Is it necessary to wash a bath towel every time I use it?

Bath towels are an essential household item for almost everyone, but how dirty are they and how often do they need to be washed? Many people just don't quite know. According to Business Insider, bath towels are, in fact, dirty.

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The moment you use a bath towel, it becomes a breeding ground for germs, it says, getting covered in fungus, dead skin cells, saliva, anal and urethral secretions, and a host of other pathogens, and even splattered with toilet-flush drippings. Since most of the dirt probably comes from your own body, these microorganisms are not harmful, but after all, that's dirt.

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So how often do you need to wash your bath towels? If you can keep a bath towel dry, wash it after three uses, says Philip Tierno, a pathologist and microbiologist at New York University School of Medicine.

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It's best to hang the towel in a dry place and keep it ventilated, Tierno says. Wet washcloths cause bacteria to grow," he says. If a bath towel gives off an odor, no matter what it is, it means more and more microorganisms are growing and should be washed immediately."

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The human body provides the perfect conditions for bath towels to harbor bacteria and microorganisms: moisture, the right temperature, oxygen, food and a neutral pH, among other things. When people use bath towels to dry their bodies, surface bacteria, other secretions, and cellular debris get on the towel, and all of these things become food for microorganisms and maintain the right pH, making moist bath towels the perfect place for bacteria to grow, Tierno said.

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It's hard to say whether the microbes on bath towels are harmful, but most of the bacteria are not dangerous, Tierno said. However, if you share a bath towel with others, you may come into contact with microorganisms that you don't have on your body, so it's best not to share a bath towel with others, he said. Most importantly, wash bath towels regularly and keep them dry.