Expert discusses how often you should wash towels as Brits admit to only washing them four times a year

An expert has weighed in on a topic that continues to baffle Brits to this day - how often should you wash your towels?

Shocking new research from bath experts at Showers to You has revealed that over a million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year. That suggests there are so many towels festering in bathrooms across the country as we speak.

Nothing compares to the feeling of wrapping up in a big, fluffy and clean tower after a nice shower or hot bath, but it seems many people aren’t getting to experience this as often as they should because no one knows when to put their towels in the washing machine.

Guidance suggests that towels should be washed after three uses, however, 3 percent of UK residents surveyed by Showers to You wash their bathroom towels only once a year - almost two million people.

The research also revealed that ‘almost one in 10 UK residents (8 percent) surveyed only washed their bathroom towels twice a year, equating to over 4 million people’.

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On top of that, the research showed that men ‘were five times more likely to clean their bathroom towels just once a year, with five percent of male respondents admitting to giving them an annual wash, compared to 1 percent of women.”

A third of UK residents surveyed ‘wash their bathroom towels just once every three months’, equating to over 17 million people.

According to the research, the cities in the UK that are the least hygienic when it comes to towels are Leicester and Glasgow.

Residents there are ‘most likely to go the longest without washing their bathroom towels, with over four in 10 (41 percent) from both cities admitting to only washing their towels every three months at the most’.

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Just in case the data hasn’t swayed your opinion already, it’s very important to wash your towels regularly, in fact, try to make it part of your shower and bath ritual.

Although it’s easy to assume that your towel is essentially clean because you only use it after you just got out the bath or shower, towels absorb a lot of water and remain damp for hours after use, making them a breeding ground for unwanted germs, healthline.com reports.

This is why towels should be washed after every three uses!

Dirty towels can spread viruses, fungi, and bacteria which can lead to irritated skin and possibly spreading infections.

So, get those dirty towels in the wash regularly!

Topics: Life, Real Life, Health

Gregory Robinson

Gregory is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the '90s and prefers tea over coffee.