Do you share bath towels with any family members?

[minkydog]

We don't have color-coded towles or anything, but my husband will occasionally use my towel after he showers. I don't really like it when he does that, but it is really no big deal.

I typically use one towel for the whole week, hanging it to dry between uses. I'm just wiping clean water off of my clean body, so I figure the towel doesn't actually get that dirty.

My DH does that too and I don't like it. I've tried color-coded towels but he is clueless. Now I just get a new towel.

We use our towels for 4-7 days, depending on how they're holding up. If they get an "off" odor,into the laundry they go. Washcloths are used once, then laundered. Bathmats go in about every other day.

 

[AshleyW]

Wow. You folks must wash a lot of towels!! I hate laundry too much for all that.

I shower in the am and hang my towel to dry. Dh showers in the pm (when he is home) and uses the now dry towel. I was clean when I dried off with it and so is he. I guess I don't see the problem.

We do the same, just reversed. DFiance uses a towel in the morning, hangs it up when he's done. I take my shower before bed, and use his dry towel. We sleep in the same bed on the same sheets, I don't think that's much different than using the same towel. It's not like he was dirty when he used it.

 

[KristaTX]

ok, for those of you that have kids, um how to put this gently. You created kids with your spouse, but you wont let them use your towel? Strange

that's kind of what i was thinking!! I share sheets with the man! Why wouldn't I share a towel??

Okay, so it's from a Woman's Day article, but look at #1 http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Organizing-Cleaning/9-Surprising-Germ-Havens.html . I found other articles as I googled, too. Google "germs on bath towels" and see what else you can find.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

ok, for those of you that have kids, um how to put this gently. You created kids with your spouse, but you wont let them use your towel? Strange

I'm guessing some "dry" more carefully than others.

And don't you shower after ummm.....that?

 

[mhsjax]

Okay, so it's from a Woman's Day article, but look at #1 http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Organizing-Cleaning/9-Surprising-Germ-Havens.html . I found other articles as I googled, too. Google "germs on bath towels" and see what else you can find.

Been sharing towels with hubby for 23 years, no problems so far, and I think I would know if he had MRSA. then I wouldn't share.

 

[ols386]

No, we don't share. We have our own.

 

[ols386]

ok, for those of you that have kids, um how to put this gently. You created kids with your spouse, but you wont let them use your towel? Strange

It's not a matter of not "letting" my dh use my towel, it's just that there are two towels hanging there, so we each use our own. Nothing strange about that.

 

[PatsMom]

We don't share used towels. Our daughter has her own bathroom, my husband and I each have a towel on the rack. We don't use each other's just so everyone gets a dry towel. Its not a germ thing. Also, towels get hung to dry and get used for a week or so unless it is humid and they don't dry and start to be musty.

I hate to think how much laundry people who only use a towel once have to do! And with my daughter now in college, she'd have a pile of just towels. So its probably a good thing we raised her to hang up her towel to dry!

 

[DMickey28]

I would say, I don't share but DH does!! He keeps taking my towel even when I put one out for him. He just grabs what is handy.

Depends on how the towel holds up but I will usually use a towel for about 4 days, transfer it to be my "hair towel" for another shower or two and then it gets dry. If DH grabs my towel then I usually pull a new one out mostly because he will not hang it up properly but more shoves it over the towel rack in a pile. I have also seen how damp he is when he actually gets out of the bathroom and gets dressed so I can't imagine how much he actually uses the towel!!

Now as far as the bath mats ... seriously, every other day? Yikes, I'd love to say I wash mine once a week but if we get to once a month we are lucky. I also dry off more in the shower though so it's not as though the bath mat gets wet and yucky.

 

[Pumbaa_]

no sharing, hair gets its own fresh towel and so do i

I just think about what do you dry last? Then the next person, what do they dry first?

 

[MizTink]

i hate when someone uses my towel. nothing worse than reaching for my towel after a shower and it's damp from someone else using it!!!
i love to tell whoever used it that i hope they dried their face with the same spot i dried my butt with!! i don't care if it was right after washing, it's still a butt!!!

my youngest daughter is ten and always uses my bathroom. and usually my towel. she just doesn't really care. well last night i freaked about it because she had a REALLY itchy bottom and i was afraid it was worms!!! same concern when we dealt with lice a while back......DON"T USE MY TOWEL!!!!!

 

[TanyaLovesPooh]

We each use our own towel.

 

[luvmy3]

that's kind of what i was thinking!! I share sheets with the man! Why wouldn't I share a towel??

But my head is not laying where his butt was the night before I have no idea where he rubbed what part of his towel.

Family of 5 and yes I wash 35 towels a week, plus hand towels. So my answer is no to sharing.

and everything is bleached

 

[luvsJack]

Okay, so it's from a Woman's Day article, but look at #1 http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Organizing-Cleaning/9-Surprising-Germ-Havens.html . I found other articles as I googled, too. Google "germs on bath towels" and see what else you can find.

Hmmm. That is interesting to know, just don't think it will change our habits. On the same note, one of the medical programs at the college where I work goes around testing all kinds of surfaces for staph. You would be shocked at some of the places they find it to be the worst!!

 

[luvsJack]

But my head is not laying where his butt was the night before I have no idea where he rubbed what part of his towel.



and everything is bleached

'tis true, 'tis true. I guess I just don't think about where he puts his butt too often or am assuming he doesn't get too "intense" with his drying.

You must buy all white towels? My towels are dark colors, so no bleach. I do wash them in hot water though.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

ewww---no. Bath towels are a use once and toss down to the laundry type thing, they dn't get used over and over

Why ewww? I assume that once you are done with your shower you are clean?

I have to do the laundry and pay the water bill, so we definitely use towels again before laundering.

 

[C.Ann]

No - I don't share - and never have..

 

[luvmy3]

'tis true, 'tis true. I guess I just don't think about where he puts his butt too often or am assuming he doesn't get too "intense" with his drying.

You must buy all white towels? My towels are dark colors, so no bleach. I do wash them in hot water though.

Mostly white, but I do have some colored towels, they go in the bleach anyway. I'm amazed because I have some whose color has not changed at all, they don't even get those little bleach spots either and I've had them for years. I have others that have faded quickly but when guests spend the night, I just make sure I give them the white ones.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

But my head is not laying where his butt was the night before I have no idea where he rubbed what part of his towel.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[TinklednPants]

It's amazing how some of you had children being so disgusted by your partners body parts.