A Fresh Space Starts Here
Call Your Maid Brigade Office
how often to wash towels

29 Mar 2025 How Often Should You Wash Your Towels? Experts Weigh In

Posted at 17:36h in In the Media by

The answer might surprise you.
By Amanda Lauren

See the full article on Real Simple

Toilet bowls, counters, and sinks are easy to remember when it comes to cleaning your bathroom, but there are some spots that might not always be on your radar. Whether they’re hard to reach, or maybe just too gross to think about, these areas tend to get left off bathroom cleaning checklists.

We asked three professional cleaners which areas of the bathroom people miss most when they clean and what cleaning products they recommend for each spot. Whether it’s your toothbrush holder or your toilet base, these overlooked areas can harbor dust, mold, bacteria, and other buildup without you even realizing. Thankfully, none of these take too much work to clean—especially if you tackle them on a regular basis.

Key Takeaways:

  • If you’re using a towel to dry off after showering, consider washing it every three to four uses.
  • If your towel seems musty and stiff, it’s time to wash it.
  • When someone in the house is sick, focus on washing shared towels frequently.

Laundry is an unavoidable chore, and washing towels can feel like a never-ending hassle. They shouldn’t be mixed with other laundry, yet always end up taking longer to dry than lightweight items like T-shirts and activewear. But how often should you really wash them? We asked a cleaning expert and a physician to find out.

Meet The Expert:

  • Robin Murphy, cleaning expert, author of Who Likes It Dirty, and president of Maid Brigade
  • Dr. Hayley Goldbach, MD, board-certified dermatologist and nontoxic lifestyle expert

How Often Should You Wash Your Towels?

According to cleaning expert Robin Murphy, bath towels get a lot of use, and it’s easy to forget how quickly they can go from fresh and fluffy to musty and questionable. “If you’re using a towel to dry off after a shower each day, you should wash it every three to four uses,” she explains. However, this rule applies to those who hang their towels to dry and not those left on the floor or thrown in a bathroom corner (hey, it happens sometimes). “A towel that stays damp becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, and even if you can’t see it, you’ll smell it!”

Tags: