How Often Should You Wash Your Towels?

But try telling that to people like ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who created a stir a few years back by bragging online about how infrequently he washes his bath towel (after about 30 uses). I’m throwing a penalty flag on that notion. I like Orlovsky, but I would never take towel-washing advice from him.

He doubled down on this poor guidance during an episode of ESPN’s “NFL Live.” The clean-cut, well-dressed ESPN star is a football expert, but he proves fumbles don’t just happen on the gridiron.

As Consumer Reports’ laundry scribe and a die-hard Steelers fan (I know a Terrible Towel when I see one), my initial reaction to Orlovsky was shock—and eww!

Washing a towel that infrequently is disgusting, Dan, especially for someone who claims to shower twice a day. The grime you’re showering off is replaced by the bacteria living on the soiled towels you keep using, according to a trio of experts we asked. By the end of this article, you may feel yucky, too.

Opt for hot water. Today’s laundry detergents work effectively in cold, warm, and hot water. But there’s clean, and then there’s a deep clean. To address cleanliness, smells, stains, and bacteria, Gerba and Handel recommend washing towels (especially white towels) in hot water. Gerba also suggests using an antimicrobial laundry sanitizer to kill odor-causing bacteria and prevent cross-contamination. “It’s essential to use hot water,” Gerba says. “Even then, some bacteria can survive in hot water because towels are so thick, so an additional laundry sanitizer should be used.”

I took Gerba’s advice and noticed a distinct difference in the texture and smell of my towels after adding color-safe Clorox laundry sanitizer during the rinse cycle. They haven’t felt this soft or smelled this fresh for a long time.

Get out the stink. Like the temperature, pick your cycle accordingly. You can use the normal or regular cycle to clean your towels. But if they are soiled, stained, or stinky from workouts or from too much usage, select the heavy-soil setting and wash them in hot water. If your washer has a sanitizing cycle, go for it as long as you’re comfortable exposing your towel fabrics to the hottest water settings, which effectively kill germs but can damage the fabric. (The minimum disinfection temperature is generally 140° F.) Using a high-performing, odor-fighting laundry detergent helps, too.

If your washing machine has one, you could also try the steam cycle, which helps loosen dirt and remove stains and odors. You may be tempted to use scent beads to tame odors, but that’s an ineffective solution. “Scent beads would just cover the smell and stink with fragrance,” Handel says. “The best bet is to remove the odors with hot water, a good detergent, and possibly the sanitize cycle.”

Use an effective detergent. The laundry detergent you use is critical for removing towel stains and odors. A deep-penetrating detergent that performs optimally even in hard water can make all the difference in the world. Try a high-performing detergent like Tide Plus Ultra Oxi with Odor Eliminators, which is among the top five detergents in our ratings.

Avoid fabric softeners. Fabric softeners won’t freshen your towels; they will only lead to excess detergent residue, irritated skin, fiber damage, and even white, chalky hard water mineral buildup—rendering your towel unable to soak up water. “Fabric softeners and dryer sheets reduce the absorbency of towels,” Handel says. “They’re a waste of money.”

Dry towels promptly. Always dry towels right after washing them. Towels left in the washer can develop a musty, mildewy smell. Use the normal or heavy-duty dry cycle, depending on your preference or time restraints. Dryer temperatures vary by model but typically run between 120° F and 160° F. A large load of towels will take longer to dry. The higher the temperature, the quicker they dry—but that harsher heat can also damage delicate or designer towels, so adjust accordingly.

Some dryers offer steam cycles for unwrinkling, deodorizing, and refreshing towels. Towels can get staticky in dryers, but avoid the temptation of dryer sheets. They can leave a film over your dryer’s moisture sensor that can cause it to run long and overdry your laundry. Instead, toss in a couple of tennis balls or dryer wool balls to soften your towels. Finally, towels can create more lint than other laundry loads, so remember to empty your lint filter.

Speaking of unfiltered, Orlovsky’s bold towel take is a bit reckless—like scrambling in your own end zone and accidentally stepping out of bounds, gifting your opponent a safety (as he once did, infamously). Time to throw in the towel.