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How often should you wash your sheets and towels?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rietie-venter-100529">Rietie Venter</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Everyone seems to have a different opinion when it comes to how often towels and <a href="https://7news.com.au/video/lifestyle/cleaning/dr-karl-on-how-often-you-should-wash-our-sheets-bc-6320410318112">bed sheets should be washed</a>. While many people might wonder whether days or weeks is best, in one survey from the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-61259074">almost half of single men</a> reported not washing their sheets for up to four months at a time. It’s fairly clear that four months is too long to leave it, but what is the ideal frequency? Bed linen and towels are quite different and so should be washed at different intervals. While every week or two will generally suffice for sheets, towels are best washed every few days. Anyway, who doesn’t love the feeling of a fresh set of sheets or the smell of a newly laundered towel? <h2>Why you should wash towels more often</h2> When you dry yourself, you deposit thousands of <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02362/full">skin cells</a> and millions of <a href="https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(23)00402-9/fulltext">microbes</a> onto the towel. And because you use your towel to dry yourself after a shower or bath, your towel is regularly damp. You also deposit a hefty amount of dead skin, microbes, sweat and oils <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-bed-probably-isnt-as-clean-as-you-think-a-microbiologist-explains-163513">onto your sheets</a> every night. But unless you’re a prolific night sweater, your bedding doesn’t get wet after a night’s sleep. Towels are also made of a thicker material than sheets and therefore tend to stay damp for longer. So what is it about the dampness that causes a problem? Wet towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and moulds. <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/public-community-housing/public-housing-tenants/looking-after-your-home/safety/mould">Moulds</a> especially love <a href="https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/indoor-air-pollution/allergies">damp environments</a>. Although mould won’t necessarily be visible (you would need significant growth to be able to see it) this can lead to an unpleasant smell. As well as odours, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/can-clothes-and-towels-spread-germs/">exposure to these microbes</a> in your towels and sheets can cause <a href="https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/insect-allergy/dust-mite-allergy/">asthma</a>, allergic skin irritations, or other <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/4/04-1094_article">skin infections</a>. <h2>So what’s the ideal frequency?</h2> For bedding, it really depends on factors such as whether you have a bath or shower just before going to bed, or if you fall into bed after a long, sweaty day and have your shower in the morning. You will need to wash your sheets more regularly in the latter case. As a rule of thumb, once a week or every two weeks should be fine. Towels should ideally be washed more regularly – perhaps every few days – while your facecloth should be cleaned after every use. Because it gets completely wet, it will be wet for a longer time, and retain more skin cells and microbes. Wash your towels at a high temperature (for example, 65°C) as that will <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34465009/">kill many microbes</a>. If you are conscious of saving energy, you can use a lower temperature and add a cup of vinegar to the wash. The vinegar will kill microbes and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8231443/">prevent bad smells</a> from developing. Clean your washing machine regularly and dry the fold in the rubber after every wash, as this is another place microbes like to grow. <h2>Smelly towels</h2> What if you regularly wash your towels, but they still smell bad? One of the reasons for this pong could be that you’ve left them in the washing machine too long after the wash. Especially if it was a warm wash cycle, the time they’re warm and damp will allow microbes to happily grow. Under <a href="https://textbookofbacteriology.net/growth_3.html">lab conditions</a> the number of these bacteria can double every 30 minutes. It’s important to hang your towel out to dry after use and not to leave towels in the washing machine after the cycle has finished. If possible, hang your towels and bedding out in the sun. That will dry them quickly and thoroughly and will foster that lovely fresh, clean cotton smell. Using a dryer is a good alternative if the weather is bad, but outdoors in the sun is always better if possible. Also, even if your towel is going to be washed, don’t throw a wet towel into the laundry basket, as the damp, dirty towel will be an ideal place for microbes to breed. By the time you get to doing your washing, the towel and the other laundry around it may have acquired a bad smell. And it can be difficult to get your towels smelling fresh again. <h2>What about ‘self-cleaning’ sheets and towels?</h2> Some companies sell “quick-dry” towels or “self-cleaning” towels and bedding. Quick-dry towels are made from synthetic materials that are weaved in a way to allow them to dry quickly. This would help prevent the growth of microbes and the bad smells that develop when towels are damp for long periods of time. But the notion of self-cleaning products is more complicated. Most of these products contain <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/chem-2016-0005/html">nanosilver</a> or copper, antibacterial metals that kill micro-organisms. The antibacterial compounds will stop the growth of bacteria and can be useful to limit smells and reduce the frequency with which you need to clean your sheets and towels. However, they’re not going to remove dirt like oils, skin flakes and sweat. So as much as I would love the idea of sheets and towels that clean themselves, that’s not exactly what happens. Also, excessive use of antimicrobials <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6636436/pdf/idr-12-1985.pdf">such as nanosilver</a> can lead to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.652863/full">microbes becoming resistant</a> to them.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216083/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rietie-venter-100529">Rietie Venter</a>, Associate professor, Clinical and Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-often-should-you-wash-your-sheets-and-towels-216083">original article</a>.

