Towel Time!

From a sign at the YMCA:
You can throw in the towel or use that towel to wipe the sweat off your face! 
While I really like this inspirational quote- it got me thinking about towels and how often they need to be washed.  At our house, my rule has always been hang it up to use the next day because I am not washing loads of towels each week.  I did some research to see if that was ok and, YES, it is! 

According to Doctor Oz ( he's the best!), the towel you use should be changed after every 3 uses.  Hang it up to dry between uses as bacteria likes to hide in wet places.  If your towel has an odor, change it. Towels should be washed in  hot water with oxidizing stain remover.

How often should you wash other common items?
Bacteria and mold can be found in many items that you use each day and can cause of variety of skin rashes and infections. These were a real eye opener:

Makeup brushes should be rinsed in hot water every day and washed in shampoo once a week.

Shower sponges or loofahs can collect a lot of dead skin that bacteria can grow on so they should be cleaned once per week.  Do this by soaking in 2 parts water to one part white vinegar and drying right away. Otherwise  you can put it in the washing machine and dry it right away before bacteria can grow again.  You should also dry it using your hair dryer after each use.  (Really? that seems like alot of work!) Loofahs should be replaced every 3-4 weeks, synthetic sponges need to be tossed every 6-8 weeks.  If you use a washcloth, use a clean one every day.  At least wash cloths take up less space in the washing machine!

Cell phones should be wiped down with antibacterial wipes EVERY DAY! 

I guess I have to get up earlier so I have time to dry my shower sponge, clean my makeup sponges and wipe down my cell phone!

Is your skin crawling yet?  Let's not even talk about door knobs and shopping carts!