# what do you do with your towel after you shower? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510 "2004-08-05T20:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/41 "2004-08-09T21:10:36Z")
All those were good natured kidding comments. You know, hyperbole and all that. I was not seriously suggesting that anyone seek psychiatric help for any of those behaviors. They are obviously not hurting anyone including themselves so they can do whatever they want. I am plenty eccentric myself. On the other hand, maybe you missed [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=270475) this thread that I started that puts me under the spotlight for very real psychiatric care. I am researching psychiatric nurse practitioner graduate programs now because I want to work with and treat people with real mental illnesses. I have the utmost sympathy and respect for people that have to put up with discrimination and fight an uphill battle to keep their lives together. Does that put things into perspective? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/42 "2004-08-09T21:29:49Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Does that put things into perspective? Yup, it does. Thanks. I can see how the remark "Hey, that’s seriously weird behaviour that can get you committed " can become an in-joke when one has, actually, \*been \* committed. It is similar to the in-jokes in bureaucrat-speak I myself make because I’m working for the government. (For example: “Hey! I just had a brainwave! How about we start solving this problem _actively_ !!??”. ) It’s just that at the time of your post in **Awsnappity** ’s thread, I didn’t have that background info, and judging from the reactions of the others, they didn’t, either. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/43 "2004-08-09T21:32:10Z")
Keep it on my head as i exit the shower, just in case my apartment has been breached by Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts… what? someone had to say it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/44 "2004-08-10T02:33:30Z")
Heck…I guess I’m the only one here that figures when I’m done with a shower I’m clean! 😉 I’ll use the same towel for a week and not think anything of it. I live in this big 'ol house by myself so I don’t put to much thought into it. I just hang the towel over the curtain-rod so every bit of it is exposed…I’ve never used a semi-dry towel that I can remember. Maybe I’m just a slob? :eek: As long as I have a scratchy towel…I’m happy! I sure hate soft towels! -K ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/45 "2004-08-10T05:33:27Z")
Well, it doesn’t matter if I fold my towel and hang it neatly on the towel bar, because my husband will put his nasty wet washcloth right on top of it! I’ve asked him countless times why he thinks it’s okay to put his nasty wet washcloth on top of my nice dry towel. He claims that if he puts it on top of _his_ towel, then his towel won’t dry. :smack: :smack: :smack: I’ve suggested that he hang his nasty wet washcloth over the shower curtain rod. He agrees that that’s a very good idea, and claims that he will start doing that immediately, but the next day…there’s his nasty wet washcloth on top of my nice dry towel again. As some wise elder women have told me, you have to choose your battles. So, I’ve basically given up on trying to fold my towel and hang it over the towel bar to dry, which would be my preferred method. I usually bring it into the bedroom, where I hang it over the doorknob. Doorknobs aren’t very good towel hangers, so the result is that the towel ends up in a soggy ball behind the door, which means I’ll wash that one and take a new towel out of the closet for my next shower. I do more laundry than is necessary. The good news is that we are about to do a full bathroom renovation, during which we will install additional towel bars. But I have a nagging fear that he’ll still find an excuse to put his nasty wet washcloth on top of my nice dry towel. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/46 "2004-08-10T06:31:10Z")
The towel gets hung on the nifty towel hook and reused for about a week. It’s nice to see that everyone knows where their towels are. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/47 "2004-08-10T06:36:08Z")
Back over the curtain rod, 99% of the time. The other one percent I leave it on the floor and forget it until I come home. Then, back up it goes until time for the wash. ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/48 "2004-08-10T09:51:08Z")
This seemed like a rather strange question for a thread and I’ve been surprised that many people don’t seem to have adequate towel rails for the people using the bathroom. I would have to go with the other people in this thread who have recommended heated towel rails. It’s such a pleasure to always have a warm, dry towel ready and waiting after a shower. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Cecil Adams > In 1975 Professor Gerba published a scientific article describing the little-known phenomenon of bacterial and viral aerosols due to toilet flushing. The more you learn about it, the scarier it sounds. According to Gerba, close-up photos of the germy ejecta look like “Baghdad at night during a U.S. air attack.” The article ominously depicts a “floor plan of experimental bathroom with location of gauze pads for viral fallout experiments.” A lot of virus fell on those gauze pads, Gerba found, and a lot of bacteria too. In fact, significant quantities of microbes floated around the bathroom for at least two hours after each flush. This is just one of the many advantages of having the toilet situated in a separate room. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/49 "2004-08-10T17:04:36Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Do you know that this is extremely strange behavior and could probably get you committed in some jurisdictions? Assuming you wash your “pits” with soap and water in the shower, what is the problem with using the same towel that you use on the rest of your body? Simple – deoderant must be placed on _bone dry_ pits. Otherwise, they feel all slimey and I’m very aware of it all day long \. The towel I used after the shower is now damp, so I need something completely dry for this bit of usage. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/50 "2004-08-11T00:18:50Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I’m kind of surprised everyone re-uses their towels before washing. I wash a towel after it’s been used. Do you want to be rubbing your face with the same cloth area you were drying your crotch and rear end with? Seems kind of funky. I never dry my face with a towel. That’s probably because I don’t wash my face in the shower. I shower in the morning, and then wash my face at bed time, with cleanser (not soap). I don’t really dry it then, either. I let it air-dry for a couple of minutes (while I’m brushing my hair), and then put moisturizer on. You should put moisturizer on damp skin for best results. As to the OP, we have a couple of good, sturdy hooks on the back of our bathroom door. That’s where we hang our towels. We have one towel on each hook at any given time, and I switch them out once a week when I clean the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/51 "2004-08-11T07:59:14Z")
Folding wet towels and hanging them up? Eeeewww, Mold, and mildew city! My dirty-ass roommate showers and folds his towel up which he then hangs on the towel rack. He makes sure it’s folded up good, maybe 6 inches wide when folded. Always soaking wet. His towels smell like death warmed over after a week or so, and I tell him so. I’ve always been of the school of aeration, nastiness doesn’t like a well ventilated place. I always put my wet towel on the curtain rod with the towel spread completely out. Maximum surface area means quicker drying time and less infestation. I rotate towels, and if one smells less than fresh, I replace it. Washing a towel after every use, makes as much sense as washing my shoes after every use. If repeated body contact makes things dirty, re-upholster your car every month. Let the towel DRY for pete’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/52 "2004-08-12T07:23:13Z")
After a shower what I do with a towel is use it to dry off with. ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/53 "2004-08-12T21:28:11Z")
I’m with Astro. I’m surprised at how many people reuse towels. Not that I think they are weird or anything…to each his own. It just would NEVER have occured to me to do anything with my used towel other than place it into the dirty towel hamper. Apparently my wife was raised the same way, because she does likewise and never has given me grief for excess laundry requirements. Maybe it’s because growing up in the South in the 1960’s, we didn’t have air conditioned homes. With the heat and humidity of summer, if we attempted to reuse towels, I’m guessing they would have been pretty funky the next morning. It is interesting to know how others do things, but I think I’ll stick with freshly laundered towels. 🙂 Jammer ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510/54 "2004-08-13T01:18:41Z")
After I shower, my towels are not very wet, because I put on a terrycloth bathrobe right after I get out of the shower, which absorbs much of the water. I lay my damp towel out to dry over these two little rolling carts I have, or I hang it over the shower rod sometimes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-your-towel-after-you-shower/258510.md?page=2)