Home & Garden

Here’s how often you should be washing your dish towels

Easily forgotten job Most people are probably not throwing their dish towels in the washing machine quite often enough. It’s easy to forget them, and after they’ve air-dried, they look ready for another use. But too often, we keep using them long after they’ve gotten dirty, and all we’re really doing is spreading bacteria and germs on everything they touch. “Believe it or not, dish towels can be one of the dirtiest items in your home. From cleaning up spills to wiping off counter tops, they often get used more than they’re cleaned,” said Bailey Carson, head of cleaning at Handy. A study by the American Society of Microbiology showed that half of kitchen towels tested contained some sort of bacterial growth, such as E. coli or staph. Bacteria breeding ground Because dish towels are so absorbent, they are the perfect home for bacteria, mildew and even mould. Your damp, warm towel is also the ideal breeding ground for that bacteria. That smell you associate with your dish towels and washcloths? Yup. That’s mould and mildew. If your towels or cloths smell, it’s time for a wash in very hot water. If they come out of the dryer still smelling less than pleasant? It’s time to get a new set. Stopping the spread But exactly how often DO you need to wash your dish towels to avoid spreading germs? That answer is: It depends. It depends on what exactly you’re using your dish towels for. Are they just for drying your hands after washing them, with maybe a quick use to mop up some spilled water or a food stain on the front of your cupboards? In that case, Julie Finch-Scally, founder of The Duster Dollies, says that it’s all right to reuse that type of towel for three to four days. If you’re using your dish towels to wipe up anything other than your wet hands, they’re getting more use than a towel you use after you shower, and you’ll have to wash them more often than the average amount of time you should wait between washing your bath towels. Other surfaces If you’re using your dish towels to wipe down cutting boards, wash down stovetops, clean up after spills, or even for drying your dishes, you may have to replace them a bit more often. In this case, Liz O’Hanlon, director of Metro Cleaning (UK) Ltd, says, “Ideally you should change your dishcloths once a day. Unless you use the towel to wipe up spillages which include raw meat or fish; then the towel should be washed immediately after use.” Wash together weekly Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to run a load of a few towels every single day. Laura Smith, owner of All Star Cleaning Services, recommends collecting dirty towels in a small bin under your sink and washing them when you’ve got a full load. That way, once you’ve figured out how often you need to wash your bedsheets, you can throw them all in together. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/heres-how-often-you-should-be-washing-your-dish-towels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

How clean are your towels?

Warning to the germaphobes out there: best look away now! For the rest of you, brace yourself for what we’re about to tell you. A study to come out of the University of Arizona has found enteric bacteria in 89 per cent of E. coli in 25.6 per cent of kitchen tea-towels. From drying the dishes in the kitchen to enveloping yourself in a towel after a bath, towels are actually an absorbent vessel of germs. Disturbing isn’t it?! That amount of bacteria lurking in your towels is enough to rub anyone who values cleanliness up the wrong way. To help lessen the bacteria in your home, here’s a guide to the nasties that could be lurking in your towels and what you can do about it. Bath towels Sure, it sounds harmless enough – bath towels are used to dry your body after you’ve had a lovely shower and you are clean all over. Don’t be fooled, however – every time you dry yourself with a towel, dead skin cells are collected in the fibres. As well as washing bath towels every three to five uses, you should also avoid fabric softeners when washing towels and instead use some vinegar in the load. To help strip away the build-up of detergent, body soil and fabric softener, first wash towels in hot water with one cup of white distilled vinegar. Then, wash again in hot water with your regular detergent. This will clean your towels as well as make them smell fresh and clean even when damp. Face washers As dirt and bacteria tend to get caught in the fabric of your washcloths, depending on how often you use a face cloth, it should really be cleaned after each use. Otherwise you are essentially smearing your pores with bacteria. Kitchen towels Given the amount of food, waste, grime, mess and different liquids are on the go in our kitchens it should come as no surprise to hear that the kitchen towel is the dirtiest of them all. And if you are using a dirty kitchen rag, you may actually be introducing hundreds of thousands of bacteria to your kitchen. To keep kitchen towels clean you should wash them after each use. If this is not practical, try dipping them in diluted bleach and hanging them up to dry. To do this, just fill your sink up with water and two teaspoons of bleach. You should wash your kitchen towels at least once a week. Image: Shutterstock

