The subject is towels...

[jewelerman]

Do you use a fresh towel every day or do you use the same towel after several showers before getting a fresh one?How about the towel in the kitchen when cooking and cleaning up in the kitchen...once a day change or several days before getting a fresh one? or do you use paper towels in the kitchen?Is it a luxury or just good hygiene to use fresh towels every day? I KNOW,ODD QUESTION...but im actually have a bet with someone on this question so i hope people answer it!

 

[swingirl]

Bathroom towels stay around until I remember to change them. (once a week?) Kitchen towels---I go through them often, sometimes several a day if I am cooking. I always take a clean one to whip dishes. I don't like to use paper towels. Too wasteful so a roll seems to last us forever.

Hope you win the bet.

 

[stephbolt]

Bath towels - two to three uses. Kitchen towels usually get changed once a week, more often if I'm doing something messy in the kitchen. We don't use them to dry dishes, only to wipe off our hands after washing.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

Bathroom towels are usually a week. We live in a desert area and towels dry very quickly. For the kitchen I use paper towels. Too many nasty things to have reusable towels in there.

 

[iheartscience]

We wash the bath towels once a week, if not more. I eliminated kitchen towels because I think it's gross to use towels to dry dishes off-they should air dry! I use paper towels to dry my hands off in the kitchen. I know it's wasteful but it's so much more hygienic to me.

 

[lulu]

Bathroom towels weekly. Kitchen towels every couple of days, but I don't use them to dry dishes. Come back and tell us about the bet.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Kitchen every day.

Fresh towels for the gym every day.

Bath@home weekly, though if something seems off (like a more humid week), we'll increase frequency.

 

[Haven]

Do you use a fresh towel every day or do you use the same towel after several showers before getting a fresh one?How about the towel in the kitchen when cooking and cleaning up in the kitchen...once a day change or several days before getting a fresh one? or do you use paper towels in the kitchen?Is it a luxury or just good hygiene to use fresh towels every day? I KNOW,ODD QUESTION...but im actually have a bet with someone on this question so i hope people answer it!

You're funny, JMan.

Okay, here goes:
- We use the same towel for probably three or four showers, and then we replace and wash the used ones. (Is this gross? Now I'm thinking we might be gross!)
- We use the the same kitchen towels for probably a week, but it depends on what kind of work I'm doing in there. For example, I'm hosting this year's Apple Fest on Sunday, so I'm going to use clean towels for that, and we're going to wash them immediately after. Regular weekly cooking, though, I think I use them for a week. (Again, are we gross?!?!) However, I don't use kitchen towels to dry dishes, I really only use them to dry my hands after washing them.
- We only use paper towels to spray and wipe bleach from the raw meat counter. We feed our pets a raw diet, and we wipe down the area with bleach, and DH wants to use paper towels because he thinks it's safer. He's probably right.

I think it's a luxury to have fresh towels every day because that means SOMEBODY is cleaning all those towels on a regular basis! I HATE HATE HATE doing laundry, so perhaps that's my problem.

P.S. Restoration Hardware has the best towels. DH went a little towel crazy when we were first married, and he kept buying and returning entire sets of towels. Thank thedeityofyourchoice for Restoration Hardware, because the madness stopped the moment those towels hit our racks. They're luxurious AND absorbent.

 

[lliang_chi]

Bath towels, I usually change mine once a week, maybe a little more often.

Kitchen towels, use them only to wipe my hands with or pull things out of the oven. That I change every 3-5 days, depends how much I cook.

I have paper towels as well. Usually use them to clean up small spills. My DH uses them for quite a lot of things (reheating microwave, drying grapes, etc)

 

[JewelFreak]

How often do you folks wash? To change bath towels every day, I'd need a cupboard full -- with just 2 of us in the house it takes a bit to amass enough laundry for a load. I hate to wash only 2 or 3 things, waste of water & electricity. Towel warmers dry the towels -- what's gross about using them more than once -- when you get out of the shower, you're clean, aren't you?

Hand towels in kitchen I change once or twice a week, maybe more, not every day, though. They do get gross. I use dish towels only to wipe good crystal & sterling, so they hang around a little longer.

