Did you know that your shower towel likely contains millions of germs? Bathroom towels are excellent hosts for bacteria. They provide warm temperatures and adequate levels of moisture and oxygen. Moreover, the skin cells rubbed from your body attract and nourish microbes.

Thankfully, most germs die once your bath towel dries. That said, moisture from subsequent uses can revive dead or dormant germs. Washing frequently throughout the week prevents this from happening.

Towels kept damp or folded are most likely to grow mold or fungus. Similarly, they threaten to transfer bacteria back onto your person. For example, towels can reintroduce germs from a prior infection or illness. This is why we advise not sharing towels.

Throw Your Towels in the Laundry after Three to Five Uses

Three to five uses (not days) is the optimal timespan for cleaning bathroom towels. Between laundry loads, hang your towels in well-ventilated rooms, too.

Most of us turn on the fan to suck up steam during our showers. It’s important to also maintain good air circulation afterwards. Without the fan, you prevent your towels from drying and shedding unwanted germs.

For washing towels, select hot water and a quality detergent. As well, dry in high heat to sanitize the towels further: air drying is best for post-laundry usage.

Should your towels possess a musty smell, consider washing in a vinegar solution. Fabric softeners sometimes trap odors in the fabric, whereas vinegar refreshes. Should you do so, rinse your towels in a second cycle or wash them twice with detergent.