Nothing beats the feeling of a fresh, clean towel
Posted on 20th November 2024 at 10:03
One of the positive things to come out of the madness of 2020, was that people became much more aware of the importance of good old fashioned day to day hygiene. Keeping their hands clean. Carrying – and using (!) – a handkerchief or tissue. And all the other things our Mothers – or older family members (!) – used to remind us about when we were younger. Repeatedly…
While this seems to be waning a little now, there’s one very simple thing many people seem to overlook. And, to be honest, always have done. What they then dry their hands on. In other words, the towels they’re using. After all, what use is it in washing our hands if we then dry them on a dirty towel – or the front of our jeans?!?
If you stop and think about it for a moment, towels are the perfect breeding ground for any infection. Not only do they trap moisture but dirt, skin cells and bacteria as well. Even better, they tend to be kept in a nice warm place, whether a kitchen, bathroom or kit bag, often remaining damp for long periods of time. All of which make ideal conditions for anything to call home. Oh, and the icing on the cake, is that towels are often shared so helping spread any infection on to a nice new home.
A huge number of infections have been linked to dirty and shared towels. Styes. Fungal infections such as Athlete’s Foot. Scabies, Warts, Veruccas, Lice and Chlamydia. MRSA. And that’s probably more than enough to make you squirm for one day!
So, there are no prizes for guessing where we’re going with this (!).
Top of the list comes not sharing bath towels, for each person to have their own towel. This way, if they do have any infection, then it’s less likely to be passed on to anyone else.
Equally important is to make sure that towels are spread out to dry after each use, rather than being left damp or in a heap on the floor (!).
Ensuring towels are washed regularly on a hot wash and, wherever possible, hung outside to dry so that UV rays from the sun can kill any bacteria on them. While everyone likes a soft towel, fabric conditioner reduces their absorbency, meaning they remain wetter for longer, as well as making it easier for any infection to spread.
Which brings us on to hand towels. Having a separate hand towel in the kitchen, rather than using the same one for hands and dishes. It’s amazing how many people use a tea towel for everything, even wiping spills on the kitchen floor…
And don’t forget the one in the downstairs loo either, it’s all too easy to leave it to fester…
Finally, depending on the size of the household and amount of use they get (!), making sure hand and tea towels are changed every day or two.
Oh and one other quick reminder before we finish for today.
What do you wash your hands with – before using your nice clean towel?!? Despite all the hype in recent years, soap and hot water is still the simplest and most effective way of washing your hands. For a reminder about why good old fashioned hygiene methods win every time click here.
As always, the choice is yours.
Picture by unknown author
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