I sure do it! The way I see it, there's bacteria on just about everything--especially in the bathroom. And frankly, I don't relish the idea of being completely bacteria-free, since our bodies need some level of bacterial exposure to stay healthy. So I change the towel every...7-10 days. And I launder my bathrobe every....3-4 weeks. (urgh, maybe I should be doing that more!)

But let's dive into the cold, hard facts about bacteria in the bathroom:

One skin expert* claims that bathroom towels should be changed every 3 days since apparently we all shed about 1 million skin cells per hour. Combine that with the growing bacteria, and she recommends that we never share towels. Even with this extreme (and icky!) view, she still says a towel can be used for three days in a row, provided that it's hung up to air dry.

Another expert** from Columbia University's health services, suggests that people do use their bathroom towels multiple times before washing them. She acknowledges that towels do breed bacteria, but rarely is it enough to make anyone ill. She offers some tips for keeping towels light on bacteria by using a towel bar instead of a hook, and keeping your bathroom door open after a shower to allow air to circulate and dry the towel.

But if you still have concerns and get the creepy crawlies thinking about reusing bath towels, then might I suggest you look into reusing bamboo towels? I found one supplier*** who claims that the bamboo towels have natural anti-microbial properties, and therefore might give you the "ickies" a little less!

And if that doesn't convince you, then just consider this: It's a dirty world you live in no matter what! Everything in your bathroom--from your toothbrush to your shower curtain--contains fecal matter particles (that's right, poo!). Fans of the show MythBusters will recall that they did a fecal matter test**** in a bathroom, and found that even a toothbrush kept under a dome in the NEXT ROOM ended up with fecal matter on it.

So you're pretty much damned anyway. Might as well save on the utility bills a bit and help the environment by not washing your towels so often. Stick to once every 3-4 days and you'll be healthy and clean.

Why would you ever wash your towel after every single use? That's ridiculous. That's like alternating socks during the day because you're sweating on them. I bet your mouth harbors more bacteria than that towel does, and if the reverse is the case, then you're not hanging your towel properly. Just make sure you hang it up right after using it, so it dries properly, and you're good to go. I say you should wash it a maximum of every two weeks. Anything more than that, and it's just overkill.

Absolutely; our family does.. Not only does it cut down on laundry, which reduces your utility bill; but it's sanitary if you wash your hands, face, etc thoroughly.. Wiping dirty hands on the same towel certainly isn't good.

Denise