According to some comments on a TikTok referenced in this Reddit post, you should change your towels twice a year. The commenter feels that washing them isn't enough to keep them germ-free after that time.
The Redditor asked, "Am I wrong in thinking this is nonsense?"
Based on comments, the answer is "no." The TikTok post's recommendation doesn't provide a specific reason or data to back its claim that "washing still doesn't kill all the bacteria." How you manage your towels from the bin to drying affects your success in removing germs and poor smells.
Wetness and germs are a divine match. Placing damp towels in the hamper helps those germs survive longer, which often include E. coli and other fecal bacteria, per WebMD. Instead of leaving them in the machine too long after washing, start drying them immediately.
Other tips for keeping your towels and other laundry clean include washing your hands or wearing gloves when handling dirty and cleaned items. You can also utilize the power of sunlight or vinegar in your towel loads.
When drying items, hanging them in direct sunlight until completely dry can kill pathogens from the exposure to ultraviolet rays, according to the PubMed journal study: "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants."
You can also run towels in a baking soda or vinegar wash before washing them in detergent to remove bacteria, per Towel Supercenter.
Do your towels still stink no matter how much you wash them? They may have outlived their life as a bath towel. As the owner of Homemaid Cleaning Service, LLC, Brandi Winch, tells Martha Stewart, "How often you need to replace your towels will depend on your lifestyle. … If your towels are used on freshly-cleaned bodies instead of for heavy-duty cleaning tasks, you can get much more life out of them."
Not getting good use out of your towels and tossing them too early can lead to more textiles in landfills. Take advice from commenters and repurpose them instead.
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Should it be illegal to throw away old clothes?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Heck yes 👍 One person advised, "Put [a] hole in the middle of old towel —> put broom handle through [the]hole —> old towel is now mop towel."
Another stated, "You're not wrong, this is nonsense. Buying new towels twice a year is incredibly wasteful. Google generally says replace 2-5 years."
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