Most towels are made of 100 percent cotton. While it's true that after a shower you have eliminated most of the germs and dirt from your skin, the process of rubbing a towel against the body rubs off dead skin that sticks to the moist towel.
That's because every time you dry off, two things happen. First, if you rub your body to dry it, the towel can create microscopic breaks in your skin, shedding bacteria onto the towel where it can multiply rapidly. Second, whatever offending substances were already on the towel are transferred to your skin.
If you can't remember how many times you've used your towel, Johnson says a good indicator is the musty towel smell. "Stink and odor are caused by mildew invisible to the naked eye but not to our noses," Johnson explains. "If your towels look clean but still smell bad, it means they're not truly clean."
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.
The best way to dry wet towels is to hang them on a heated towel rack, which is designed to dry your towels and provide them with some warmth before use. However, it is also important to hang them up in a well-ventilated area, even if you don't have a heated towel rack.
Even then, it's not guaranteed that using the same washcloth for a really long time will do anything bad to you. With that said, if you want to avoid as much bacteria, fungi, and mold growth as possible, it's best to change your washcloth daily, Dr. Vij and Dr. Tierno say.
You should wash your towels and washcloths after every 3-5 uses, although some experts say your washcloth should only be used once before washing.
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.
Ultimately, though, when a towel's threads begin to pull—or you notice a lingering odor, despite a careful wash—it's time to toss it; you can expect body and hand towels to last between two to five years depending on their quality. Wash cloths, on the other hand, should be replaced every one or two years, notes Winch.
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.
The “black stuff” when you rub your skin is nothing but dead cells, dirt and surface grime.
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. Tierno.
It may surprise you to learn that bath towels should be washed after every 3-4 uses to keep them hygienic, according to our experts at the GHI. And 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 airborne bacteria.
The optimal shower
Experts typically recommend showering several days a week. The decision is personal, but knowing your body and routine is key. Showering every day is not bad for you (yay!), and showering every other day or even a couple of times a week isn't either.
Musty towel smell is the same issue that happens when mop heads or cleaning sponges don't dry thoroughly between uses. A warm, moist environment is conducive to fungal and bacterial growth. And all it can take is leaving a damp towel balled up in a laundry basket or on the floor of the bathroom.
Bath Towels Need to Be Broken-In
But you may not have known that your new bath towel has a "break in" period before it reaches maximum softness and absorbency. In fact, it can take as many as three full wash cyclesfor your bath towel to feel great and absorb water the way it was designed to.
According to Brian Sansoni, the senior vice president of communications for the American Cleaning Institute, “Most laundry can now be done in cold water. That should be the default.” And yes, he includes towels in that statement. This is good news for your wallet!
Dr. Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, suggests products labeled as “cleanser,” such as a moisturizing body wash. “Cleansers can add the moisture back into your skin,” she says. If you haven't had trouble with dry or irritated skin, though, traditional soap is fine.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so.
"If you or others are using a blanket every day, you may want to wash it once a week or once every other week," says Dr. Engelmen. "But blankets that aren't coming into contact with the skin's oils and bacteria may only need a wash every month or so to eliminate things like dust and pet dander."
Experts recommend changing your washcloth daily to avoid re-introducing any bacteria back to your body as you're trying to get it clean. An easy way to keep your wash cloth clean is making sure that you're the only one using it - don't share a wash cloth with anyone from your household.
The Ideal Number of Towels per Person
Keep three sets of towels for each individual who lives in your household—one in the wash, one in the closet, and one in use. This ensures there is always a towel in reserve for when you might need it.