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Did you know that bath towels can be a source of bacteria? Towels are used repeatedly to dry wet body parts and this makes the towels damp. Of course, damp and wet areas are favorite places for germs and bacteria. So, how often should you wash towels and replace them with new ones?
Why do you have to be diligent about washing towels?
Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor of pathology and microbiology at the NYU School of Medicine, stated that when bathing, germs, including bacteria, do not completely disappear from the body. Therefore, it is very possible for bacteria to stick, settle, and nest in towels.
Even Chuck Gerba, Ph.D, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, states that the bacteria in the towel will continue to increase day after day every time you use it. A study he and colleagues conducted found that used towels had 1,000 times more coliform bacteria than freshly bought towels.
This is of course because bacteria like dark and humid environments. Now try to remember, do you usually put your used towels back in the bathroom or dry them outside to dry?
If you put it in the shower, don't be surprised if bacteria thrive. The reason is, the bathroom is a closed room that is dark and damp and is the best place for bacteria to breed.
If you are not diligent in washing it, infectious diseases are very likely to attack you, you know. Especially if you have open wounds on your body. The chance of bacteria on the towel to transfer to the skin and enter the wound to infect is very large.
So, how often should you wash your towels?
According to Aaron Glatt, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, chair of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Nassau Community Hospital, it is very unlikely that you will have a serious bacterial infection from a towel, but of course it's better to keep it clean. For that, what needs to be done is to be diligent in washing towels. Better to use hot water when washing towels. Because hot water can kill bacteria effectively.
We recommend that you wash it every three to four times. This means that if you shower twice a day then wash the towels every other day. Even though it looked clean, there were a lot of germs on the towel. You may not get sick immediately when using a dirty towel, but the chance of contracting an infectious disease is unavoidable.
Especially if you are a person who has acne on your back. We recommend that you change the towels every day. The reason is, when you rub the skin with a towel, especially on pimples that fester and break, bacteria easily enter and infect.
Don't forget, try to dry the towels after every use to dry. This will reduce the growth of bacteria in the towel. In addition, remember that towels are personal items that should not be lent to other people, including family.
