By smelling any garment or seeing its stains, we decide whether it needs to be washed or whether it can be used again.
But how do we know when to wash the towel?
This is an important question that is directly related to our health. After all, after how long should the towel be washed or changed?
It’s a debate that British TV host Roman Kemp recently took to social media to answer, and a recent survey of 2,200 people in the UK has answered the question of whether anyone has the right answer. The answer is not known.
In the survey, 44 percent of people answered that they should wash their towels every three months.
But what are the experts’ opinions? We caught up with Dr Sally Bloomfield, a specialist in hygiene and infectious diseases, to find out.
While talking to English Publisher Newsbeat, he expressed his surprise at the results of the survey and said, “I think the towel is not usable in such a long time.”
According to the survey, one in five people answered that they wash their towels once a month, while a quarter said they wash their towels every week and one in 20 answered that they wash their towels daily after showering.
But why do we need to wash the towel?
Dr. Seeley says that even a seemingly clean towel can harbor millions of germs that can be harmful to health.
He says that if you don’t wash your towel regularly, the number of these germs will continue to increase and eventually, when the towel is washed, not all of these germs will die.
And this creates a problem.
“When we dry different parts of our body with the help of a towel, germs collect on it, like our feet, germs that can cause a disease called ‘athlete’s foot’.”
“Most of the germs on our skin don’t cause infectious diseases, but if they manage to get into the body through a wound, they can cause disease and cause a serious problem,” says Dr. Seeley.
And if you don’t live alone, you should be extra careful.
“We often have germs on our bodies that don’t make us sick, but when they are transferred to another person, they make them sick,” says Dr. Seeley.
“This is possible even if two people use the same towel or if you wash clothes in the same place or machine.”
According to Dr. Seely, there is evidence of infectious diseases spreading like this.
People who live alone may think they are free from this danger. But Dr. Seeley advises that even these people should wash their towel after at most two weeks.
Dr Christina Somadakis, a dermatologist at the NHS, says people should make a schedule for washing their towels.
“If you have a skin problem, you need to wash your towel more often.”