Washing towels regularly- Here’s what experts have to say
Health and hygiene have assumed greater importance in the lives of people, ever since the arrival of the pandemic. People have steadily become attuned towards washing hands, sanitizing, changing/washing clothes periodically and even showering more (bad news for No Shower November folks!). The same applies to all apparel, accessories and items used by people in their daily lives. The humble towel is of course one of the most-used things each day. In this context, have you ever stopped to wonder just how many impurities or germs it may contain? The reality is straight out of a horror movie, albeit at a micro level!
How germs love towels and potential issues
While we all wish you could scan your towel with a microscope and ferret out germs, it is unfortunately not as easy! Whenever you wipe yourself after a shower, germs end up sticking to the fabric and they germinate easily owing to the damp and moist environment.
Using the same towel every day without washing can lead to multiple skin infections and other ailments. Whenever you venture outside and touch various surfaces, there is an avalanche of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that attach to your skin.
This is naturally transferred to fabric when we dry off after a shower. Dampness and dead skin nourish microorganisms and they keep multiplying. At the same time, the skin churns out acid which prevents growth of microbes and any potential dangers. However, this effect does not always work for all types of germs.
Hence, reusing towels without washing may lead to outbreak of acne, ringworm, eczema, skin rashes and more. If you are already tackling skin issues, then reusing dirty towels may worsen your symptoms as warned by experts. What happens is basically the clogging of folliculitis by microorganisms and dead skin. It is even more frightening if you consider young children who are more susceptible to a host of infections at an early stage in life. Taking all these aspects into account, we can now understand why our mothers used to insist on frequent washes and drying towels in the sun. We’ve all been hollered at for lazily refusing to hang towels out to dry!
How often should towels be washed?
Age-old wisdom always works, as seen in the case of towels. Now, coming to the million-dollar question- How often should you wash them? The best way to safeguard your skin is frequent washing and a few experts recommend this after 3-4 uses at the most. Hence, if you are bathing every single day (hopefully!), washing a towel is recommended at least twice every week. Reuse towels only when you are sure that they are fully dry.
This little precaution will help you bypass innumerable infections and illnesses. In fact, some experts also recommend changing towels periodically whenever they look worn out or faded. Maintaining good personal hygiene is one of the core components towards living a stress-free and healthier life. On that note, here’s to frequent washes and cleaner toweling!
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