Member POLL - Towels

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We have different towels for each of the bathrooms. In my bathroom, I have white and they get the "Whitest Whites" cycle in the Calypso with bleach and no fabric softner and the extended spin option. The other bathrooms towels are colored and they get the "Normal" cycle on Warm/Cold with the extra rinse and extended spin options.
 
Twice a week, or more as needed. This applies also to pillow cases.

Apparently the olive oil I consume is pushed out of my pores! *LOL*

My towels went sour when I was a "cold only" abuser. Now that I use warm water, never a problem.

I use only cheapy watery softener to kill suds in my front- loader, and only in the first rinse to be rid of the chemicals by the time the cycle/programme has been completed.

To me, the waxy softeners cause too many stink, mold and absorbency issues and cause more problems than they attempt to solve.
 
Fresh Towel

I get a fresh towel every shower. I'm told I live my life as if I was staying at a fine resort. Pampered to the fullest :)
 
alr2903......Walmart carries a kitchen towel and dish cloth made my the Clorox Company, and it is made to be bleached. They come in a white with tan or blue stripes. These are really nice towels, hold up to bleaching and do not fade. Give them a try.
 
I use towels for two days, and Karen uses a clean towel each time she bathes.

Face cloths are washed after one use, hand towels not used for bathing are usually used for 4-5 days.

I wash our towels in hot water with a warm extra rinse. In the first rinse I sometimes put in a few drops of fabric softener, not to soften the towels but to give them a nice scent. Then they are dried in the dryer on Gentle, very dry setting. They seem to come out softer this way. If some of them are still damp, I restart the dryer on Permanent Press, Regular Dry. This does the final drying on those very heavy towels we have, but not all are like that.
 
I let them go for a week. I'm a careful "re-hanger"...Brian is less so but isn't picky. We've been on a white towel binge right now. Hot water, 15 minutes in the Shredmore with Foca. Double rinse, softener about 1/2 the time.

My favorite white towels are a set I got from K-Mart several years ago...Martha Stewart white with a rainbow border. Really look nice and have kept their looks/shape/color nicely.

I worked for a couple years 20 years ago in a upper-end department store...it's amazing how prices on linens have come down since then
 
Two uses

max for bath towels. Only once if I'm having a psoriasis flare. Dry on the shower rod before going into the hamper. I use only white towels, wash on hot with white sheets, 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the Downy ball - ixnay on the fabric softener, hate scents in laundry. Dish towels one use, but I usually air-dry dishes in the rack. Wash cloths one use. I only wash hand towels if I've had guests - I usually use the aforementioned bath towel hanging next to sink!
 
Bath towels get changed out twice a week. They're hung so they dry between showers to avoid mildew.

They get washed in the Maytag A606 once a week in warm with a half a dose of detergent and a ridiculously small amount of liquid fabric softner.

Ken D.
 
my 2 cents .....

I think that normally a towel after just one usage is not dirty, unless it has been used @ a gym or swimming pool or in particular circumstances, i.e. when the user is loosing some skin after a sunburn or has some wounds

It's more "green" to wash towels in hot and boiling water just when they really require it than keep on freshening up them in warm water after each usage

I change towels/bathgowns once a week in winter and twice in summer (usually 2 showers per day @ least). Kitchen towels can last even a week as dishes are done in the DW.

I wash white/kitchen towels on cottons @ 60°C/140°F with oxybleach if the load contains socks or briefs (elastics can't stand higher temps) otherwise @ 75°C or boilwash 95°C

Dark (even black) towels are washed @ 60°C on perma press with some desenfectant. This way they don't smell even after a week of usage.

@ Matt and all line-users : high spin speeds help a lot to reduce the "sandpaper" effect.
For the same reason I do not use powdered detergent to wash towelling (actually I use it for tablecloths/white sheets and rags/mops)
 
4-5 Day Usage

I tote everything to the laundromat every two weeks, so it's not uncommon to have 2-3 towels to wash. Since they're colored, they generally get tossed in with the jeans or sheets. I've read the comments that some on here have made concering the use of softener, so I stopped using it about 3 months ago...but there are times when I do want a bit of "freshness" to some loads, so I use it VERY sparingly.

I'm seriously considering using the facilities here at the complex after I get my free wash at the laundromat (pay for 12, get one free). It'll be the same amount money wise and I'll also save a bit on gas. Also, the water in the apt. laundry room is MUCH hotter than at the laundromat.
 
I change out our bath towels after 3 or 4 days. We shower in the morning, and once in a while twice if in the yard or messy from something else. :-)

Hand towels once a week, wash towels as needed, same as for the kitchen towels.

I no longer use fabric softner, and find that the towels feels better and don't have the "stink" on it as well.
 
