Damp towels are breeding grounds for bacteria.
It's so easy to say "I'll wash it tomorrow" when you realize you've been using your bath towel a few days too many. No mascara stains, no problem, right? Sadly, no. If you don't want to transfer bacteria onto your body after cleaning up, there are some very specific guidelines you should follow.
"A damp towel is growing," Philip Tierno, a microbiologist at the New York University School of Medicine, told Business Insider. And since bathrooms contain many elements that can lead to microbial life (water, warm temperatures and oxygen), they're a breeding ground for microbes. That means if you don't wash your towel often enough, you'll end up drying yourself with one covered in bacteria, which will transfer over onto your skin.
So, what's often enough? Tierno and Carolyn Forte, Director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, agree it's best to wash your towel after three uses. As long as you let it dry completely after every use, this will keep bacteria at bay and prevent your towels from getting worn out faster due to over washing and drying.
But if you smell something, do something."If there is odor coming from the towel, wherever there is odor, there are microbes growing, so it should be washed," Tierno says. Another thing to avoid: Sharing towels with another person. This could end up transferring bacteria to you that your body isn't used to, resulting in a boil, pimple or infection. Yikes.
After doing laundry, if you still notice a funky smell, launder them in the hottest water that's safe for the fabric, and add one or two cups of white vinegar to your cycle. Then wash them again with your regular detergent. If this doesn't do the trick, it might be time to replace your towels. These are some of the highest-rated items on Amazon should you decide you need a fresh, fluffy set.