Is it OK to wash towels every two weeks?

Author: George Labadie  |  Last update: Saturday, December 13, 2025

How often should I wash my bath towels? Dead skin cells, bacteria, and even sweat can accumulate quickly on your towels, so using a fresh one about every three days is a simple rule of thumb—for all kinds of towels. You can of course change them more often.

Is it okay to wash towels every 2 weeks?

Experts generally recommend washing bath towels once a week (or after three to five uses). However, if your towels tend to stay damp, or if someone is sick in your home, you may want to wash them more frequently.

How often does the average person wash their towels?

Many of us will pop them into the washing machine once a week, while one study of 100 people found about a third of them did so once a month. A few, according to one survey in the UK, admit to only doing it once a year.

How long can you use a towel without washing it?

Washing after every 3-4 uses is enough to keep them hygienic, according to our experts at the GHI. But, for towels used at the gym, we recommend washing after every use; not only are your gym towels covered in sweat, but they can also come into contact with lots of airborne bacteria.

How long do bacteria live on towels?

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.

How Often You Should be Washing Your Towels + How to Keep them Fresh

Is it okay to use the same towel for a week?

Dead skin cells, bacteria, and even sweat can accumulate quickly on your towels, so using a fresh one about every three days is a simple rule of thumb—for all kinds of towels.

How do you disinfect towels in the washing machine?

Liquid bleach is one highly effective option: The University of Arizona laundry study found that adding bleach to the load reduced the number of viruses by over 99.99%. 1 For normal loads, a 3/4 cup of bleach should be enough to disinfect the items, according to the Clorox website.

How often should you towel wash?

The verdict: As a general rule, you should launder your bath towel (or swap in a clean one) at least once a week. The same goes for hand towels.

How often should bed sheets be washed?

"Regular washing, or about once every one to two weeks, is recommended to maintain cleanliness and a healthy sleep environment," says Harris. Once a week if you don't use a top sheet. Once a month if you do.

How many times can you use a towel before it's dirty?

"Bath towels and hand towels should be laundered after every three uses," says Dr. Maender. "This helps remove the contaminants that can cause infections and reduce odor-causing bacteria." No one likes a funky-smelling towel, but potentially harmful microbes represent the important health concern.

How often should you throw out bath towels?

Bath towels are the workhorses of the towel family, used daily and exposed to frequent washing. As a general rule, it is recommended to replace your bath towels every two to three years, with five years the maximum.

How often should you wash your hair?

Generally speaking, it's recommended to wash your hair once it's greasy or unclean to the touch. For some people, that means washing every other day. For others, it could mean shampooing once a week. You may be familiar with the idea that washing your hair less often will “train” it to be less oily.

Should you wash towels in hot or cold water?

Towels should be washed in the warmest water appropriate for the fabric according to the care label. Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle.

Is it OK to use the same towel for a month?

Why do we even need to wash our towels? To cut to the chase for how long you should leave it, Dr Bloomfield says "a sensible amount would be at least once a week". "Despite the fact they may look clean, they'll have picked up millions of germs over time and could be a serious health hazard to whoever you live with."

Should I wash my clothes every 2 weeks?

Dresses, for example, should only be washed after every one to three wears, while shirts can be washed after every one to two wears. Similarly, dress pants and casual pants can be washed after every two to three wears; blazers, suit jackets, and other jackets, after every four to five wears.

How often does the average American wash their towels?

Almost one in five surveyed said they washed their towels once a month, a quarter said once a week and one in 20 chose to wash every day after a bath or shower, according to data from a shower company.

How often should you wash your pillowcase?

For a better night's sleep and reduced issues with skin conditions and allergic reactions, change your pillowcase at least once weekly. Clean pillowcases are essential, and you should consider changes more frequently if you allow pets on your bed.

How often do married couples change their sheets?

Men are more likely to wait longer between sheet changes than women (29.6 days vs. 19.4 days). On average, single people go 37 days before changing their sheets, while those in relationships go 21.8 days, and married couples go 19.9 days.

What bacteria is found in the bed?

What Bacteria Did You Find in Bed: Common types of bacteria found in bedding include gram-negative rods, gram-positive rods, bacilli, and gram-positive cocci. Some of these bacteria can potentially cause infections, while others are less harmful.

How often should you wash your toilet?

The answer is that you can't really clean your toilet too much, but Lysol® recommends you clean your toilet weekly. What to use to clean a toilet? Before you tackle the task, make sure you have everything you need to clean a toilet with: A toilet brush.

How many times should you use a towel after a shower?

“Generally, you should change your towels every three to four uses,” she says. “This helps prevent the buildup of bacteria and odors.” It's important to stick to this clean towel schedule for a few reasons, Chiu notes. Bacteria, dead skin cells, and excess oils from your skin can build up on wet towels.

How often should I wash blankets?

It depends on how often you use them. Aim to clean regularly-used blankets once a week, casually-used ones every few weeks, and rarely-touched throws every couple of months. Always follow care instructions on your garment's tag to ensure your blanket stays clean and cozy for a long, long time.

Where do you put vinegar in washing machine towels?

Using vinegar in laundry is simple. You can add it to the fabric softener dispenser in your washing machine or pour it in during the final rinse cycle.

What temperature kills bacteria in a washing machine?

60°C is the perfect temperature for killing bacteria, viruses and removing stains. This wash setting is also highly recommended for washing towels and bedding, but obviously this setting is going to increase running costs as the higher the temperature the higher the cost.

Do hotels sanitize towels?

To ensure that towels are sterile and appear spotless, hotels often use strong chemical detergents, bleach, and fabric softeners. These chemicals can linger in the fibers of the towels and may cause skin irritation, dryness, or allergic reactions upon contact.

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