(Riti Venter, Associate Professor, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia)
When it comes to how often towels and sheets should be washed, everyone has different opinions. While many people may wonder whether it’s okay to wash these every day or week, in a survey conducted in the United Kingdom, almost half of single men reported that they washed their sheets that many times over a period of four months. Don’t wash.It’s quite obvious that four months is too much to leave it without washing, but what is the ideal frequency? Bed linen and towels are quite different and therefore should be washed at different intervals. While usually a week or two will be enough for sheets, it is better to wash towels every few days. Anyway, who doesn’t love the feel of clean sheets or the smell of freshly washed towels?
Why should you wash towels more often?
-
When you dry yourself, you deposit thousands of skin cells and millions of germs on the towel. And because you use your towel to dry yourself after a shower or bath, your towel stays wet on a regular basis.
-
You also deposit huge amounts of dead skin, germs, sweat and oil on your sheets every night, but if you do not wear a sweater at night, your bed will not get wet after a night’s sleep. Towels are made of a thicker material than sheets and therefore stay moist longer.
-
So what is it about moisture that causes the problem? Wet towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. Molds particularly like moist environments. Although mold usually won’t be visible, it can cause an unpleasant odor in clothes.
-
Along with the smell, exposure to these germs in your towels and sheets can cause asthma, allergies, skin irritations or other skin infections.
So what is the ideal frequency?
For bed, it really depends on factors like whether you take a bath right before going to bed or if you go to bed after a long, sweaty day and take a bath in the morning. In the latter case you will need to wash your sheets more regularly. As a general rule, doing this once a week or every two weeks is fine.
Ideally towels should be washed more regularly
-
Perhaps every few days – whereas your facecloth should be cleaned after every use. Because it gets completely wet, it will stay wetter longer and be filled with more skin cells and germs.
-
Wash your towels at a high temperature (for example, 65 degrees Celsius) as this will kill many germs. If you are conscious of saving energy, you can use a lower temperature and add a cup of vinegar to the wash. The vinegar will kill the germs and prevent bad odors from developing.
-
Clean your washing machine regularly and dry the rubber bottom after every wash, as this is another place where germs like to grow.
smelly towels
What if you wash your towels regularly, but they still smell? One reason for this could be that you have left them in the washing machine for too long after washing them. Especially if it was a hot wash cycle, the time they are warm and moist will allow germs to grow. Under laboratory conditions the number of these bacteria can double every 30 minutes.
It is important to hang your towels to dry after use and not to leave the towel in the washing machine after the cycle has finished. If possible, hang your towels and sheets in the sun. This will allow them to dry quickly and thoroughly and leave a lovely fresh, clean smell. Using a dryer is a good option if the weather is bad, but it is always better to dry outside in the sun if possible.
Also, even if your towel is about to be washed, do not throw a wet towel in the laundry basket, as a damp, dirty towel will be an ideal place for germs to breed. By the time you wash the clothes, the towel and other clothes around it may still smell. And getting your towels smelling fresh again can be difficult.
What about self-cleaning sheets and towels?
Some companies sell “quick dry” towels or “clean yourself” towels and bedding. Quick-dry towels are made from synthetic materials that are woven in a way that they dry quickly. This will help prevent the growth of germs and foul odor caused by the towel remaining wet for a long time. But the concept of self-cleaning products is more complex. Most of these products contain nanosilver or copper, antibacterial metals that kill microbes. Antibacterial compounds will inhibit the growth of bacteria and can be useful for limiting odors and reducing the frequency with which you have to clean your sheets and towels. However, they will not remove dirt like oil, skin particles and sweat. Additionally, excessive use of antimicrobials such as nanosilver can cause germs to become resistant to them.