How often should you wash something if it touches the human body once? (A towel)?

Question

How often should you wash something if it touches the human body once? (A towel)?

Answer 1

My Mother has this NASTY habit of washing the towels after EVERY use! PLEASE do NOT do this, after a while the towel becomes so thin you can see through them. Also do not use fabric softener either sheets or liquid as they break down the fibers in the towel and this will make them then overtime. I sell towels where I work and this notice comes from the manufacturer.

Answer 2

Towels I use 3-4 times before washing.  Underwear...wash every time you use them!!!  Bras you can wear a couple times depending on how much you sweat.  Jeans/pants I usually try to wear 3-4 times before I wash and shirts I usually wash after I've worn them once or twice...depending on how long they were on.  Bed linens get washed once a week.

Answer 3

A towel I use after I shower - I'll wash once a week (since I'm just wiping off water from my clean body.

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Other things like my pajamas, underwear, shirts - I only wear once, then wash them.

Bras - I wash after wearing them 1-3x (depends on the weather)

I wash my sheets/pillow cases once a week.

Answer 4

I would wash your towels after you use them once.  Because when you are drying yourself from a shower or bath you are also exfoliating your skin.  So I believe in only using them once.  I don't like the idea of drying myself with a towel that has dead skin on it.

Answer 5

This reminded me of a lecture I got when I was young...My stepfather, irritated because I would always put my freshly used towels in the hamper, told me that either I was dirty after showering and needed to take a better shower, or I needed to learn to hang up my towel; If I was clean, then the towel should be clean...lol!  Him saying that made all the sense in the world to me, and I never made the mistake again!

So, to answer your question, I usually wash my towel once or twice a week.  If your towel dries quickly, hanging after use should be sufficient, but if you have a big fluffy towel, run it through the drier for 10 minutes or so, to make sure it doesn't mildew.

As for other clothes, I agree with the other posters.  Wash underwear and socks after each use, as well as any clothes that you get sweaty or dirty.  Other clothes can go around 3 wears before they start to look "worn", or smell funny!  ugh!

Bed sheets and pillow cases should be washed once a week, and wash your pillows at least every three months.

kel