Cleaning Hack Shows Just How Dirty Your Bath Towel Really Is

Ah, there's nothing better than wrapping yourself up in a freshly washed bath towel that's soft to touch and smells of fresh laundry.

At least... that's what we thought before one man revealed just how dirty even a so-called 'clean' towel really is.

Yep, Jared Guynes says he was shocked to see that his freshly cleaned towels were still covered in grime when his wife went to deep clean them.

And his Facebook post, which shows the bath they were soaked in full of dirty water, has left people rattled, to say the least.

Jared Guynes)

Jared's wife had learnt about 'towel stripping' from YouTube - which is basically where you deep clean your towels with Arm & Hammer baking soda, borax, Oxi Clean, and hot water in a bathtub, and let them soak out all their excess grime overnight.

"In this case she took our collection of clean towels, let me say that again, the towels were totally clean, washed and folded and in the linen closet, completely clean, completely normal," he wrote.

"The story that she told me is that over the years of use, microscopic amounts of soap and detergent get locked in to the fibres of the towels.

"Subsequently that stuff gets gummed up and can also trap microscopic amounts of dirt and grime and bacteria, even after going through the washing machine with detergent.

"So after seeing someone else do it she decided to do the experiment on our own towels here in the tub."

Jared Guynes)

Alongside a picture of some literally brown bathwater, after one evening of soaking the towels, Jared added: "I'm literally freaking out right now."

He warned: "The towels at your house, no matter how clean you think they are, are probably this nasty too".

In the interest of transparency, Jared told followers of the post that his towels were blue and brown, so some of the colouring could have been dye.

However, he added that when he tried the same trick with white towels, "the results were still a very concerning and disgusting looking grey....sort of like Cracker Barrel gravy or something."

It's safe to say that people on Facebook had a lot of thoughts and feelings.

Jared's post now has over 144,000 'shares' on the platform, with many wanting to impart his wife's wisdom on their loved ones.

Almost 50,000 people have commented, as well.

Jared Guynes)

"Oh boy. I am NOT going to do that. Ignorance is bliss," one person wrote.

While another added: "OMG I need to clean my towels now!"

Here's the what you need if you want to try towel stripping for yourself:

1 scoop oxiclean

+2 scoops borax

+2 scoops washing soda

+1 Bath Tub full of Scalding Hot Water

+12 Hour Soak

You might not like what you discover, though!

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

@joannafreedman