1 in 10 people wash their bathroom towels once a year – survey

As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, now might be a good time to assess your partner’s hygiene, especially bathroom towels and how much they are washed.

New research reveals that men are five times more likely to clean their towels just once a year, with 5% confessing to an annual wash.

While guidance shows that towels should be washed after three uses, bathroom experts (ShowerstoYou) surveyed 2 200 United Kingdom residents and found that many used their towels for much longer before giving them a freshen-up.

Almost 1 in 10 respondents (8%) said they washed their bathroom towels twice a year, while a third of respondents (33%) wash their bathroom towels once every three months at the most.

Commenting on the research, Dr Hamdan Abdullah Hamed MBChB, a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of PowerYourCurls.com states: “It is crucial to maintain proper hygiene in our everyday routines, including using and caring for bathroom towels. Regular washing of bathroom towels is important to maintain cleanliness and reduce the risk of infections. Towels tend to accumulate moisture, creating an environment conducive to bacterial and fungal growth.”

Key findings:

• 3% of residents surveyed wash their bathroom towels once a year, which equates to over 1.5 million people
• Almost 1 in 10 residents (8%) surveyed wash their bathroom towels twice a year, equating to over 4 million people
• A third of those (33%) surveyed wash their bathroom towels just once every three months, this equates to over 17 million people
• Men are five times more likely to go a whole year without washing their towels