How Many Times Can You Use a Bath Towel Before It Needs to Be Washed?
Prepare to do a load of laundry asap. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Solve a household debate: How many times can you use a towel before having to wash it?
Three or four, say consumer and environmental health agencies. Any longer and towels can breed bacteria and mold.
Hang your towels properly: Spread them out on the rack (not bunched up) so they dry thoroughly. Before taking a shower, open the door and, if you have one, turn on the bathroom fan while bathing, so the air is less humid.
—Keri Petersen, M.D., internal medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City
RELATED: Why Y'all REALLY Need to Wash Your Sheets More Often
Have health questions? Send them to askanything@rodale.com or tweet them to @womenshealthmag with the hashtag #AskWH. And for answers to reader questions on various other topics, check out the “Ask Anything” section in the May 2015 issue of Women’s Health, on newsstands now.
More from Women’s Health:
The 10 Biggest Face-Washing Mistakes
How Many Germs Are Exchanged Each Time You Kiss
Why You Really, Really Need to Swap Out Your Toothbrush More Often