Home & Garden

5 signs you need new towels

Sadly, even if you have taken good care of your towels, there comes a time in every towel's life when they are no longer useful and need to be replaced. <h3 dir="ltr">5 signs you need new towels</h3> Here are five clear signs it's time to say goodbye to your old faithful bathroom towels. <h3 dir="ltr">1. No longer soft and fluffy</h3> As your towels age, they will lose what you loved about them the most: their fluffy exterior. Once they lose that softness, towels start to feel stiff and scratchy. If this happens to your towels, it might be time for some new ones. Keep your towels softer for longer by following these <a href="https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-wash-new-towels-the-secret-to-fresh-fluffy-soft-towels">towel washing tips</a>. <h3 dir="ltr">2. Not absorbent</h3> The purpose of a towel is to remove water after your shower. If you find that you have to dry yourself several times before you're actually dry, then it's time to say goodbye. <h3 dir="ltr">3. Rips and holes</h3> A more obvious sign that your towel has seen better days is it's starting to fall apart. Holes, rips and frays mean it is time for new towels. <h3 dir="ltr">4. They smell</h3> A smelly towel is not a good sign. Towels left damp for too long will develop a musty smell. Likewise, if you put them in the wash and forget about them, you will need to rewash them to avoid bacteria growth. If your towel starts to smell after only a few uses, no matter how you wash it, then there's a chance there are bacteria embedded in the fibres, and it's time to toss it out. <h3 dir="ltr">5. They won't stop shedding</h3> New towels will shed to some degree initially. Still, if your towels continue to lose fibres, it could be a sign of poor manufacturing. When searching for a new towel, ensure the cotton is pre-combed. <h3 dir="ltr">How to recycle old towels</h3> Thankfully, there are a few options for your old towels to avoid ending up in landfills. <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The recycling program, Upparel will take all of your old towels (and other unsellable clothes), and recycle them into furniture and other bits and pieces. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Call your local animal shelter and see if they need any old towels or sheets. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Alternatively, your local mechanic might appreciate some old towels and sheets to work with. </li> </ul> Image: Getty

Home Hints & Tips

3 surprise benefits of heated towel racks in summer

During the colder months, nothing beats stepping out of the shower and pulling a freshly warmed towel off the rack. But, heated towel racks are useful beyond chilly winter mornings. Here are <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bhg.com.au/heated-towel-rack-summer" target="_blank">three reasons</a> they can be just as useful during humid summer months too. 1. Beat the humidity Though using a heated towel rack in summer sounds pointless, the racks actually work to dry rather than warm towels - a godsend when high humidity strikes. Drying your towel in humidity can be difficult when it’s still damp from the previous day, that extra bit of drying power can ensure your towel is ready to use when you hit the shower again. Some towel racks also come with temperature control, meaning you can lower the temperature on hot days and still enjoy your freshly dried towels. 2. Save on your energy bill and water use According to Bathroom Butler Australia, a producer of heated towel racks, towels dried on a rack don’t require washing as regularly as air-dried towels. As a result, you can both save hours on doing laundry and reduce how much water you use. Plus, heated towel racks can be used to dry more than just towels and can help you cut down on using the dryer for clothing items such as swimmers and underwear. 3. Stop mould in its tracks Hot showers produce a surprising amount of moisture that even bathroom fans can’t quite combat effectively, leading to mould. Unfortunately, damp fabrics stored in the bathroom - such as towels - aren’t as safe from mould as we might think. Unless your bathroom is well-ventilated, using a heated towel rack can ensure your towels stay mould-free. Image: Getty Images