 

[SC86]

I wash towels maybe once a week (I live alone, so only I use them). When my boyfriend or anyone stays with me I give him a set of his own towels (I hate it when people use the bath towels I use and I don't like using anyone else's...I think it's gross!) and I wash them the minute he leaves and never use them! I'm really picky about towels! Haha.

I never use kitchen towels to clean/dry any dishes or counters. I only use one to wipe my hands when I'm cooking and it gets washed once every week or two.

 

[Lottie]

I wash bath towels twice a week, I never use tea towels to dry dishes as I prefer to let them air dry but I am always wiping my hands on them, so we go through probably two a day minimum.

 

[somethingshiny]

Bath towels are 2-3 uses, unless it's that time of the month (I know, gross.)
Kitchen towels: One on the stove is only used for clean hands so once every 3-4 days. Clean one every time to wipe dishes. One time use for towels used during cooking.
Bathroom hand towels. Only used for clean hands changed every couple days. Ones that are used for anything else are one time use.

My theory is: If you're clean, it's clean.

 

[Rhea]

Bathroom towels = once a week
Kitchen towels = once a week, they are used to dry hands. If cooking and make a mess then I get a new one. I don't dry the dishes, just let them drip dry in the drainer.
Paper towels = used as napkins since I don't buy napkins. Also used to dry jewellery or if I spill something that might stain my favorite kitchen towels such as wine.

 

[rubybeth]

- We use the same towel for probably three or four showers, and then we replace and wash the used ones. (Is this gross? Now I'm thinking we might be gross!)
- We use the the same kitchen towels for probably a week, but it depends on what kind of work I'm doing in there. For example, I'm hosting this year's Apple Fest on Sunday, so I'm going to use clean towels for that, and we're going to wash them immediately after. Regular weekly cooking, though, I think I use them for a week. (Again, are we gross?!?!) However, I don't use kitchen towels to dry dishes, I really only use them to dry my hands after washing them.
- We only use paper towels to spray and wipe bleach from the raw meat counter. We feed our pets a raw diet, and we wipe down the area with bleach, and DH wants to use paper towels because he thinks it's safer. He's probably right.

Haven, if you're gross, then so are DH and I. We have the exact same towel rotation as you. We also let our dishes air dry (no dishwasher) and only use the kitchen towel for drying hands after washing in the kitchen.

 

[Jennifer W]

I wash bath towels twice a week, I never use tea towels to dry dishes as I prefer to let them air dry but I am always wiping my hands on them, so we go through probably two a day minimum.

Much the same here, but I can say it different if it helps you to win money?

 

[Maisie]

We wash bath towels after each use. I go through loads of kitchen towels. Our dishwasher dries the dishes so we never use the towels to dry dishes. I use them for my hands. I wash my hands a lot when i'm cooking. I have OCD with handwashing. I have a fear that I will cross contaminate so I am constantly washing my hands.. just in case


I wonder whether I should change to paper towels... I'd never thought about that before. Or get therapy!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I'm so glad to hear so many wash their bathroom towels once a week. D and I have our own towels in the bathroom and I wash them onc a week. If everybody had replied that they wash their towels after each use, I was going to feel really lazy.

I keep one hand towel in the kitchen, only for drying off my hands. I use paper towels for everything else. I make a lot of messes, so I go through more paper towels than I should.

 

[JewelFreak]

A few mentions here of not sharing bath towels -- does anybody use someone else's towel usually? Yuck, imho! I had a roommate once whose BF kept using my washcloth & towel -- that grossed me out completely. Kicked the slob out.

--- Laurie

 

[Pandora II]

Bath towels - once a week, maybe longer depending on when I am doing laundry/what else is on that week. You are clean after a bath or shower... it is bad for the environment and for the electricity bill to do something as ridiculous as wash them every time you use one. Plus, where the heck would you keep or dry that many in a London flat I have no idea!

Kitchen towels - don't really use them, I just rinse my hands under the tap, dishes go in the dishwasher and anything washed up by hand is air dryed. The ones that are there that I basically use to dry my hands on I chuck in the same thing of laundry as the towels.

Hope that helps!

 

[Maisie]

Bath towels - once a week, maybe longer depending on when I am doing laundry/what else is on that week. You are clean after a bath or shower... it is bad for the environment and for the electricity bill to do something as ridiculous as wash them every time you use one. Plus, where the heck would you keep or dry that many in a London flat I have no idea!

