Are You Washing Your Bath Towels Often Enough? Probably Not

If you only use your bath towel every time you get out of the shower or bath, you may think that it's pretty clean. That's because you've just done all of the hard work of soaping and shampooing the dirt, oils, and dead skin off your body, and now all your towel has to do is soak up any remaining water so that you can complete the process.

However, your bath towel isn't immune to getting dirty, even when you're only using it on the clean surface of your body.

That's because your towel comes into contact with a whole lot of other organisms and debris during the course of regular use, and according to some experts, it could be putting your health at risk.

Keep reading to find out how often you should be washing your bath towel, and what the best process is when it comes time to toss it into the laundry for a deep cleaning.

If you want to reduce your risk of coming into contact with unwanted bacteria or environmental debris, the Cleveland Clinic recommends washing your bath towel at least once a week. This is because your towel can become a breeding ground for all kinds of gross things, including bacteria, yeast, mold, and viruses.

Not only that, but your towel can also spread some other types of fungal infections, like jock itch and athlete's foot or viral infections like warts.

Grossed out yet? It gets worse. Your towel can also become exposed to different types of bodily fluids, including fecal matter, when you dry your genitals. These microscopic particles can then be spread to other parts of your body as you dry yourself off, causing infectious diseases to spread or develop, putting you at risk for everything from pink eye to norovirus.

Of course, there are some people who benefit from a more than once a week washing.

If you have certain skin conditions, allergies, or if you've been sick, you may want to wash your towel more frequently than just once a week to help manage any existing issues.

After reading all of that, you may be thinking that a hot water wash cycle with ample amounts of bleach or fabric sanitizer is the way to go. However, experts warn against this route, since it can actually hurt more than it helps.

According to Real Simple, the best way to wash your towels is also one of the more straight forward ones. First, you'll need to start by limiting the number of towels you put into a single load to ensure that they get thoroughly washed and rinsed.

To help battle smells, the magazine suggests adding a pre-wash cycle to your routine with some baking soda. Afterwards, you can wash them on your machine's correct cycle for towels, using the correct measurement of your favorite laundry detergent.

If you're cleaning white towels, Real Simple says you can use non-chlorine bleach or a natural brightener, as long as you follow the manufacturer's guidelines for the best results.