Latest news with #towels
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How Often Should You Wash Your Towels?
Credit - Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Megan Kobe—Getty Images) You might think your towels don't get all that dirty. After all, you're clean when you use them, right? Wrong, say dermatologists, who argue that people don't wash their towels often enough. Here, experts break down how frequently you should toss different types of towels in the laundry—and what can happen if you don't clean them often enough. Bath towels Aim to wash your bath towels every two to three uses at a minimum. If you're not convinced all that laundry is necessary, consider that you're rubbing your towels over the most intimate parts of your body. 'When we dry off, our towel is collecting a bunch of tiny things we can't see, including dead skin cells—which kind of slough off—and microorganisms from your body,' says Dr. Kristina Collins, a dermatologist in Austin. Many of these microorganisms, which include bacteria, viruses, and fungi, are normal and harmless. The problem is, towels can easily become contaminated with unpleasantries such as skin pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, fecal pathogens, viruses that cause warts, and the fungal species that leads to athlete's foot and ringworm. 'When they have the opportunity to sit there in a moist environment and truly replicate and create a little colony, that can be a source of reinfection back to your skin,' Collins says. 'When you use that towel again—let's say you have breaks in your skin or an acne outbreak that's compromising your skin barrier—that can be a portal of entry to some of these pathogenic bacteria that have been able to replicate on the towel.' Read More: How Often Do You Really Need to Wash Your Sheets? If you have body or face acne, or a condition like eczema that makes you more susceptible to bacteria, it's a good idea to consider washing your towels more frequently than the average person. 'The chances of that towel having these types of microorganisms is going to be higher, and the chance that it can affect the skin is higher, too,' Collins says. How you dry your towels makes a difference, too. Hang them up on a bar rather than a hook so they can better air out, suggests Dr. Elizabeth Mullans, a dermatologist at Upton Dermatology in Houston. 'If it's on a hook, parts of it will be open to the air, but parts are still going to be all wet and jammed together,' she says, 'which means more chances for bacteria and fungi to grow.' Wash your towels in hot water that's 170°F or higher, experts advise, which will help kill germs and bacteria. Face towels It's best to have a separate face towel, as opposed to using your body towel to dry your face, Collins tells patients. 'You wouldn't pat your face with your underwear," she says, so why use a towel that's been up close and personal with your derriere? Switch out your face towel after every use, Collins advises. That doesn't necessarily mean doing laundry every day: She likes buying seven-packs of soft microfiber towels; after using one, she tosses it in the hamper and subs in a fresh one. Doing so helps prevent the transfer of bacteria, oils, and dead skin cells from your body to your face, which could trigger breakouts or other nuisances. 'The face is where people are going to have the most problems from overuse of a towel,' Collins says. 'The skin on our bodies is thicker—it's less susceptible to acne—and our face skin is more sensitive and prone to irritation.' Beach towels After you swim, leave some time to dive into your laundry pile: Experts recommend washing towels after every use, especially if you've been splashing around a public pool. 'They're exposed to higher moisture from the pool water, which also might have chlorine, organic debris, and other microorganisms, including pseudomonas,' says Dr. Rayva Khanna, a dermatologist at Georgetown University Medical Center. Pseudomonas are bacteria that lurk in warm environments like hot tubs and swimming pools and can cause hot tub folliculitis, an infection of hair follicles. This bacteria can easily spread via towels. Read More: How to Actually Do Laundry the Right Way Plus, when you're in a public space, your towel could come into contact with all kinds of bacteria you'd probably rather not rub onto your body. Not to mention, lots of swimmers hang beach towels outside to dry, which means they're exposed to allergens wafting through the air. 'If you have really bad hay fever, and you're using something that's been hung up outside, that can provoke allergies,' Collins says. There is, however, a saving grace for swimming towels. 'Unless you're a very progressive household, you're probably wearing a swimsuit,' she says. 'So there's not that direct contact with the genital area that your bath towel has. That in and of itself means the towel is probably not getting as dirty when you're drying off,' though there are still plenty of reasons to keep up with a rigorous washing schedule. Gym towels The most common towel-related question Khanna gets from patients is how often they should wash the towels they carry around in their gym bags. Her answer: After every use. While many of the same microorganisms that are a threat in your bathroom exist in the gym, there's a greater risk of cross-contamination in public places, Khanna says. If you use your towel to wipe down equipment, for example, you could wind up with someone else's bacteria on it (or transfer your own onto the treadmill someone else is about to use). 'You're hot and sweaty, and you're going to use it to dry yourself and then stick it in your gym bag,' Mullans says. 'The wetter it is, and the longer it's wet, the more those small amounts of bacteria or fungus are going to multiply,' increasing the risk of athlete's foot, jock itch, or warts. How to tell if your towel is making you sick If you notice whiteheads or little bumps on your skin, it's possible you could have a superficial bacterial infection. A red, scaly rash could be caused by ringworm or indicate a fungal skin infection, Mullans says. 'Sometimes people even get a big boil, or what in medicine we call an abscess,' she adds. 'A lot of times, those are related to Staph bacteria,' which can often be drained by doctors but sometimes spread so rapidly, they lead to serious illness and require IV antibiotics. Read More: How Much Do You Actually Need to Shower? Any time new symptoms pop up, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your primary care doctor or dermatologist and find out what's going on, Mullans says. It could turn out that once you get better acquainted with your laundry machine, your symptoms will improve. Contact us at letters@
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
You're washing your towels wrong! Microbiologist reveals how often you should really clean your bath towels - so, are you doing it enough?
