How often should you wash your towels?

Many people wouldn’t associate towels with needing regular washing. Afterall, they get used once your body is clean after showering or bathing, so why would they need to be washed regularly, too? Well, as you towel yourself off after a relaxing bath, your body might be clean, but this doesn’t stop skin cells from transferring onto the fabric of a towel. If left for too long, this can create an ideal environment for bacteria to grow, which is, of course, not hygienic. So, if you’re wondering how often to wash towels, it is a good idea to wash your towels every 3-4 washes. This is a good balance between washing your towels often, but not so much that it gets expensive in water and electric bills!

However, if your towel has been used to clean anything dirty, it should be washed straight away. That is the same for towels with pet hair on them that needs removing. Towels that are used during a workout should also be washed right away, as should towels that have a damp smell.

In order to keep your towels as hygienic as possible, there are a few things that you can do so that you can rest assured that your post-shower routine is clean and comfortable.

Firstly, when you do wash your towels, wash them on a hot wash (often called a 60°C wash) with a good quality washing powder. This will help ensure that dead skin cells get properly washed off, and the high temperatures ensure that bacteria and germs don’t stand a chance. For an extra deep clean why not also add a Dylon Colour Catcher + Hygienic Cleanliness pad into the drum alongside your towels to help remove dirt and prevent colour run accidents!

Between washes, you can help your towels stay clean and hygienic by hanging them up to dry properly. Damp is a good environment for bacteria to grow, so hanging your towels up on a radiator to dry is a good way to minimise bacterial growth. This could also muffle any loud, clanking radiators – although there are better methods for fixing loud radiator noises! Putting towels on a radiator can make them hard, though, so if you want fluffy towels, you’ll need to pop them in the dryer.

Avoid washing your towels with too many other towels in the same wash, or else the towels won’t get properly washed. The washing powder in your machine needs to be spread between each towel evenly for best results, and if the machine is too full, this might not happen. Regular washing will prevent too many towels building up in your laundry basket.

If you found our article on how often you should wash your towels helpful, don’t forget to have a read through our other article’s such as how often to wash bed sheets, how to wash a wool jumper, and what is a prewash.