If you only wash your towels once a year, you're not alone; almost two million people are in the same situation. However, experts advise against it.
Imagine the feeling of wrapping yourself in a nice, big, freshly cleaned towel after a long shower. You can feel wonderfully clean and continue with your post-shower routine while still being wrapped up. However, have you ever wondered when it should be washed next?
Finding the correct answer in this situation may be challenging.
An expert at Showers, as revealed in recent research conducted by Bath, found that in the UK, more than a million people only wash their bathroom towels once a year.
In fact, freshly washed towels contain 190,000 bacteria, which increases to 17 million after just one day of use. After a week, the count soars as high as 94 million.
Despite guidance recommending that towels be washed after three uses, however, 3% of UK residents surveyed by Showers to You admit to only washing their bathroom towels once a year. This equates to nearly two million people. The research showed that "almost one in 10 UK residents (8%) surveyed only wash their bathroom towels twice a year, equating to over 4 million people."
And it was men who "were five times more likely to clean their bathroom towels just once a year, with 5% of male respondents admitting to giving them an annual wash, compared to 1% of women."
According to the survey, over 17 million people, accounting for a third of UK residents surveyed, admitted that they 'wash their bathroom towels just once every three months.' The research also revealed that Leicester and Glasgow are the least hygienic when it comes to towels. Residents from both cities are the most likely to go the longest without washing their bathroom towels, with over 41% confessing to only washing their towels every three months at most.
According to Health Line, it is advised that you wash them regularly since 'towels absorb a lot of water and remain damp for hours, which is the perfect breeding ground for unwanted germs.' So, this is a reason why you should wash them every three uses.