Home Hints & Tips

How to wash your towels to keep them clean and fluffy

Fluffy clean towels Knowing how to wash towels properly is the gift that keeps on giving. After all, nothing beats the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a soft, luxurious towel when you get out of the shower. Not only does proper towel-washing help keep them clean and stink-free, but it will also extend the life of your towels, keeping them in tip-top shape instead of letting them become raggedy, limp and scratchy with age. While you might already <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/handy-hints-that-make-doing-the-laundry-less-of-a-hassle" target="_blank">know a lot about how to do laundry</a>, figuring out how to wash towels is a whole different ball game. After all, it’s all too easy to end up with smelly towels – and a larger but invisible problem like bacteria build-up. Read on for everything you need to know about keeping your towels clean and fluffy for the long haul, from how often you should wash them to what you should be washing them with. How often should you wash your towels? You should wash your towels every two to three days, according to both Philip Tierno, PhD, clinical professor of pathology and microbiology, and Chuck Gerba, PhD, a microbiology professor. Hold out longer than that and bacteria will start to build up on your towel, leaving it dirty and possibly even smelly. However, if you’re acne-prone, you might want to wash your towel every time you use it, says Tierno, rather than waiting a day or two between washes. As you rub your skin – especially open pustules – with a dirty towel, bacteria from your used towel could get on your skin and give you zits. One caveat: If you have a heated towel rack that speeds up dry time, you might get away with washing it after four uses – but that’s “pushing it,” says Tierno. Why it's important to wash your towel regularly Beyond leaving your towels smelling so fresh and clean, experts say washing them regularly is important for a number of reasons. It reduces the growth and build-up of bacteria. You only use your towel after scrubbing off in the shower, so it can’t get all that dirty, right? Not so fast. “When you say you wash off bacteria, you’re partially correct – you wash off some bacteria,” says Tierno, PhD. But some bacteria sticks around, and it gets on your towel during your post-shower rubdown. Once that bacteria is on there, it will start to multiply. “It keeps building up as you use the towel again day after day,” says Gerba. In fact, a study led by Gerba found that used hand towels have 1,000 times more coliform bacteria than newly bought ones. It reduces the risk of infection and acne. “When you use a towel vigorously, you scratch your skin,” says Gerba. Those tiny breaks in the surface of your skin – which are too small to notice – give bacteria an entryway to get in your body, which could result in pimples or, worse, an infection. It reduces musty odours. When bacteria builds up on your towel, it can start smelling musty or mildewy, and there’s nothing pleasant about that! It keeps them fluffy and absorbent. Freshly laundered towels work better at absorbing liquid – which, of course, is the whole purpose of a towel! – since the towel fibres have more air between them and aren’t matted down. How to wash towels Follow these steps for how to wash towels the right way: Separate your towels from the rest of your laundry and wash them separately, keeping coloured towels and white towels separate to avoid bleeding. Add about half the amount of detergent as usual (using too much detergent can cause build-up on your towels that reduce their absorption), as well as non-chlorine bleach (if needed). Skip the fabric softener entirely, which could also decrease absorption. Wash white towels in hot water and coloured towels in warm water, using a regular cycle for both. Once the wash cycle has finished, remove towels from the washing machine and shake out each one before putting it in the dryer. This loosens up the fabric’s loops and helps with drying and fluffiness. Dry towels on medium to low heat until dried completely; any remaining moisture could cause mildew. That said, avoid overdrying, which could damage the fabric fibres with time. It’s also a good idea to use dryer balls to make towels extra fluffy and to avoid twisting and clumping. Remove towels from the dryer immediately and shake them out again to ensure fluffiness before hanging or folding for storage. Washing towels with vinegar If your freshly laundered towels smell musty, vinegar may be your new best friend. Simply add 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will help deodorise your towels and remove any detergent build-up that could be affecting their absorbency. Additional towel-washing tips Knowing how to wash towels will only get you so far. These tips will take your laundry game up another notch and ensure that you don’t make an all-too-common mistake. Wash towels separately. Whenever possible, don’t mix towels into your normal clothing loads. This helps extend the life of your towels by reducing the risk of pulled threads that can get caught on buttons or zippers. Wash new towels before using. Towels are often coated with silicone to make the fabric look and feel great in stores. However, these coatings can make your towels less absorbent, which is why laundering them first is a good idea. Air-dry towels between uses. Allowing your towel to air-dry fully cuts down bacteria growth, according to Tierno. Instead of folding it, leave it open and drape it on the rod. The more surface area that’s exposed to the air, the better it will dry. Don’t use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets, while amazing for your clothes, leave a fabric-softening residue on your towels, and that makes them less absorbent. Remove towels from the dryer right away. The secret to the fluffiest towels: Don’t let them sit in the dryer! The fibres will have more fluff and air between them if you remove them promptly. Dry towels on low heat. With time, high heat can damage towel fibres and decrease their life span (which is one to two years on average). Written by Maryn Liles. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/home-tips/how-to-wash-your-towels-to-keep-them-clean-and-fluffy" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank">here’s our best subscription offer</a>. Image: Getty Images <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Home Hints & Tips