Staph Infection....I wonder

When does Staph bacteria start living in towels and how long does it live there? I know you can get a Staph infection by sharing towels which means the bacteria can live in the towel. I'm wondering what is really growing in those wet towels hanging on the towel rack....

Jim
 
Off topic...........

Overcrowded homes, heat and lack of personal hygiene tend to aggravate staph infections.

The Spread Of Staph

Even the cleanest person can get a staph infection. Staph can rub off the skin of an infected person and onto the skin of another person when they have prolonged skin to skin contact. Staph from an infected person can also get onto a commonly shared item or surface and then get onto the skin of the person who touches it next. Examples of commonly shared items are towels, benches in saunas or hot tubs and athletic equipment - in other words, anything that could have touched the skin of a staph infected person can carry the bacteria to the skin of another person.

Preventing Staph Infections

Clean your hands and skin often. Avoid prolonged skin-to-skin contact with anyone you suspect could have a staph skin infection. Do not share personal items (e.g. razors, towels, etc.) with other persons and keep your towels and clothes clean. Clean items that you share with other people (e.g. towels, razors, athletic equipment) before you use them.
 
Clean towels every shower. Everyday after my shower I use the towel to wipe the dogs eyes, teeth and ears. Pretty dirty after that. Wife uses a clean towel every day. They all get washed in the Neptune on hot wash, 4 rinses, small amount of fabrice softener then it goes into the 4th rinse which removes a lot of the softner. All towels get hung outside. Kitchen towels every day get changed. Handtowels in the bathroom usually once a week. I guess I have a collection of bath towels, last count was over 140. About 80% white and the rest blue to match one of the bathrooms. So even with a month of rain still have plenty of towels to use. When the sun comes out I will do a load a day till caught up. I used Tide powder with bleach about 1/4 - 1/3 cup a dash of clorox and a dash of april fresh downy. I wash ten at a time cause that is what fits on the line and ten towels folded fit on the shelf in the closet.
Jon
 
me: granted that the towel isnt soiled i change and put a new one every thursday night. i shower 2-3 times a day, morning before work i shower, i dry my towel on a drawer i pull out slightly and it dries when i return from work i fold it and put it on the bed. then before bedtime i shower and the towel is dry.

I wash the all the color towels in cold water. one load of darks mixed with color washcloths and colored boxers. then a light colored load same cold water etc. then a white load mixed with socks and white washcloths using hot water overnight soak and extra rinse! everything is hang dried and i use fabric softener according to the directions on package

thats it. ohh and if its a new towel its washed before use!

they all smell lovely and are soft except for one that is always stiff even when i machine dried it that one bastard towel LOL
 
Every 2-3 days here....

All my towels are white or light beige so 60 deg with a oxy bleach containing powder it is :).

The bathmat/pedestal mat are light blue but dont run so go in with them.

No softener but will use 2 in one powder(LOVE Orange and Pomegranate Bold- Miele Ultrawhite is a regular at the mo as well).

Also always use the dryer- I dont like sandpaper towels and in my opinion its a must if you dont use softener :).

Seamus

Oh and kitchen towels/teatowels every couple of days !
 
For me, I change bath towels after each shower, so if I were to shower 3 times in a day, I would use 3 towels, wash cloths get changed after 1 use also. Hand towels get used for 2-3 days.
For the bathroom, I will only buy the JCPenney towel, and they are all in Antique Gold. I wash my bathroom towels in hot water with a warm rinse and I use 1.5 scoops of detergent, and 1 cup of Borax to help remove any odors.

For dish towels they get changed when they get damp, depending on how much I am doing in the kitchen, for days I am working they last 2-3 days because of very little use, but when I am off I do more in the kitchen and usually go through 2-3 a day. Tea towels get changed daily because there are things I use every day like my percolator, and my aluminum tumblers that must be hand washed, and I also tend to wipe everything down in the Kitchen with it even if I dont use the kitchen.
Kitchen towels all have variety of plaid and checkerboard prints, and some have different country prints on them. They get washed seperate from other towels with the pot holders and are washed in hot wash/warm rinse with 1 scoop of detergent, and 1 cup of borax and about 1/3 cup of Clorox.

I do not use fabric softner on towels, or anything else for that matter, dont like overly soft fabrics or the nasty smell of fabric softner
 
I use a bath towel three times generally. That is something we learned while living in Denver where water is a scarce commodity. My mother said "Why wash something as if it's dirty that has only absorbed clean water from a supposed clean body?"

Here in Charlotte, towels can get musty in the summer if used repeatedly and left to dry even on a towel rack. With my gym towel 5 or 6 days a week, I use that ONCE as I stand on it on the floor after drying myself first.

I don't use hand towels in the bathroom often, however I change the washcloth each time I change my towel, or even more often.
 
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