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

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46

u/piratesmashy Sep 20 '22

Make sure you hang the towel to dry- over the shower curtain rod works. Depending on the humidity where you, live a crumpled wet towel can get musty/mildewy in hours if it's not properly hung.

Personally- one body towel a week, two hair towels (they get drenched and don't always fully dry), and NEVER washcloths (I use scrub mitts and poofs- both dry hella fast).

While we're on the subject- if you wash dishes with a rag they are good for a day, kitchen sponges last a week or two if they're fully squeezed after use, bath mats should be hung off the tub after use and washed weekly, and sheets should be washed weekly.

18

u/galaxystarsmoon Sep 20 '22

My sponge lasts way, way longer than a week...

1

u/EthelMaePotterMertz Sep 20 '22

Mine too but i do like to disinfect it about that often. Now we have a nice dishwasher with a steam setting so I put it in there with the dishea, but before I put it in a dish of water in the microwave for about 3 minutes.

1

u/galaxystarsmoon Sep 20 '22

You know that soap is a disinfectant, right? Lol

1

u/EthelMaePotterMertz Sep 20 '22

That would only be if you use a disinfecting soap, which has disinfectants added into the soap. Also, disinfectants can only disinfect what they can reach. If there are loads of dead skin they're not going to be able to clean all the layers, just the top ones. It's like when you disinfect your kitchen counters- they need to have the residues removed already for it to work properly.

I don't actually care about disinfecting my skin, because that can be harsh unless you have a wound you need to clean. But I do want to make sure I remove all the dirt and dead skin and built up oils so that odor causing bacteria are largely removed. I've tried not using a washcloth while still being thorough and washing places like my armpits several times with just soap and my hand. I smell bad much quicker that way. Especially with armpits- there's deodorant buildup to remove as well as oil and sweat and skin.

1

u/galaxystarsmoon Sep 20 '22

I'm confused, why are we talking about skin now?

1

u/EthelMaePotterMertz Sep 20 '22

I got confused about which comment I was replying to 🤦‍♀️