Man jailed for strangling partner with towel on cruise ship

A US man has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to strangle a woman he was dating while aboard a Texas-based cruise ship. Hector Blanco, of Watford City, North Dakota was sentenced yesterday for the 2018 attack aboard Miami-based Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas cruise ship, federal prosecutors said. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty in January 2020 to an assault charge. The case was investigated by the FBI. The Justice Department said Blanco put his hand and a bath towel over the victim's mouth, he then twisted a towel around her neck and dragged her across the floor of the cabin. The woman was able to make a quick exit when Blanco fell. She ran out of the cabin to report the incident to security personnel aboard the ship. "No excuse can justify Hector Blanco's violent actions that turned a dream vacation into a dreadful nightmare for his victim," said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K Turner. Blanco confessed to the crime and upon his release from prison, he will still be under a two year supervision order.

Cruising

Make your own mask from a tea towel, t-shirt or vacuum bag

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has led to a shortage of protective face masks, leading to a number of online tutorials on how to make your own using items found around the house. Homemade masks offer significantly less protection than the N95 medical masks, which are made of a thick, tightly woven material that fits over the face and can stop 95 per cent of all airborne particles. And while many health organisations have recommended to ditch the masks unless in a medical setting, there is a good reason to think DIY masks could be effective in tackling the pandemic. They’ve been used extensively in countries such as Hong Kong, Mongolia and South Korea – places that have the disease largely under control. The World Health Organisation also does not recommend that people without the illness wear the face mask, but they’re looking at reversing their decision due to evidence from Hong Kong that it may be effective in fighting the virus. Here’s how you can make your own at home using a kitchen towel What you will need: <ul> <li>Kitchen towel</li> <li>One tissue</li> <li>Masking tape</li> <li>Elastic bands</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut both the paper towel and tissue in half and apply masking tape on each end to make sure the mask is stiff.</li> <li>Punch holes through either end of the mask and thread the elastic bands through the holes.</li> </ol> Your mask is ready in two simple steps. How to make a face mask with a t-shirt A tutorial by YouTuber Runa Ray shows how to make a face mask with a t-shirt, no sewing required. What you will need: <ul> <li>Scissors</li> <li>Pencil</li> <li>Ruler</li> <li>Unwanted t-shirt</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut out a 16" by 4" rectangle from the middle of the t-shirt, then fold it in half, and measure four inches on either side.</li> <li>Mark the t-shirt with an even number of tassels on each side and use scissors to cut them.</li> <li>Turn the t-shirt inside out and separate the corner tassels, but tie the remaining ones in-between.</li> <li>With the remaining t-shirt material cut some ear straps using the hem of the shirt. </li> <li>Attach the straps to the remaining outer tassels and you have yourself a face mask, with no sewing involved, and using an old t-shirt.</li> </ol> How to make a face mask from vacuum cleaner bags What you will need: <ul> <li>Vacuum bag</li> <li>Paperclip</li> <li>Two rubber bands</li> <li>Stapler</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut the bag into a rectangle. Make sure to keep all the layers together.</li> <li>With the inside of the bag facing upwards fold twice along the bottom and top.</li> <li>Fold both bottom corners of the bag.</li> <li>Get a paperclip or other thin wire and straighten it out.</li> <li>Take two rubber bands and fold the far ends around them. Staple the folds to secure them.</li> <li>Push the straightened wire through the centre of the top.</li> <li>Stretch the rubber bands around your ears to hold the mask against your face. Pinch the wire to secure around your nose.</li> </ol>

