Wondering how often you should wash your bath towels?
I admit that I too ask myself this question.
Because of course I don't want my children to use dirty towels.
But I don't want to spend my time doing laundry either.
Not to mention the water or electricity bill to make all these machines!
So I did my little research... And the answer will probably surprise you.
According to experts in medical microbiology, you should wash your towels at least once a week. Watch:
You may be wondering if you need to change your towel every time you use it.
Well, the answer is clearly no.
You don't have to change towels every day, far from it!
You can very well use the same towel several days in a row.
First, it's more economical, because the less laundry you do, the less electricity you spend.
On the other hand, it is also more environmentally friendly. You actually use less water.
But above all, there is no health risk in using a towel all week
Basically, if your towel is of good quality, that it dries well on a towel warmer or in a well-ventilated room...
So you can change it only once a week.
If not, it is better to wash them twice a week .
On the other hand, at the slightest suspicious odor that emerges from the towel, it must be changed.
I insist on this point.
If your towel smells bad, there is a fungal and bacterial proliferation.
And in this case, neither one nor two, hop to the dirty laundry!
Not convinced yet?
Wondering why you have to change your towel regularly?
Every time you use your towel, it gets wet .
And that, humidity, bacteria love it .
Your towel quickly turns into a comfortable cozy nest for germs.
And the best part is that even if you dry your towel...
That's not necessarily enough to keep it clean!
Yes, the towels are not always as clean as we imagine.
And they can indeed transmit germs from person to person.
Hence the importance of using one towel per person, especially in the event of illness or an epidemic (such as that of Covid-19).
Every time you dry yourself with a towel, you can contaminate it with the germs you have on your body.
This is why we can only recommend that you wash your hands well before wiping them on a towel.
Although most bacteria are harmless...
Be aware that some (such as staphylococci) can cause serious infections in people with compromised immune systems or with skin sores.
Also remember that fungus, fungus and athlete's foot can be spread through towels.
And towels can also transmit the bacteria responsible for acne or conjunctivitis.
If you ask me, better not lend or share a towel.
What does this mean for you?
In concrete terms, one towel per person is a good basis for everyone's hygiene.
But I haven't told you everything yet!
Did you know that a towel can get even dirtier, if not washed properly?
It's crazy, but it's true!
You should therefore not wash your bath towels just anyhow.
For example, washing towels with dirty underwear is a really bad idea!
Traces of excrement or bacteria from genital infections, for example, can contaminate the towel.
Yuck...
For the same reason, it is better not to wash bath towels with vomit-stained clothes, or with kitchen towels.
Think about it!
But wait, there's better...
There is another trick to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria.
This involves washing kitchen towels separately from bathroom towels.
In fact, a 2014 study of kitchen towels found that 89% harbored coliform bacteria and 25% harbored E. coli.
In other words... You shouldn't wash tea towels and towels together, as our grandmothers used to say...
Who obviously knew what they were talking about!
With a program at 90°C , you are sure to kill all the bacteria present on the towels.
But the good news...
It is only a wash at 60°C is a very good compromise.
It is a more economical washing program.
And nevertheless, it allows you to have clean and disinfected towels.
It is also at this temperature that we recommend washing clothes to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
Know that 40°C for washing towels is a minimum.
It's very good for preserving the colors of towels, microfiber towels (Decathlon type)...
Or to wash new towels before their first use.
But for white cotton towels, a program at 60°C is ideal!
Want to have towels that stay soft?
Here is a simple and effective trick to make a homemade fabric softener.
You just need to add 100 g of baking soda to your normal washing powder.
Baking soda lowers the pH of the water.
It will relax the fibers and remove detergent residue and limescale.
You can also use white vinegar as a fabric softener, as explained here.
It removes all the limescale that gets stuck on the fibers and makes the linen rough.
