To Wash Your Towels More Often Than You Think

We took a deep dive into the particulars of towel cleaning: how often should you wash the various kinds of towels used on a daily basis? It turns out you should wash all your towels more often than you probably think. For bath towels, the experts we spoke with recommend washing after about three uses to remove millions (yes, tens of millions) of dead skin cells and avoid that musty scent.


That musty smell of your bath towel isn't your imagination -- because bath towels are extra-thick, they lock in moisture and harbor odors more quickly. Mary Marlowe Leverette, laundry expert, says that When you wash them, use vinegar in place of fabric softener becase Fabric softener residue traps odors and the vinegar strips it away. As a general rule, skipping the softener also keeps most towels absorbent.

Leverette recommends running your bath towels through the washing machine as normal, but with no soap and just one cup of vinegar. Then, wash again with regular detergent. Mary Gagliardi -- aka Clorox's Dr. Laundry expert -- says to give them a "second rinse," if your washer has that option. Dry immediately to prevent mustiness.

You may be accustomed to using your bath towels for weeks between washes (not that we, ahem, do that), but the experts we spoke with advise washing them after about every three uses. Leverette says if you're sick, it's important to disinfect towels with chlorine bleach (if they're white) or disinfectants like Lysol that contain phenolics (if the towels aren't white).

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