Art

Silent protest: This wife hasn't washed her husband's towel for 3 months

A woman has left her husband’s towel unlaundered for three months in “silent protest” – and he is yet to notice the sneaky move. In a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/cgbhm2/aita_for_not_telling_my_husband_that_i_have/" target="_blank">Reddit post</a>, the woman shared her frustration over her husband of seven years, who believes that towels do not need to be washed. As the one in charge of the laundry in the household, the woman disagrees with her husband. “I … have been throwing his towel in the wash at least 2-3 times a month for the 7 years we have been married,” she wrote. She said she has been reminding him to put the towel in the hamper for her to launder “every single time”. However, one day, she decided that enough was enough. “I just... got fed up. Something just snapped, and I stopped putting his towel in the laundry. Never told him. It's now been three months. I have no idea if he knows.” Even though her belief is firm, she said she still wondered if she is in the wrong for such a move. However, people on the forum thread said the woman shouldn’t lose sleep over the matter, as the husband knows the towel should be put in the laundry bin if he wants it washed. “If he insists towels don’t need to be washed, he should be just fine the way things are. Enjoy your own soft, fresh smelling towels,” one commented. “It is his towel. He doesn't think towels need washed. He knows you wash things that get put in the laundry bin. If he decides his towel needs washed he will put it with the laundry,” another added. Others expressed disgust at the husband’s hygiene standard. “The idea of 'never' washing a bath towel makes me gag on so many levels,” one wrote. “People are disgusting,” another chimed in.

Home & Garden

Are your towels secretly filthy?

We are all conscious of the dirt on our hands and the germs that can lurk there, but what about the germs festering on the towels in our homes, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms? It has been revealed kitchen towels are rampant little breeding grounds for germs and nasty bacteria. Bits of raw food and dirt can easily build up on the towels throughout the day and should be washed daily. Expert Home Tips has advised that the towels need a good 60-degree cycle in your washing machine to banish the germs. Surprisingly our bathroom towels are equally as bad. Damp towels become the perfect breeding grounds for growing bacteria. And if that’s not bad enough, when you dry yourself after a shower, you’re ridding your body of dead skin cells which also accumulate on the towel. Today.com shared that washing towels separately every three days in warm water followed by a low heat tumble dry is “the best way to wash towels”. How often do you wash your kitchen and bathroom towels? Let us know in the comments below.

Caring

Can you get food poisoning from your tea towel?

Once upon a time it was the good old chopping board that was the major culprit for bacteria in the kitchen. However, a <a href="http://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/4623/presentation/15470">new study</a> has cited that the common tea towel is another breeding ground for harmful bacteria in your kitchen. Tests on 100 cloth towels were performed by researchers at the University of Mauritius and collected the data from participants over a month. The disturbing results found 49 out of the 100 samples contained bacterial growth, including E. Coli (Escherichia Coli) and MRSA (Staphylococcus Aureus). The research also found that E. Coli was more likely to generate on damp tea towels that had been left to sit, while MRSA bacteria had higher rates of detection in households with non-vegetarian eaters (meat, poultry, seafood etc). <img width="400" height="300" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819491/2-tea-towel.jpg" alt="2 Tea Towel"/> Lead author Dr Susheela D. Biranjia-Hurdoyal, a senior lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Mauritius, said: “The data indicated that unhygienic practices while handling non-vegetarian food could be common in the kitchen.” It was also found that households comprising of large families and those of a lower socio-economic background were prone to having higher rates of bacteria on their tea towels. “Humid towels and multipurpose usage of kitchen towels should be discouraged,” Dr Biranjia-Hurdoyal added. “Bigger families with children and elderly members should be especially vigilant to hygiene in the kitchen.” Symptoms of food poisoning include severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, minor headaches and fever.

Body

Have you been washing your hands wrong all this time?

It’s something we do several times a day but that few of us really pay attention to – washing and drying our hands. Whether it’s after a trip to the loo or before preparing food, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23621052" target="_blank">a new study</a> has found that just 5 per cent of people are washing and drying their hands correctly every time. As reported by <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170519-does-it-matter-how-you-wash-and-dry-your-hands" target="_blank">the BBC</a>, the study of over 3,000 people found that staggering 10 per cent left public toilets without washing their hands, and of those who did, 33 per cent didn’t use soap. And this is a problem for all of us, since physical contact (whether person-to-person or person-to-surface) is one of the most common methods of spreading germs and bacteria. Studies have also found that the temperature of the water in which we wash our hands has <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1471-5740.2002.00043.x/full" target="_blank">no significant effect</a> on the number of remaining bacteria, and that anti-bacterial soap was <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25809180" target="_blank">no better</a> than regular soap when it comes to killing germs. As for drying your hands afterwards, unless you’re in a hurry and don’t plan on touching anything while leaving the bathroom, wet hands are fine. However, bacteria are spread and picked up <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/" target="_blank">more easily</a> when the hands are wet, so it’s best to dry them if you can. And, the ultimate question – hand dryer or hand towel? Those jet dryers might be fast and effective at drying hands, but <a href="/health/body/2016/04/dyson-hand-dryer-spread-1300-times-more-germs-than-paper-towels/" target="_blank">a study last year</a> found they spread 1,300 times more germs than paper towels, blasting bacteria as far as three metres across the room. So, if you can, stick to paper towels. Are you guilty of any of these handwashing mistakes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Body

