How often should you wash towels?
Bath towels after three uses, roughly weekly for one person. Hand towels in a shared bathroom every two to three days, kitchen towels every day or two.
Why three uses
You dry clean skin, so a bath towel is not dirty in the usual sense. It is wet, warm and dark in a bathroom, which is what bacteria and mould want. Three uses is the point where most towels start to smell even after they dry.
Not all towels are the same
- Bath towel, one person: after three uses.
- Hand towel in a shared bathroom: every two to three days, because it is used wet many times a day.
- Kitchen towel: every day or two, sooner after raw meat or fish.
- Gym towel: every time, no exceptions.
- Anyone ill at home: every day, and at 60 °C.
Why they smell even when clean
Two reasons. They never fully dry, folded over a rail or in a heap. And fabric softener coats the fibres, so the towel holds water and detergent instead of releasing it. That coating is also what stops a towel drying you properly.
How to wash them
60 °C for bath and kitchen towels, no softener, and do not overload the drum. Once in a while, a wash with white vinegar instead of detergent strips the build-up. Hang them spread out, not folded, and a heated rail beats a radiator.
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