Prepare to run–not walk–to the laundromat. As it turns out all the kitchen rags, bath towels, washcloths, face towels in your home might be teeming with dirt and bacteria. In a recent University of Arizona study, 89% of kitchen towels tested positive for coliform bacteria and 25% contained E. coli bacteria. Oftentimes, when we dry our glasses, utensils, and dishes, we're actually depositing filth right atop our freshly cleansed dinnerware. And that's just one category of germ-ridden towels!
Read more ¿Qué más?: 6 Things in your kitchen that are super dirty
According to The Clothing Doctor's 99 Secrets of Cleaning and Clothing Care author Steve Boorstein, the musty odor emanating from damp towels is, in fact, the smell of bacteria breeding. Lovely image, right? To keep bath towels clean, then, you should ideally wash them after just three uses. Since they're thicker and more prone to absorbing moisture, Clorox's "Dr. Laundry" expert, Mary Gagliardi, recommends washing them twice: first with no soap and once cup of vinegar, then with your regular washing detergent.
Face towels, meanwhile, should be washed after every single use. Otherwise, all the makeup, dirt and bacteria you worked so hard to remove with your ultra-expensive facial cleanser will simply be returned to your pores. If you've been grappling with breakouts, then, your face towel might be the culprit. Ideally, then, you want to wash face towels after every single use, placing them in a hot water cycle and relying on a fragrance-free detergent to prevent any possible skin irritation or allergies.
But by far the ickiest towel in your home is likely hanging on a kitchen rung or peg. According to Kelly Reynolds, a researcher at the University of Arizona's Zuckerman College of Public Health, kitchen towels should be dipped in diluted bleach–about two teaspoons per gallon of water–between uses. She also recommends laundering them on a weekly basis.
If you've been washing your towels once every two weeks, then, you've unwittingly turned your home into a haven for filth, germs, dirt and bacteria. Sure, living in a clean home may involve investing more money in detergent, bleach, and vinegar–not to mention spending more time hovering over the washing machine–but the thought of eliminating E.coli from your abode should more than motivate you!
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