How to remove mildew smell from towels

There’s nothing worse than folding a stack of squeaky-clean towels only to catch a whiff of something less-than-sweet. Damp, musty towels not only smell awful but are also a breeding ground for mould, bacteria and other nasties. Here’s how to eradicate the smell for good. 1. Make sure you’re clean before you use your towel Sounds strange, but the bacteria that builds up on our body ends up being transferred to your towel. If you’re a “in and out of the shower” kind of person, spend an extra few minutes thoroughly washing “sweaty spots” with a body wash or bar of soap to prevent bacteria transfer. 2. Always hang your towels A balled up towel, even one heading for the wash, is almost guaranteed to get mouldy. Residual bacteria builds up on damp towels so ensuring that your towel is hung up either on a hook or towel rack ensures even drying. 3. Keep your machine clean Ever wondered why your washing machine sometimes gets clogged up or slimy? Apart from washing powder residue it can also be due to a build-up of skin cells. People shed about one billion dead skin cells every day. Most of these end up in your washing machine. Try and disinfect your washer at least once a week to remove build up and keep it clean. 4. Choose a heavy duty wash For the best result, wash towels in groups of no more than three. Choose the hottest setting and add in-wash booster/stain remover and hygiene rinse (like Dettol) along with your detergent. Make sure you remove your towels as soon as the wash cycle finishes and hang them to dry, ideally somewhere sunny as sun kills bacteria and mould. Have you got any nifty tricks for super clean smelling laundry? Share them with us in the comment section below. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/08/your-bed-sheets-could-be-making-you-sick/">Your bed sheets could be making you sick</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/08/how-to-clean-your-bathroom-like-a-professional/">How to clean your bathroom like a professional</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/08/ways-to-ripen-your-avocado-in-minutes/">5 ways to ripen your avocado in minutes</a>

Home & Garden

How often you really should wash your sheets, towels and curtains

When was the last time you cleaned your sheets? Of course, how you answer that has to do with personal choice. If you haven’t changed them in a week, a month, or a year, that’s your prerogative. We’re not here to judge or finger wag, but we can equip you with some facts and guidelines that may influence your linen-laundering behaviour. Towels (every 3-4 uses) You’ll want to launder your towels every three to four uses. We say uses instead of days because some people shower or bathe more than once a day, while others can go days at a time without either. There are other factors to consider, too – such as how damp your home is. Always hang your towel up to dry and don’t share your towel, even among family members. When you no longer enjoy using it or looking at it, it’s time to throw it out. Sheets (every 1-2 weeks) Sure, there’s nothing worse than struggling with a tightly fitted sheet, but it’s a necessary inconvenience. Just think of your sheets as clothes you wear for eight hours every night. We shed about 500 million skin cells per day, so if you spend a third of your life sleeping (as most of us do), 160 million of these cells will end up in your bed every night. That’s not to mention the bodily oils, sweat and dirt rubbed in – especially if you’re not the only body rolling around in there – plus the millions of bacteria and other micro-organisms that build up. And the longer you leave them, the more they multiply. Curtains (every 6 months) Though they don’t come in contact with your body, curtains are hot spots for dust. Cleaning them every six months ought to keep them in order – but double the frequency if you or someone you live with has allergies. Regular vacuuming will help to remove dirt and particles in between washes. Hand towels (every 2-3 days) Hand towels usually hang in a germ-ridden environment (near or above the loo) and are used by multiple people. As such, they ought to be washed every two to three days. Do you really want to dry your hands on your partner’s toothpaste residue? Bathmats (every week) How often you wash it depends on the texture and quality of the mat. If it never seems dry, wash it at least once a week. To prolong the time between washes, always hang it up to dry after your bath or shower. Pillowcases (every 3 days or weekly) Your face is rubbed against your pillowcase every night, which means a build-up of bodily oils, skin cells, sweat and dribble. (It’s probably your unwashed pillowcase causing you to break out, and not your late-night kebab benders.) As such, it’s important you clean them even more regularly than your sheets. Tea towels (after every use) These readily attract and host harmful bacteria, picking up particles and remaining damp due to frequent use. They’re also dangerously close to your dinner. Wash your kitchen rags after every use to avoid spreading those nasties. Face cloths (every time you use them!) Don’t undo your good hygiene work by dabbing your face with a bacteria-laden cloth. Dirt, makeup and oil quickly accumulate, and moisture creates the perfect environment for bacteria and mould to thrive. Don’t leave them to fester – throw yours in the wash after every single use. Your skin will thank you for it. Written by Kathleen Lee-Joe. First appeared on <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/" target="_blank">Domain.com.au.</a> Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/08/things-in-your-kitchen-you-should-clear-out-right-now/">10 things in your kitchen you should clear out right now</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/07/why-we-should-keep-up-with-the-washing-up/">Why we should keep up with the washing up</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/07/why-you-should-never-make-your-bed/">Why you should never make your bed</a>