With so many distractions around the home, forgetting to clean your towels is an easy thing to do. So it's little surprise that some Brits go a whole year before finally bunging them in the washing machine. But according to a scientist, you may want to start doing it every day if you don't want to jeopardize your personal hygiene. Dr Primrose Freestone, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, says you should be laundering towels after two uses at the very most. That's once every two days for people who shower or bathe once a day. However, for those with infections or a weakened immune system, towels should be washed after every single use, the expert claims. 'Clean towels are no longer clean after drying skin,' Professor Freestone told MailOnline. 'Dirty towels will make freshly washed skin dirty again, negating the point of washing.' When we dry ourselves with a towel, we deposit thousands of skin cells and millions of microbes like bacteria and fungi onto it. And then when we reuse the towel, we shed yet another layer of these invisible cells and organisms, eventually creating a thriving community. One study analysing repeated use of bath towels by a single user in a hostel revealed high levels of several bacteria species that can cause dangerous infections in humans, including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella. Exposure to these microbes in your towels can cause fever, asthma, allergic skin irritations, other skin infections and many more symptoms. A towel is also regularly damp, not only because we use them every day after we bathe and shower, but because towel fabric is much thicker than something like bed linen. Unfortunately, bacteria and fungi thrive in damp environments, which in turn make it harder for towels to dry – further encouraging their growth. 'Bath towels are particularly good at accumulating microorganisms as they contact all areas of a body,' said Professor Freestone. 'If the towels are repeatedly used without laundering, sweat, skin cells and bodily fluids will build up and provide a nutritious, moist and warm environment for bacteria and fungi to grow.' Towels quickly pick up an unpleasant musty or sour smell, similar to wet dog fur, and the reason for this is rather hard to stomach. 'The musty smell from overused under-washed towels is thought to be due to residual detergent or clothes conditioner which trap body sweat or fluids which is then fed upon by bacteria and fungi which are making volatile organic compounds,' Professor Freestone said. 'In other words it is bacteria and fungal waste products making the smell.' According to Professor Freestone, we should 'never ever' share a bath towel to minimize the risk of spreading infections. Viral infections such as monkey pox – which causes fever, headache and blisters – can be spread by doing so. And not just bath towels we should be laundering regularly; hand towels may not be used all over the body like bath towels, but the contact with the skin still transfers microbes and skin cells from the hands. 'Bath towels need more frequent laundering than hand towels due them having a higher microbial content,' said the expert. 'But hand towels will still from repeat use accumulate bacteria and fungi – so do a hot detergent wash every three to five days.' Hand and bath towels should be washed with laundry detergent at 140°F (60°C) and be left to dry completely before they are used. 'This hot wash kills most bacteria and fungi, inactivates viruses and stops towels smelling unpleasant; it also ensures towels do not pose an infections risk,' she said. 'For storing the towels make sure they are thoroughly dried before stacking in a cool, dry environment.' According to Rietie Venter, associate professor of clinical health at the University of South Australia, towels need to be washed even more often than bed linen. Towels are best washed every few days, she said in a piece for The Conversation last year, while facecloths should be cleaned after every use. If towels still smell after being laundered, they may have been left in the washing machine for too long once the cycle had finished. 'If possible, hang your towels and bedding out in the sun,' Professor Venter said. 'That will dry them quickly and thoroughly and will foster that lovely fresh, clean cotton smell. 