How Often Should You Wash Your Bath Towels? The Answer Will Shock You

Jun 13, 2023

How often you wash your towels has always been a debate among Americans, with opinions ranging from one to three times a week for most people.

But while some may argue that towels don't get that dirty, since you use them right after taking a bath or a shower, experts say that it doesn't matter, because the dampness of an absorbant towel is a great environment for bacteria to harbor and grow.

A clip shared on TikTok by hygiene etiquette expert Madame Sweat gained attention after she revealed that most people are probably not washing their towels often enough, inadvertently exposing themselves to harmful bacteria.

In her video shared under the username @madamesweat, she explained: "Bath towels are very absorbent and hold moisture, they're a breeding ground for bacteria like mold, mildew, and even E. coli."

She went on to say that a biologist told her that when they swabbed some bath towels on day one after use, they found about 250 thousand bacteria harboring, and on day seven, they found as many as 650 million bacteria.

A 2015 survey by Insider found that most adults only wash their towels once a week, while about 17 percent said that they wash their towels only a few times per month. A small minority, 7 percent, said that they wash their towel every other day.

Mary Futher, aka, Madam Sweat said that in order to keep your towels fresh and free of bacteria you should wash them at least twice a week: "It's as easy as just putting vinegar and baking soda into your wash cycle and wash two bath towels per person per week."

She told Newsweek that the bacteria that live on towels are not going to kill you, therefore it's not unsafe it just has a slight odor, and after a fresh shower not really something you want to rub all over your body.

How often should you wash your bath towels? #dirtytowels #washingtowels #cleaning #cleaninghacks #laundry #washing #cleantok #germs #bacteria #bathtowel #absorbant #laundryhack #mold #mildew #ecoli #moisture #bakingsoda #vinegarhacks #madamesweat #towelhack #laundrytok

The Cleaning Institute recommends washing bath towels after three uses. When it comes to the best products to make sure your towels are as clean as they can be, Madame Sweat suggests adding one cup of baking soda with the detergent to the wash cycle, and then in the rinse cycle add one cup of vinegar for additional freshness.

The video quickly went viral on TikTok where it was viewed over 2.1 million views and gained 73,600 likes, and while some users were shocked at this discovery, others were rather skeptical.

One user, Fria Bolan, commented: "I've survived 36 years so far, I'll be ok once a week."

GiggleyBubb86 said: "vinegar and baking soda neutralize each other."

TikToker Bergundie Kat wrote: "My family only uses towels once and then in the wash they go. I'm constantly washing towels."

Another user, Ondo Lady, wrote: "I think you get bacteria everywhere. If we listened to these scare tales we would be too scared to get out of bed."

Tiktoker Dora the Explorer added: "Please tell me what can happen if you use towels like this? Because I use 36 years and nothing happens. This is how you build your immune system."

And Marcus joked: "Have fun with your Electric Bills."

Update 6/02/23 5:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comments from the OP, Mary, and new pictures.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some extra details and they could appear on Newsweek.