That fluffy towel hanging in your bathroom might seem harmless enough, but it could actually be harboring some pretty nasty germs. We all use towels multiple times each day without giving them much thought, but experts are now warning that certain types of towels can become breeding grounds for bacteria and other pathogens that might make you sick. The problem gets even worse during winter months when moisture lingers longer and we’re all spending more time indoors. Before you panic and toss out every towel in your house, let’s talk about what makes some towels riskier than others and how you can protect yourself.
Cloth hand towels are basically germ hotels
Shared cloth hand towels in your bathroom are some of the worst offenders when it comes to spreading germs around your home. Every time someone in your household washes their hands and then dries them on that same towel, they’re either picking up bacteria left behind by the previous person or depositing their own germs for the next user. Hygiene experts specifically recommend avoiding shared cloth hand towels, especially during winter when everyone seems to be fighting off some kind of cold or flu. These towels stay warm and moist for hours, creating the perfect environment for microorganisms to multiply.
The situation becomes even more concerning when you realize that cloth towels can develop something called biofilms. These are basically sticky colonies of bacteria that cling to the fabric fibers and become incredibly resistant to regular cleaning. The spaces between the threads give germs plenty of hiding spots where they can divide and grow. During winter, when things dry more slowly and everyone is congregating indoors, that innocent-looking hand towel becomes an efficient bridge for transferring germs from person to person. Think about it—how many times have you grabbed that towel without even considering what might be living on it?
Kitchen towels spread more than just water
Your kitchen dish towels might actually be even germier than the ones in your bathroom. Most people use the same kitchen towel for everything—drying dishes, wiping counters, cleaning up spills, and drying their hands after washing vegetables or handling food. This constant multi-purpose use means these towels get exposed to all kinds of bacteria throughout the day. Thousands of bacteria live on dish towels, sometimes including salmonella, staph, and E. coli. When you use a damp dish towel to dry your hands and then use that same towel to dry your supposedly clean dishes, you’re basically transferring all those germs right back onto your plates and glasses.
The risk gets even higher when kitchen towels stay damp for extended periods. These wet conditions allow harmful bacteria to thrive and multiply rapidly, which can lead to upset stomachs and other foodborne illnesses. Tea towels are actually one of the biggest reasons for cross-contamination in homes because bacteria cling to them and then get carried around your kitchen. You might wipe down your cutting board with the towel, then dry your hands, then wipe the counter—each time potentially spreading germs to new surfaces. It’s a vicious cycle that most of us don’t even realize we’re participating in every single day.
Bath towels harbor surprisingly nasty stuff
Your bath towel might feel clean and fresh when you use it to dry off after a shower, but it’s actually collecting a whole community of microorganisms from your body. Research suggests that a unique microbial community forms on towels that differs from what’s found on your clothing. Your skin naturally harbors lots of different organisms, and when you rub a towel all over your body, you’re transferring those microbes onto the fabric where they can multiply in the warm, damp environment. The most common germs include Staphylococcus aureus (possibly including MRSA), E. coli, Pseudomonas, Candida (yeast), and mold spores.
What makes bath towels particularly risky is that people often reuse them multiple times before washing. Each time you dry off, you’re adding more moisture and more bacteria to the towel. If you’re not hanging it up properly to dry completely between uses, those germs just keep multiplying. Using a towel to dry your backside might result in tiny fecal particles getting on the towel, which you then spread to other parts of your body the next time you use it. This can expose you to infections like pink eye, MRSA, norovirus, and E. coli, which cause problems ranging from warts and ringworm to athlete’s foot and other conditions.
Winter makes the towel problem worse
Cold weather creates the perfect storm for towel-related illness. During winter, we spend more time indoors in warm, crowded spaces where viruses and bacteria spread more easily. Indoor air and close quarters help these pathogens spread because they have nowhere else to go. At the same time, towels stay wet longer in winter because of lower humidity levels and less air circulation in heated homes. This extended dampness gives germs even more time to multiply and establish those stubborn biofilm colonies. When literally everyone in your household seems to be fighting off some kind of bug, that shared towel becomes like a germ distribution center.
The combination of slower drying times and increased illness during winter months means your towels are exposed to more pathogens while also providing better conditions for those germs to survive and spread. If someone in your house is sick and uses the bathroom hand towel, everyone else who uses that towel afterward is potentially exposing themselves to whatever that person has. Contaminated fabrics can even harbor and transfer antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA between people and other surfaces. This is particularly concerning in homes where people are already dealing with weakened immune systems from fighting off winter colds and flu.
These germs can actually make you sick
So what exactly can these towel-dwelling bacteria do to you? The germs living on your towels can potentially enter your body if you have any small cuts or breaks in your skin that you might not even be aware of. This can lead to gastrointestinal illness, skin infections, or rashes. You might also develop fungal infections or acne, or find that existing conditions like eczema get worse. When you use a contaminated towel on your face, you’re giving bacteria direct access to the sensitive skin around your eyes, nose, and mouth—all prime entry points for infections.