'Using a dryer is a good alternative if the weather is bad, but outdoors in the sun is always better if possible.' Why do towels get so smelly so quickly? Towels are the perfect home for a swarming community of bacteria and fungi. They hold many of the key ingredients for hosting microbial life - water, warm temperatures, oxygen, a neutral pH, and even food in the dead skin people leave behind after a thorough dry. The human body also boasts these ideal living conditions, which is why our bodies are host to trillions of bacteria throughout our lives. As a towel is used to dry the body, microbes sitting on the surface of the skin are deposited onto its damp, warm surface. When we smell towels, we often perceive a musty or sour odour, which is from the waste products deposited by growing communities of mould and bacteria. Don't throw a wet towel into the laundry basket, as the damp and dirt will still be an ideal place for microbes to breed. By the time you get to doing your washing, the towel and the other laundry around it may have acquired a bad smell. And it can be difficult to get your towels smelling fresh again. Instead, put the damp towel straight into the washing machine, or, if it's a while before it's getting laundered, hang it to dry first.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Independent
I live by the sea, and these are the best beach towels I've tested for 2025
With summer in full swing, it's time to crack out the beach towels, swimsuits and sunscreen for a day at the seaside or lounging poolside. Here in the UK, a dip in the sea almost always goes hand in hand with a yelp, deep breath and chorus of 'It's alright once you're in' – so you know you're going to want a snuggly, fluffy towel waiting for you once you emerge from the depths. Whether it's something garish that stakes your claim to a patch of sand or a print to show off your style, 2025's offerings have something for every type of beachgoer. Of course, an aesthetic design doesn't necessarily make for durable or absorbent fabric, so I've been busy testing sand- and chlorine-resistant towels. Scroll on to browse my pick of the best beach towels after months of testing. How I tested I live within easy reach of Brighton Beach, so I was perfectly placed to get hands-on with the best beach towels. While I was lucky enough to land plenty of sunny days through May and June, I couldn't heat up the 10-13C sea water. This meant undergoing a handful of cold-water plunges before retreating to the shore and swiftly bundling up in a beach towel. I put the towels through their paces after a swim and when lounging on the pebbles, and I also laundered each one. Several towels did not make the cut. Across each model, I paid attention to the following features: Drying effectiveness: A towel's most important role is to dry damp skin after swimming, so I ensured that each one could mop away moisture quickly. Drying speed in and of itself: After a day by the pool or sea, you'll have to lug your beach towel back home and, ideally, it won't be sopping wet for the journey. Style: Though this is somewhat subjective, I tried to pick prints that will stand the test of time. Unique functions: You might think a beach towel is just a towel, but you'd be surprised to discover how many pieces stand out from the crowd with a 2-in-1 tote bag design or sand-resistant textile. Laundry: A flashy design won't be much good if all the colours melt into one upon contact with water, so I inspected the brilliance of the colourful fabrics after washing. I also looked out for any changes in texture, noting which terry towelling remained soft and which (if any) turned rough after drying. Pilling: Everyone hates when a towel leaves a fluff trail from your torso to your toes, so I kept an eye out for pilling fabrics. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Not only does Lucy Smith live by the beach, but she's been a keen cold-water swimmer for years, so she knows what she wants from a decent beach towel. She also used to assessing fabric for quality and durability, having tested silk pillowcases and much more for IndyBest. Lucy's reviews are always based on real-world testing, and she will only recommend products she believes are worth your money. The best beach towels for 2025 are:
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
You be the judge: my mum says our family should share towels, but I think it's gross. Am I right to protest?
