# How often do you change towels? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483 "2007-07-12T11:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/21 "2007-07-12T15:10:42Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Tonya] Sure the butt gets washed, but surgeons _scrub_ their hands and they still wear gloves, right? [/quote] Yes, to protect themselves from you as much as the other way around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/22 "2007-07-12T15:11:44Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Rarely, because if you think about it, if the towel only touches you when you are squeaky clean, it should never get dirty. [/QUOTE] Except for the couple hundred million dead skin cells that slough off into it while you vigorously dry yourself. Hey, there’s _something_ that makes the towel start to stand up by itself after four or five days… ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/23 "2007-07-12T15:22:47Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] But you wash your butt, don’t you? [/QUOTE] Yep, which is why I said “even if my body is clean”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/24 "2007-07-12T15:24:46Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Except for the couple hundred million dead skin cells that slough off into it while you vigorously dry yourself. Hey, there’s _something_ that makes the towel start to stand up by itself after four or five days… [/QUOTE] To be honest, I think you should set the limit at, say, fifty million dead skin cells and therfore change the towel halfway through drying yourself. No sense in taking pointless risks here. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/25 "2007-07-12T15:33:47Z")
Me, once a week. One for hair, one for body. Husband, every two or so days. Son, once a week. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/26 "2007-07-12T15:36:53Z")
FWIW, besides the towels, I also dry off in front of a nice, big fan. Helps the process, somewhat (and allows me to dry the butt region with less towel interaction). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/27 "2007-07-12T15:39:06Z")
I used to use a new one every shower, but now it’s once a week after I realized some years ago how wasteful that was. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/28 "2007-07-12T15:50:32Z")
Wow. I do it every two weeks – as a couple of people have observed, it’s a huge use of water and electricity to do laundry, and it’s not like they’re dirty. (And yes, I dry my butt, but that, like the rest of my body, just got washed.) ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/29 "2007-07-12T15:51:27Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] I definitely prefer a clean towel each time. Even after a single use, towels become breeding grounds for bacteria. All that moisture and dead skin cells, you know. It’s an especially fertile field for all those E. Coli species which reside in the general area of the groinal region. Rubbing that mix on my face and hair is sub-optimal, frankly. Do I use a new towel each time? No. But I prefer to. [/QUOTE] [Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=246173) Could there be a better cite? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/30 "2007-07-12T15:53:21Z")
Yeah. So let’s say you take seven showers a week. So you now have seven towels in the laundry. In the summer, I often take two showers a day. 14 towels? Or even 10, if I don’t take a second shower every day? And that’s just for _me_. And I am supposed to do all that laundry, on a limited budget? Whatever happened to water conservation anyway? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/31 "2007-07-12T16:02:34Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Yeah. So let’s say you take seven showers a week. So you now have seven towels in the laundry. In the summer, I often take two showers a day. 14 towels? Or even 10, if I don’t take a second shower every day? And that’s just for _me_. And I am supposed to do all that laundry, on a limited budget? Whatever happened to water conservation anyway? [/QUOTE] If you’re taking 14 showers in a week, the additional laundry water involved in washing those towels is probably a pittance by comparison. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/32 "2007-07-12T16:11:53Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Whatever happened to water conservation anyway? [/QUOTE] There’s always if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/33 "2007-07-12T16:18:20Z")
I change towels every other day. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/34 "2007-07-12T16:27:02Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] If you’re taking 14 showers in a week, the additional laundry water involved in washing those towels is probably a pittance by comparison. 😉 [/QUOTE] Probably. But I only do that in the summer, and really only for two months when the humidity is highest. I assume the people here are talking year-round dumping of their towels after one wash? As for seven showers, I certainly _won’t_ be cutting down on that! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/35 "2007-07-12T16:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lunar Saltlick] TI like clean fresh towels, but re-washing them often is a grotesque waste of water, energy and detergent. [/QUOTE] _Top loading washer, electric water heater_ Electricity: 2.33 kWh ($0.19) Water: 50 gallons ($0.10) Detergent: $0.22 Total: $0.51/load _Front loading washer, electric water heater_ Electricity: 0.65 kWh ($0.05) Water: 25 gallons ($0.05) Detergent: $0.22 Total: $0.32/load With a gas water heater, the totals are even less: $0.41/load and $0.30/load. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/36 "2007-07-12T16:30:56Z")
That’s if you have your own washer/dryer, Walloon. I live in an apartment and go to a laundromat. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/37 "2007-07-12T16:38:40Z")
Once a week. Do people actually use their towels to dry themselves down in their butt cracks?? I’ve always used TP for that. I have to think it’s much more suitable for the job. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/38 "2007-07-12T16:38:42Z")
Fresh towel every shower, but I don’t shower every day. Hand towels get changed every 2-3 days. I don’t like the feel of a used towel. They’re scratchy, and they don’t smell fresh. Maybe it’s our hard water. When I visited my mom in Seattle, I’d use the same towel two or three times, and it wasn’t scratchy and it smelled fine. I really want to get a front-loading washer, but I have to wait until this machine dies. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/39 "2007-07-12T16:42:26Z")
Um. Once every few weeks. Who wants to hug me? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483/40 "2007-07-12T16:43:50Z")
My washer died last month, so I’ve been going to the laundromat too. Each load is $3.50. I use normal sized towels (not the huge fluffy capable of wrapping around you multiple times things), and my seven towels, wash cloths and scrubber are one load with enough space for the SO’s three or four towels, when I’m washing them. I can afford to do this once a week, and help the earth in other ways. Eww **LOUNE**. Keep your E. Coli covered self away from me. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-towels/411483.md?page=3)