Kitchen towels - don't really use them, I just rinse my hands under the tap, dishes go in the dishwasher and anything washed up by hand is air dryed. The ones that are there that I basically use to dry my hands on I chuck in the same thing of laundry as the towels.

Hope that helps!

It would only be ridiculous if I went in the bath or shower every day. I only go in once a month

 

[Pandora II]

Bath towels - once a week, maybe longer depending on when I am doing laundry/what else is on that week. You are clean after a bath or shower... it is bad for the environment and for the electricity bill to do something as ridiculous as wash them every time you use one. Plus, where the heck would you keep or dry that many in a London flat I have no idea!

Kitchen towels - don't really use them, I just rinse my hands under the tap, dishes go in the dishwasher and anything washed up by hand is air dryed. The ones that are there that I basically use to dry my hands on I chuck in the same thing of laundry as the towels.

Hope that helps!

It would only be ridiculous if I went in the bath or shower every day. I only go in once a month

Whether you need it or not!

 

[canuk-gal]

A few mentions here of not sharing bath towels -- does anybody use someone else's towel usually? Yuck, imho! I had a roommate once whose BF kept using my washcloth & towel -- that grossed me out completely. Kicked the slob out.

--- Laurie

I hear ya!

When we got married, my Dh had no concept of not sharing towels--simply did not occur to him to use HIS own. Grounds for divorce! gak!

My son uses the kitchen towels for everything--hands, floor, etc, therefore they get changed daily. It appears folks around here are too lazy to get paper towels out of the pantry to mop up the floor .....

Bath towels get changed twice a week--I shower around the house so often my towels are but used once before I wash them, in HOT water.

JM--what did you wager? (hope it was something awesome like a jewellery catalogue!!)

cheers--Sharon

 

[dani13]

Bath towels= after 2-3 showers.

Kitchen towels- Once a week, but I only use them to dry my hands after I wash or to wipe off dishes just clean from the dishwasher.

I use paper towels to clean, so those just get tossed after use.

 

[canuk-gal]

Bath towels - once a week, maybe longer depending on when I am doing laundry/what else is on that week. You are clean after a bath or shower... it is bad for the environment and for the electricity bill to do something as ridiculous as wash them every time you use one. Plus, where the heck would you keep or dry that many in a London flat I have no idea!

Kitchen towels - don't really use them, I just rinse my hands under the tap, dishes go in the dishwasher and anything washed up by hand is air dryed. The ones that are there that I basically use to dry my hands on I chuck in the same thing of laundry as the towels.

Hope that helps!

It would only be ridiculous if I went in the bath or shower every day. I only go in once a month

No worries tho, your hands are very clean!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Bath towels - once a week
Kitchen towels - depends a lot. If I am not cooking, then probably once a week. If I am doing more in the kitchen, more often. I do keep a "clean towel" to dry hands and the occasional dish (I, too, prefer to air dry), which gets downgraded to "slop towel" after a few days, which is used to wipe up a spill, handle a hot pan, etc.

 

[somethingshiny]

Sharing bath towels?? No way. Mine is on the right, his is on the left. Always.

 

[zoebartlett]

Odd question, sure, but I'll answer anyway...

Bath towels: We wash them every three or four days.

Kitchen towels: We don't use them to dry dishes (we let things air dry when needed). We only use them to dry our hands after washing up.

Paper towels: We use them for cleaning the counters and appliances. I don't like using sponges on the counters.

 

[LJL]

Bath towels- once a week
Kitchen towels - almost never? We use paper towels for EVERYTHING (bad, i know) so the towels are just decorative and hang on the stove rack.

SO and I have different colored towels - always red for me and gold for him. It helps us keep track, plus I need dark towels since I color my hair often and it runs (where does it go?!) My bet on the OP's bet is that someone said its gross to not wash every time and the OP said "no one washes that often!" At least I hope thats what it is so I don't feel gross.

 

[NOYFB]

Bath towels - every weekend. And we have separate towels. I like the big fluffy ones and he doesn't.

Kitchen towels - probably 1-2x/week. We only use them to wipe/dry our hands and use paper towels for everything else. We let the dishes that we hand wash air dry.


I hope you win the bet!