The risk isn’t just theoretical—people really do get sick from their towels. Using towels contaminated with fecal matter can expose you to serious infections. Pink eye can spread through shared towels, as can MRSA, which is a particularly nasty antibiotic-resistant staph infection. Norovirus, that stomach bug that makes you miserable for days, can also hitch a ride on towels. Even athlete’s foot and ringworm spread easily through shared towels. If you’re already feeling run down or have a compromised immune system, the risk of getting sick from contaminated towels increases even more. Your body might not be able to fight off bacteria that it would normally handle without any problem.
Disposable towels are safer in some situations
In places where lots of different hands are coming and going—like your guest bathroom or kitchen—it’s actually better to switch to disposable paper towels. While cloth towels can be fine when used properly, disposable towels eliminate the risk of germs accumulating and spreading between users. You use them once and toss them, so there’s no opportunity for bacteria to multiply or transfer to the next person. Just make sure you place trash bins nearby so people don’t leave used paper towels lying around, which would kind of defeat the whole purpose. You might think those warm-air hand dryers would be a good alternative, but they actually create aerosols that can contain germs and spread them around.
Paper towels work especially well during cold and flu season when you’re trying to prevent illness from spreading through your household. If someone in your home is sick, switching to disposable towels in shared spaces can help protect everyone else. You can also use them in your kitchen to dry your hands while cooking, which helps prevent cross-contamination when you’re handling raw meat or other potentially dangerous ingredients. The convenience factor is nice too—you don’t have to worry about washing towels as frequently or making sure they’re completely dry before someone uses them again. For high-traffic areas during winter months, disposable really is the way to go.
You need to wash towels way more often
Most people don’t wash their towels nearly often enough. Experts recommend washing bath towels every three days and hand towels every one to two days, especially if multiple people are using them. Kitchen towels should be washed even more frequently—ideally every day if you’re using them heavily. If that seems like a lot of laundry, well, it is. But the alternative is basically wiping yourself down with a bacteria-covered rag, which is pretty gross when you think about it. The longer you use towels between washes, the more likely they become a genuine concern.
Washing frequently is especially important during winter when germs linger longer and illnesses spread more easily. If someone in your house is sick, you should wash towels even more often and avoid sharing towels altogether. Some people find it helpful to have enough towels on hand so they can rotate them out every couple of days without having to do laundry constantly. Color-coding towels can also help—use one color for hand drying and a different color for dish drying so you don’t accidentally mix them up. Keeping separate towels for different purposes reduces the risk of transferring bacteria from one area to another.
Hot water and proper drying actually matter
When you do wash your towels, you can’t just toss them in with your regular laundry and call it good. You need to use hot water—at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit—to actually kill the bacteria living in the fabric. If your washing machine has a specific towels setting, use it, as it will likely reach the right temperature. Regular warm or cold water just won’t cut it when you’re trying to eliminate germs. You should also wash your towels with a disinfecting detergent. If your towels have developed a foul odor, that’s a sign of bacterial growth, and you might need to add bleach to really get them clean. Vinegar can also help sanitize towels if you prefer a less harsh option.
Drying your towels completely is just as important as washing them properly. Use a high-heat setting on your dryer, or if your machine has a towel setting, use that. The goal is to make sure every bit of moisture is gone before you hang the towel back up or fold it away. Remember, dampness is what allows germs to thrive, so a partially dried towel is still a problem. Don’t take towels out of the dryer while they’re still even slightly damp just because you’re in a hurry. That little bit of moisture left behind gives bacteria the opportunity to start multiplying again immediately. Taking the time to dry them thoroughly makes all the difference in keeping them truly clean.
Hanging towels properly prevents bacterial growth
Between washes, how you store and hang your towels can make a big difference in how quickly bacteria multiply on them. Never leave damp towels balled up on the floor, thrown over the shower rod, or crumpled on the bathroom counter. These habits trap moisture inside the fabric and create perfect conditions for germs to grow. Instead, hang towels spread out on a proper towel bar or hook where air can circulate around them. Completely dry towels are much less likely to harbor dangerous levels of bacteria. If your bathroom doesn’t have good ventilation, consider opening a window or running a fan after showers to help towels dry faster.
The drying process is crucial because moisture is what bacteria need to survive and multiply. A towel that dries quickly after use gives germs less time to establish themselves in the fabric. If you notice your towels staying damp for hours, that’s a sign you need to improve air circulation in that space or wash those towels more frequently. Some people even use multiple towels throughout the week, hanging each one to dry completely between uses rather than using the same damp towel repeatedly. While you can reuse towels a couple of times if they’re completely dry, the longer you use them, the higher the risk becomes.
Now that you know how germy your towels can get, you’re probably looking at them a bit differently. The good news is that you don’t have to throw out all your cloth towels or switch entirely to paper. Just wash them more often, make sure they dry completely between uses, and consider using disposable options in high-traffic areas or during cold and flu season. These simple changes can significantly reduce your risk of getting sick from something as basic as drying your hands. Pay attention to how your towels smell and feel—if they’re musty or stay damp, it’s time for a wash.