Home & Garden

5 common ways we all ruin our bath towels without knowing

Bath towels are an easy household item to neglect. They get tossed around in a rush, left on wet floors and in dirty sinks, and we tend to have so many that we don’t spare much of a thought for them. Here are five ways that you are inadvertently shortening their lifespan. 1. Hanging more than one towel on a hook As much as you might think this is a space saver, moisture and debris will get trapped among the layers, which growing bacteria and mould just love to fester in. 2. You don’t wash them often enough This economical decision you’re making should have a time limit on it. Generally, two to three days is the rule. 3. You don’t shake them out Never just take your towels straight from the washing machine to the dryer. Give them a good shake first to loosen them up and help them stay fluffy. 4. You wash them in cold water A big no! Check the care tag and wash towels in the hottest water safe for the fabric to really get them clean and kill the germs. 5. You use too much fabric softener Too much of this can inhibit a towel's absorbency. Measure the softener and dilute it with water as directed by your washer's dispenser. How do you keep your towels soft and fluffy? Let us know in the comments below. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/cleaning-tricks-you-should-never-try-at-home/">10 cleaning tricks you should never try at home</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/20-fast-fixes-for-clothing-disasters/">20 fast fixes for clothing disasters</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/04/why-you-shouldnt-prerinse-before-dishwasher/">Why you shouldn’t pre-rinse before putting items in dishwasher</a>

News

Jet-air hand dryer spreads 1,300 times more germs than paper towels

Jet-air hand dryers spread 60 times more germs than standard hand dryers, and 1,300 times more germs than standard paper towels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. In the experiment, University of Westminster researchers washed their hands with water containing a harmless virus and then dried their hands with either a Dyson Airblade, a standard hand dryer, or a paper towel. Their findings revealed a Dyson dryer’s 430mph blasts of air spread germs up to three metres across a bathroom, whereas the standard hand dryer spread viruses up to 75 centimetres, and hand towels just 25 centimetres. Professor Mark Wilcox, lead researchers, said: “Next time you dry your hands in a public toilet using an electric hand dryer, you may be spreading bacteria without knowing it. You may also be splattered with bugs from other people’s hands. “These findings are important for understanding the ways in which bacteria spread, with the potential to transmit illness and disease.” Dyson have hit back at claims paper towels are more hygienic than its hand driers in a video titled “Paper’s Dirty Secret”, released in February. The video says: "Independent research shows that before they even reach the washroom, paper towels can contain large communities of culturable bacteria. "Once in the washroom, bacteria in the air and contamination from previous users can be picked up by paper towels.” Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2016/02/is-coconut-water-good-for-you/">Is coconut water really good for you?</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2016/03/low-carb-diet-for-irritable-bowel/">The low carb diet for irritable bowel</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2015/11/healthy-foods-that-make-you-hungrier/">5 healthy foods that can make you hungrier</a>

Body

How to make cruise ship towel animals

Cruise ship workers will often surprise young cruisers with towel animals. But have you ever wondered how they do it? Discover their trick in the video above. Video credit: YouTube / John Keen Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2016/02/diary-of-a-cruise-rookie/">Diary of a cruise rookie</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2016/02/gastro-outbreak-on-sydney-cruise-ship/">158 passengers struck with gastro on cruise ship docked in Sydney</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2016/02/romantic-destinations-for-your-next-cruise/">10 romantic destinations for your next cruise</a>

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How often you really should wash your sheets, towels and curtains

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Jet-air hand dryer spreads 1,300 times more germs than paper towels

How to make cruise ship towel animals