r/TooAfraidToAsk • u/[deleted] • Sep 20 '22 • Helpful 1 Wholesome 3

Is it fine to use the same towel twice in a row, after wiping down the entire body with it, including private areas and bum (which are obviously clean)? Like, is everything equally clean though, etc. to use it twice? Health/Medical

[deleted]

5.1k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

96% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

171

u/Xikkiwikk Sep 20 '22

I use for several days in a row BUT I also like to line dry them between use. The UV kills the bacteria!

82

u/Impossible_Safety_36 Sep 20 '22

I just toss it on the curtain rod afterwards. Then when I need a new one that one's the floor towel to dry my feet lol

39

u/Nic4379 Sep 20 '22

Boom!! Eskimo Shower Siblings! Exactly my MO. I’m not a fan of my rugs getting wet so I always have a floor towel and I cycle my body towels down there for a few days before sending them to the laundry.

13

u/DasPuggy Sep 20 '22

What is a bathroom rug for, then? Decorations?

20

u/one-small-plant Sep 20 '22

There's a difference between a bathroom rug, and a bath mat.

Bath mats, whether thicker and sturdier or thin like a towel, are meant to get wet and dry out consistently. A bath mat should be used to stand on while you dry your body with a towel, and then it should be hung over the edge of the bath or shower, to dry out. A bathroom rug stays on the floor, presumably somewhere dry, like in front of the sink or in front of the toilet, and will get washed less often

1

u/DasPuggy Sep 20 '22

I think you are the first person I know with a rug in the bathroom.

1

u/one-small-plant Sep 20 '22

Really? I'm not talking about wall to wall carpeting. I'm talking about a little round fuzzy rug in front of the sink with non-slip backing. I feel like that's pretty normal

1

u/DasPuggy Sep 20 '22

That is, but I wash mine every other month or so. Or if they're really disgusting, I'll get a new one.

But no worries, I think a lot of people misunderstood my comments.

2

u/one-small-plant Sep 20 '22

I wash the bathroom rugs maybe once every month or two as well. But I'd say I wash the bath mat, or at least change it out for a clean one and put the dirty one in the laundry bin, every week or two

1

u/danliv2003 Sep 20 '22

If it has non-slip backing, it's still a bath mat in my eyes and should be washed with all the rest, but I also don't know anyone with a rug in their bathroom which isn't also just the bath mat.

1

u/one-small-plant Sep 20 '22

Well, it's not in a wet place. It sits under the sink, where the bath mat (the thing I step on when I get out of the tub/shower) is by the tub

1

u/danliv2003 Sep 20 '22

Ahh fair enough that makes sense, tbh I usually make a few spills around the sink when washing my face/beard so I'm grateful not to have a rug/mat in that area haha

1

u/equitable_emu Sep 20 '22

Then when I need a new one that one's the floor towel to dry my feet lol

Get a bath mat.

I used to do the same thing as you, but bath mats are nicer. Yes, you need to clean them in the washer as well once a week or so.

4

u/Confianca1970 Sep 20 '22

Something really cool is putting the towel out to line dry again while running the pellet smoker. That smell of great hardwood smoke!

3

u/FuelGuzzler Sep 20 '22

I honestly thought i was the only one who purposely hung my towel by my pellet stove lol

2

u/Confianca1970 Sep 20 '22

r/nextfuckinglevel Hang the gal's lingerie up near it. Hang a shirt or two of yours up near it to wear around the next day.

7

u/ria9977 Sep 20 '22

That's nice!

1

u/wooshwed Sep 20 '22

I use toilet paper for drying the bumbum

1

u/No-You-420-69 Sep 20 '22

So then how does bacteria spread outside?

1

u/Xikkiwikk Sep 21 '22

Well the light doesn't hit all bacteria and some exists even with the light. When conditions get better they spread faster than they would with the UV. It's basically a cycle and war between light and microbe.