I have firm boundaries around personal hygiene – and bacteria thrive on wet towels Towels should be for personal use only, but my mum thinks they should be shared in our household of four. That might have been OK when I was a baby, but now I'm 21 I think it's weird. Mum has this thing about washing and the environment. She has been trying to wash clothes less, and uses these washing bags that capture microplastic fibres to prevent them from going out into the water supply. I support this, but not at the expense of my personal hygiene. She wants our family to only use one or two towels a week, which means the four of us sharing them – my younger brother, Lewis, who is five, my parents and me. I think this is totally gross. Mum says 'towels dry, it's fine' but that's not true. Bacteria thrives on towels and the idea that a towel is clean just because it has dried misses a crucial point: moisture breeds bacteria, especially in damp, warm environments like bathrooms. I don't want everyone else's germs on my body. A towel that's been used even once can carry a lot of bacteria. Lewis is a messy child. Sharing a towel with him will increase my risk of fungal infections, as he towels after his swimming club. The idea of using his towel is disgusting to me. Like most young women, I have firm boundaries around hygiene. Growing up, I didn't think much about my mum making us share towels, but I began to notice it when I got older. At 16 I said I didn't want to do it any more and started using a fresh towel every time I showered – and got told off for it. I then compromised and started using the same towel for a week, thinking it was just for me. But what I didn't know was that Mum was using the same towel to dry herself and Lewis. When I found out, I freaked out. Now I've started hiding my towel in my room so no one else uses it. Mum thinks I'm being a diva, but everyone having their own towel isn't an indulgence – it keeps us all clean. Using someone else's dirty towel, even if they are family, is gross. I always shared towels with my family growing up – older generations don't worry about this stuff From a mother's perspective, insisting everyone use a different towel every single day is wasteful. It means more laundry, more water, more electricity, and more mental load. When you're juggling work, meals, school runs and everything else, having the kids share a clean, dry towel is a simple way to reduce the chaos. It's not unhygienic if the towel is used on clean, just-showered bodies and hung up to dry between uses. Ava wanted a new towel after every single shower and I told her that was contributing to the destruction of the planet, and not good for my mental health. She said she would wash her own towels but I have yet to see that happen. She always just adds her laundry to my pile and then hopes I won't notice. Ava's obsession with personal space is relatively new. She has become more demanding since returning home from university a month ago. I think she's ready to move out. She's taken to hiding her towel, but I just think we should share them. If one starts to smell or look questionable I'd wash it sooner, but if it's dry and clean, it's fine. I do a regular weekly wash of the towels. I always shared towels with my family growing up. Older generations didn't think about this stuff – we didn't have time. There was often only one or two towels to go round, and nobody keeled over from it. My husband and I were sharing towels with Lewis and Ava until she was old enough to start protesting. Teaching kids to share and not get precious over tiny things builds resilience and cooperation. It instills the idea that comfort doesn't always have to come with individual ownership. Ava isn't a germaphobe with other things, like sharing my headphones or cleaning up after herself, so I find it funny she has become so obsessive about sharing towels. She needs to remember there's a difference between good hygiene and becoming germ-obsessed over things that pose little risk. Should Lynsey give Ava her own towel? Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Ava has already said she'll use one towel for the whole week so that lessens the laundry load a lot. The guilt‑tripping about the planet and mental health seems a bit excessive over this one 32 It's completely reasonable to ask for a towel for sole use. I understand washing can get overwhelming, but an additional towel for the sake of Ava feeling comfortable and clean is really not a 30 It's perfectly reasonable for Ava to draw the line at towel-sharing. After all, they don't just dry you off, they double as exfoliators for dead skin – hardly something you'd want to inherit from anyone, even family. Lynsey should respect that boundary, and, in return, Ava could help with the 50 I am absolutely with Ava on this one. You dry intimate areas with a towel, the last thing I would want to do is share it with anyone else – even family. I sympathise with Lynsey's environmental concerns, but surely Ava can have one towel a week for her own personal 45 I am an acknowledged towel thief in my family. I think it's fine to save the environment and the water bill by sharing towels – you're already clean when you use one, after all. Anyway, a few shared germs will keep your immune system on its toes. Kitty, 33 In our online poll, tell us: who is in the right? The poll closes on Wednesday 16 July at 10am BST We asked whether Cleo should stop filling her shared flat with plant clippings.93% of you said yes – Cleo is guilty 7% of you said no – Cleo is not guilty
Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
The net gains of Wimbledon stars — stealing 500 towels a day
When you're handing out £53.5 million in prize money, you wouldn't have thought there was any incentive for Wimbledon players to steal one of the championship's £40 towels. You'd be wrong. About 500 a day were 'not returned' by players last week, with some laughing about their enthusiasm for relieving the All England Club of its cotton green and purple towels. In fact, Wimbledon has this year for the first time resigned itself to the fact that players all love stealing the towels, with staff told to not even try to get them back. Winston Sedgwick, the assistant manager of the court services team, said: 'There isn't a limit on how many towels we can give out, and frankly a lot of the players know that. There used to be an expectation that we, the court services teams, would ask and try and get towels back. That has stopped now.'
