At what temperature do you wash towels?

Living_proof

On the odd occasion a towel has slipped into a mixed wash I found the lint off the towel who adhere to a dark garment for ever after. I hang my towels outside to dry every morning after showering otherwise they smell musty. I know some people who wash all their towels daily but that is truly OTT.

missbiggles1

spadoosh wrote: »

It does seem a bit odd people are worried about the germs and bacteria they are wiping off from their own bodies or the bodies of their family members.

I get the impression theres a few who will whack out the anti bacterial gel during foreplay.... :cool::rotfl:

Particularly given that it's their clean bodies that are being wiped!

warby68

I think its mainly the bacteria etc from hanging around wet and warm, rather than the clean bodies they have dried, that people fret about.

Towels soon get smelly if you don't dry them well - something causes the pong

Margaret_

warby68 wrote: »

I think its mainly the bacteria etc from hanging around wet and warm than the clean bodies they have dried, that people fret about.

Towels soon get smelly if you don't dry them well - something causes the pong

Our flat was clearly designed by an architect who was having an off day - there is no window in the bathroom or in the kitchen. There is an extractor fan in the bathroom but it is very weak so towels get that damp, wet-dog sort of smell quite quickly.

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missbiggles1

warby68 wrote: »

I think its mainly the bacteria etc from hanging around wet and warm than the clean bodies they have dried, that people fret about.

Towels soon get smelly if you don't dry them well - something causes the pong

If you hang them up with the window open (summer) or on a heated towel rail/radiator (winter) they dry pretty quickly.

[Deleted User]

spadoosh wrote: »

It does seem a bit odd people are worried about the germs and bacteria they are wiping off from their own bodies or the bodies of their family members.

I get the impression theres a few who will whack out the anti bacterial gel during foreplay.... :cool::rotfl:

They probably use a separate towel to dry up their bum crack.

Living_proof

I think you can pass on fungal infections (like thrush or athletes foot) by incorrectly dealing with towels. Someone more knowledgeable will come by soon.

heatherw_01

I wash towels and bedding at 60, clothes at 30

sleepymans

The nhs guidance may well be right where there are sick and or vulnerable people. In my opinion that level is over the top in most domestic situations.

I never wash above 40 degrees. Clothes are washed at 30 degrees and household linens 40.
If anything is stained I spot treat with stain devils before laundering.I get excellent results.

lobbyludd

Skint_yet_Again wrote: »

Seriously, how many germs are there on towels when you are using them after you have just washed yourself ?

seriously? billions , along with dead skin cells, oils and moisture - it is the rubbing action that primarily removes bacteria during washing and drying, the soap emulsifies oils etc and removes dirt, but does not kill bacteria. This mixture quite soon makes towels smell grim and I don't want to wipe that smell back onto me. A 30 degree wash doesn't kill bacteria, including fecal bacteria from your bottom and our bedding and towels start to smell after washing on a 30 degree wash (we can't use biological washing powder due to allergies so that may be a difference)

The advert for the automatic hand wash dispenser instead of the "germy" hand wash pump always made me laugh - surely it didn't matter if the pump was "germy" as you were about to wash your hands !

yes - absolutely - that was a marketing con - your taps however are a problem because you turn them on with dirty hands and then reinfect your hands turning them off - a problem if you are handling raw chicken etc.

I'm no clean freak, but underwear, towels and bedding are washed at 90 - all of them are white and 100% cotton or linen so separating on this level is fine.