# Lamest poll ever! Towel usage. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393 "2004-03-20T14:42:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/21 "2004-03-20T21:07:05Z")
> [@trudi fermelli](#): > > Thanks for the info QtM šŸ˜ƒ My question remains then, how much do we really need to be concerning ourselves over the amount of bacteria we transfer to a towel used after showering if that stuff is on us all the time anyhow? Thereā€™s not a big concern, unless one is immunocompromised or has significant skin disease. Actual health risks are otherwise pretty minimal. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/22 "2004-03-20T21:11:11Z")
My towel? Every couple weeks, I guess. I donā€™t use a washcloth, and I borrow my wifeā€™s scrubby for my face. With a new baby in the house, I Purel my hands a LOT. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/23 "2004-03-20T21:16:29Z")
Despite being raised by **Qadgop** , I reuse towels a LOT. I only have three of them, and my hair is long enough and absorbent enough to soak a towel on its own. And laundry costs _money_! I wash mine whenever Iā€™m already doing laundry and curse the extra loadā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/24 "2004-03-20T21:21:47Z")
We all have our own towels which are washed every couple of days. Hand towels changed daily. I donā€™t use anything other than my hands and shower milk to wash myself so no sponges or face washers. Any guest would definitely get their own clean towel, hand towel, face washer and soap. As a guest if I was not given a clean towel, (it has never happened) I would ask for one. ---
**Author:** ![butterflygoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@butterflygoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterflygoddess)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/25 "2004-03-20T21:27:04Z")
I would NEVER use someone elseā€™s wash cloth! But I donā€™t have a washer/drier so I use my towels for two weeks or longer before I throw them in the growing pile of laundry on my floor. Donā€™t even ask about my sheets! Otherwise I never wash my poof but wash the soap out of it in the shower after every use. Bacteria is good for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/26 "2004-03-20T21:35:51Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > I run the whole bar of soap up and down my asscrack. I dilute some shampoo in a bottle, squirt it back there, do a little dance to rub the cheeks together, then bend over and rinse. All done! I worship the folks at Suave. I use their shampoo for my face and body too. Itā€™s cheap and very versitile. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/27 "2004-03-20T23:59:29Z")
I have my own en suite and therefore Iā€™m the only one who uses my towels and facecloths/sponges, I wash them once a week or so. Iā€™ve taken to soaking my facecloths in a bowl of water with disinfectant overnight recently for no particular reason ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/28 "2004-03-21T00:25:17Z")
I wash our towels about every week and a half, and change them every four days, about. If we had our own washer and dryer Iā€™d do them more often. Laundry is $3.50 a load, so I canā€™t afford to do it every day. ā˜¹ I donā€™t use scrubby things, just lots of soap. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/29 "2004-03-21T01:52:20Z")
Towels get replaced once a week or when they start to smell, whichever comes first. We each have our own, plus drop another one on the floor to soak up any excess sprayage. Neither of us use a washcloth or a scrubby. I set out a fresh towel and washcloth for each guest, plus have a supply in the closet for them if they need more. Iā€™d never dream of asking them to share. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/30 "2004-03-21T02:01:03Z")
I wash my towels once a week. If theyā€™re the white towels, they get bleached. The scrubby-poofy thing gets bleached weekly also. I used to wash my towels after two or three uses, but my parents yelled at me for using so much water. Iā€™ve just smelled the towels that have dried me all week, along with my son and his mother this morning, and they smell fine. Iā€™ve smelled smelly towels and these arenā€™t. Theyā€™ll get washed tomorrow, but seeing as I havenā€™t had a staph infection in years, Iā€™m in no hurry. And I thought I was a germophobe. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/31 "2004-03-21T02:52:27Z")
Clean wash cloth every time, but thatā€™s because I have dozens. Towels (every one has their own, and if I find mine damp I leave it on the offenderā€™s bed) get washed when the bathroom gets cleaned, when there is room in the wash, or when I can not remember that last time I washed towels. I have never noticed a towel smelling nasty. I dry my face with my hair towel, wrap my hair, and the use the body towel. ---
**Author:** ![angelicate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@angelicate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/angelicate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/32 "2004-03-21T05:13:14Z")
I have a washcloth for my face, a towel for face & hair and a towel for my body. I use either my hands and soap, or a scrubby and shower gel in the bath. I wash towels about once a week, whenever I wash the rest of the clothes. My husband and I share towels, but I donā€™t expect our guests to share towels or washcloths with us. My daughter has her own towel, but thatā€™s because sheā€™s a baby and she has the cute hooded towel. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/33 "2004-03-21T07:05:07Z")
