Do you use the towel to clean your hands or dry your body after a shower? Towels can be damp, warm, and absorbent. This makes them a perfect environment to allow bacteria to thrive. Experts say that every time you use a towel, your skin bacteria is transferred to its surface. Towels are often left in darkened bathrooms, where they can be exposed to bacteria that could cause disease.
Charles Gerba, a microbiologist from the University of Arizona, discovered that 90% of bathroom towels were contaminated by coliform bacteria and 14% of them had E coli. Unknowingly, many of us use these towels. However, the bacteria can rub on our bodies which can be very harmful. It is obvious that all your efforts to clean your body are futile if you use a damp towel to dry it. Researchers recommend frequent washing of towels to prevent infection.
These are some tips for towel hygiene that you can use:
1. More often you should wash your towels
Experts emphasize this. According to The American Cleaning Institute, towels should be washed after five to ten normal uses. Gerba says bacteria can survive regular detergent, so it is better to wash towels in hot water using a detergent that activates oxygen bleach, according to a time.com article.
2. Don't let your towel get wet
You should not leave wet towels in the bathroom or in the washer. To prevent mould and bacteria growth, hang them up in a dry place or in a well-ventilated area.
3. Add vinegar
Niki Schafer, a home stylist suggests that you use one cup of white vinegar mixed with detergent to get rid of chemical debris and hard water stuck in towel fibres.
4. Do not use the same towel for too long
A towel of lower quality will not last as long. Towels of lower quality tend to be less durable if they are heated up. An old towel may not dry you properly and could contain unknown germs. You should replace towels if they become ineffective.
5. Towel warmers
Hooks and traditional towel bars won't do the trick. They trap moisture, allowing bacteria to thrive in towels' fibres. They can't be dried by hanging them on a towel bar or allowing them to air dry. It takes towels a while to dry and germs tend to persist and multiply.
Heated towel racks are the solution. They not only keep towels warm but also dry them. Towels that dry quickly and stay dry longer are less susceptible to bacteria. Bathroom Butler requested an independent study to determine the microbial bacterial load of damp towels after drying. Results showed that heated towel racks reduced the number of bacteria by 1000 to 1.
Hygiene is becoming more critical than ever with the increasing threat of a global epidemic. We must make sure that we minimize risks.
Wash your hands frequently and do not share your towels.
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