How Often Should I Wash My Towels? Regularly, Says Science

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If you’re anything like us, you take your evening skincare routine super seriously. After all, it’s the only way you can guarantee that your pores are spending the night clean and happy and that your body can work its regenerative magic to leave you with glowing skin in the morning. But if you’re not washing your washcloth often enough, this entire skincare ritual becomes pretty much worthless.

It doesn’t take long for your trusty face towel to get overwhelmed with bacteria, mold and even fungus of its own. Why, you ask? Well, first of all, you’re transferring the grime from your face to the fabric at least once a day. Then the towel spends all of its downtime in the darkest room in your home with the highest level of humidity. Both of those conditions basically create a breeding ground for festering bacteria, mold, fungus and more.

Grossed out yet? Us, too. But there’s more.

All of those factors come into play after you wash your face once — just once — with a washcloth. So think about how many washes you go through before you decide to chuck that towel in the dirty laundry hamper. Our guess is far too many.

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So to avoid putting more bacteria on your skin rather than removing it for good, there are several incredibly simple steps you can take in adjusting your skincare routine.

First, after using your washcloth (or any towel in your bathroom, for that matter), toss it directly into the dryer. It won’t take long to dry a towel or two, and it’ll mean that you get to hang up a dry towel in your bathroom rather than a sopping wet one, avoiding lots of opportunity for mold growth.

Second, no matter how dingy your washcloth looks, wash it after two uses. That might sound excessive, but it’ll save your skin from a world of irritation. We recommend buying a bundled pack of soft washcloths at a place like Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond and stowing all of the extras away in your closet until you’re ready to use them. A pack of six can cost you less than $3, keep your skin feeling clean and allow you to avoid your least favorite chore (laundry) for at least two weeks. And if that isn’t enough of a time window for you (laundry really sucks), snag two packs for a total of $6. In our opinion, the more washcloths, the better.

Your skin deserves more than a (secretly) grimy washcloth. So trade in that latte today for some new bathroom linens — you won’t regret it.

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