Related question! I always wash my towels in hot water. IMO, a towel that cannot stand up to hot washing is no good. Itā€™s unhygenic to wash them in tepid warm water. So, of course, our towels have gone from a pretty soft green to an icky yellowy color. Can anyone recommend a brand of towels that does not lose color when washed in hot? Not too expensive, pleaseā€¦ Oh, and I do a load of towels once a week, I have a nice little rotation system, plus the kidā€™s towels go in with their laundry. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/34 "2004-03-21T07:34:07Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Related question! I always wash my towels in hot water. IMO, a towel that cannot stand up to hot washing is no good. Itā€™s unhygenic to wash them in tepid warm water. So, of course, our towels have gone from a pretty soft green to an icky yellowy color. Can anyone recommend a brand of towels that does not lose color when washed in hot? Not too expensive, pleaseā€¦ What about plain white towels? They canā€™t fade and match everything! > [@](#): > > Seems to me the highly chlorinated city water clinging to my body is enough to have squelched the worrisome bacteria for the short time it might take to wipe the wetness off my skin. But hey, there really is no reality in perfect cleanlinessā€¦and touches of OCD come to mind with the use of a clean towel each and everytime. Seems to me the odor on the towel not washed comes more from mildew than bodily bacteria. Tap water is treated to make it safe for drinking, but AFAIK itā€™s not chlorinated to such an extent thatā€™s is in itself effective for killing bacteria on your skin. I use about 2 towels a week. Itā€™s normally very hot and dry here (over 100F todayā€“in mid-autumn!), so towels dry too quickly to allow mildew to accumulate. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/35 "2004-03-21T15:34:03Z")
Once a week towel-washer here. I only use it for my hair, though, as I just air dry everything else. I donā€™t know why, but I hate drying off. It seems a huge waste of time to me. I know thatā€™s weird, but as weirdnesses go, it isnā€™t that bad. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/36 "2004-03-21T15:54:03Z")
Towel load - once per week. One towel per shower. No washcloths - I use the scrubbies (one for face, different color for the rest of the body [washed separately]). I have a jar of extras in case anyone needs to catch a shower at the house; I love the dollar stores - 4 pack for a buck, and friends take the scrubbies, or I just chuck them. Ditto with small wrapped sample toothbrushes - great little pre-thoughts for when one of my friends crashing over has forgetten one. Side question - Does anyone use or even own hand towels? I used to buy full matching sets of towels (bath & hand & face), but I found I pretty much never used them, they took up lots of space, and for the most part, when I go to someone elseā€™s house, the guest towels are those really pretty embroidered ones that look like they are more for looks than actual use. (Donā€™t worry, I do wash my hands, but I dry them on toilet paper.) Call me weird, but embroidered towels are more for looks than use. I have one set of hand towels for guests. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/37 "2004-03-21T16:15:43Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Watch the ā€œnether regionsā€ stuff. Grandma Mercotan was born there. Arenā€™t we _all_ conceived and born in the nether regions? ---
**Author:** ![trudi\_fermelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@trudi\_fermelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trudi_fermelli)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/38 "2004-03-21T16:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=Jervoise] Tap water is treated to make it safe for drinking, but AFAIK itā€™s not chlorinated to such an extent thatā€™s is in itself effective for killing bacteria on your skin. QUOTE] When I fill the tub for a bath, the water is the same level of blue as a swimming pool. Overly high doses of chlorination in treated water is one of the reasons tap water isnt good to drink if I recall my information correctly. It makes me ill to drink it either way. This is the city of Chicago tho, and other places I have lived do not chlorinate at the same level. Either way, my suggestion that the chlorination of the water was doing some work on bacteria was half in jest of this high level and half out of curiosity as to whether it made a difference at all. [slight hijack] šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/39 "2004-03-21T17:21:31Z")
Life cycle of my towels: Climb out of dryer Hang on towel rack for a while (kind of boring) Dry off the primate Stretch out on the bed for the ape to sit on Hang on a hook in the bedroom for 24 hours Climb on top of the oil heater (suspenseful) Sit rolled up on a table beside the bathtub for a few minutes Dry the primate again Stretch out on the bedroom floor for the apeā€™s feet to rest on Jump into the laundry basket two days later Swim with my friends Tumble with my buddies Washcloths: I use two each shower: one for washing and one for rinsing. Guests, hmm, well, I just realized I donā€™t do anything for them. I just assume that theyā€™ll use a clean towel each day from the stack in the bathroom, and use however many washcloths they want to use, and that theyā€™ll toss them into the laundry when done. Guess it would be better manners if I specified, eh? Hey, those of you who ā€œsoap onlyā€ (no washcloth or scrubby): how do you get clean? I thought the scrubbing action actually did more cleaning than the chemical action of the soap. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393/40 "2004-03-21T21:19:18Z")
hm, disposable single use buff puffs on face, scrubby gloves on body, resoaped and washed out after shower every day and hung to dry, chlorinated soak once a week. I use a turbie towel on my face, then to wrap my hair and head in, and i have a terrycloth khaftan that I shinny into to absorb random surface water while i walk around getting my clean clothes out for the day. The turbie and khaftan get washed about every third day. i actually have a couple turbies and khaftansā€¦so it is sort of on on and one in the wash at any given time. I have a third turbie and khaftan at my boyfriends flat in germany. Husband uses the same towel for everything and it gets washed every third day. We also change the bed linens every third day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-poll-ever-towel-usage/235393.md?page=3)