A TikTok has gone viral recently after some of the UK’s favourite celebrities shared just how often they wash their towels – Love Island stars Tom Clare and Molly Smith, revealed that they change their towels after every shower whilst others leave them weeks before washing!
Accumulating over 681.6k views, TikTok users were divided about how often you should be washing your towels. One user was left HORRIFIED after discovering that people don’t wash their towels after every use, commenting “after every shower surely….”.
However, many users agree with the celebrities, revealing that “once every 3 weeks is fine”…
With searches for ‘should you wash your towels after every use’ spiking by 100% over the past year, cleaning experts at Shark Clean have revealed just how often you ACTUALLY need to be washing your towels as well as sharing expert advice on how you should be washing your towels for ultimate freshness.
Expert reveals towels should be washed EVERY WEEK at 60°C
“As a general rule of thumb, according to experts, you should be washing your towels every week*. However, the frequency at which you should be changing your towels is influenced by multitudes of factors such as; how often you shower, how much exercise you are doing, to even how you store your towels.
When it comes to washing your towels, no matter the fabric composition of your towels, the first thing you should do is check their care labels for recommended washing instructions and follow the temperature guidance given.
Bedding and towels should be washed at a warm temperature with a good laundry detergent to help kill bacteria – 60°C is ideal – although some detergents now are designed to deliver effective cleaning at lower temperatures.
AVOID using fabric softener every time you wash towels
It might seem counterintuitive, but fabric conditioner works by coating the surface of fibres, so some experts say using it regularly on towels could actually hinder their absorbency.
If you don’t want to skip the softener, just use it as an occasional treat rather than in every wash.
Don’t dry your towels on RADIATORS
After washing your towels, give them a good shake before hanging them out to dry. Giving towels a good shake before hanging them up to dry can open up the fibres and loosen the ‘loop’ structure of the fabric for a plusher feel.
Drying towels on radiators can result in a scratchy texture – so where possible, dry them outside on the line or tumble dry to keep them soft and fluffy.