warn-virus-lab-leaks.html the human body even after a thorough bath. Sacha Dunn, the founder and CEO of cleaning products company Common Good, said in an interview: 'Towels trap moisture and can become breeding grounds for bacteria and mildew /sciencetech/article-15780061/neil-degrasse-tyson-theory-death.html , even if they don’t look or smell dirty.' However, that number was even lower for hand towels, which experts said should go in the wash after just two days. Online forums devoted to good housekeeping and hygiene have seen a flood of opinions, with many not convinced they need to do an extra load of laundry just for their towels two to three times a week. 'My towels get replaced on a "it's been a while since I replaced these, hasn't it?" basis,' one person joked. 'You shower to get clean. Your towel shouldn't get so dirty that you need to change it every time you use it. I use mine for a week, at the very least,' another person explained. Experts claim that a bath towel must be washed after just three uses to prevent bacteria from building up Stock Image Researchers in 2023 found that even clean towels suffer a buildup of bacteri over months of use The experts pushing for frequent towel washing said that when used towels stay damp for too long, they trap skin cells, body oils and water, which creates a warm environment where germs multiply and can start causing bad odors quickly. Dunn told Southern Living https://www.southernliving.com/towel-use-before-washing-12001383 : 'If the towel doesn’t dry fully or starts to smell, wash it sooner.' Rechelle Balanzat, the founder and CEO of cleaning service Juliette, added: 'If you’ve been sweating heavily like after the gym , or if you have sensitive skin or allergies, it’s better to wash more frequently. Sweat, bacteria, and locker room germs cling to the fabric.' Despite many commentors online contending that throwing your shower towel in with the weekly laundry is good enough, New York University microbiologist Dr Philip Tierno and others have supported only using a towel three times before cleaning it. In 2017, Dr Tierno told Business Insider: 'A damp towel is growing.' He added that if you are sharing a bath towel with anyone, you may come into contact with organisms from the other person your body is not used to dealing with, potentially causing your skin to develop a pimple, boil or infection. Doctors from Houston Methodist advised washing towels after three uses to remove germs living on the fabric, since bacteria can live for weeks on towels even after they dry off. 'I usually wash it every 3-4 uses. Any longer feels gross. Any shorter seems unnecessary,' one Reddit user commented. A 2023 Japanese study in Scientific Reports https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-34501-4/figures/2 found that even regularly washed towels slowly turn dull and develop hidden sticky bacterial communities deep inside the fabric that regular home washing does not fully remove. Scientists have confirmed that smelling a foul odor on a fresh towel is a sign that bacteria is present Stock Image Even when the towels in the study were regularly washed, researchers from the Kao Corporation, a Japanese personal care product company, found environmental bacteria building up in the fabric. These included germs such as Sphingomonas and Brevundimonas which were not from the typical skin cells someone taking a shower would leave behind and were also less harmful to people. Instead, these particles were more likely to make the towel itself look dull and feel less soft over four to six months. For those trying to battle bad odors and harmful germs on their clean towels, Balanzat recommended adding a cup of white vinegar to the laundry while also washing the towels in hot water.