Microbiologist reveals how often should you change your kitchen towels and you're in for a shock
How frequently do you wash your kitchen towels after using them? It’s a debate that is hotly contested on the internet.
Some people on social media believe that dish towels should be changed on a weekly basis, while others suggest that they only need cleaning once they become noticeably dirty.
However, one expert has shared some shocking information on just how often kitchen towels should be changed.
This comes after the scientist spoke to the Daily Mail, revealing some of the gross reality of the towels we keep near our food.
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According to Dr Primrose Freestone, who is a microbiologist from the University of Leicester, you should actually be swapping out your dish towels every day.
Freestone explained: “You could get sick if the tea towel has mopped up fluids with infectious bacteria in them and then re-used to contaminate a previously clean area.”
The expert went on to say: “When tea towels are used multiple times to both dry pots and mop up food debris, an environment is created which favours growth of bacteria with dampness and nutrients. Kitchens favour this growth by being quite warm environments.
“Bacteria which can cause food poisoning can grow well at room temperature.”
Kitchen towels can harbor harmful bacteria if not cleaned regularly
However, it doesn’t appear that many people are following these rules, with one user writing on Reddit: “I change things when they get gross. So, when you can see stains on the dish towels and cloths, and when the towels smell, that's when I finally remember that they need to be changed once in a while.”
Another said: “When it stinks. When it looks dirty.”
A third commented: “Dishcloths and rags every day or every other day, MAX every third day. Anything else is gross when they're used in the kitchen. Towels 1-2 times a week unless they don't dry properly between my showers.”
And a fourth added: “I have no idea how often it should be done, but I just change things when they start to look dirty.”
However, while your kitchen towels might appear to be clean, that doesn’t mean they’re not harboring harmful bacteria if not changed regularly.
Offering her advice, Freestone added: “'After washing, you can sanitize any microbes remaining using boiling water or a disinfectant such as bleach, diluted as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Ironing tea towels on a hot setting will also effectively sanitize them.”