When we start our vacation, one of the main pleasures is that of unlocking the hotel room door and seeing that everything is perfectly in place, ready for us to use and enjoy. In the bathroom, among the elements that are never lacking is a good supply of towels, which we are thankful for because it would be very awkward to have to bring them from home.

The key of the matter is how to coherently use those spotlessly clean towels that are hanging on the hotel or apartment racks. It’s not surprising (whoever is not guilty of this, let him cast the first stone) that, taking advantage of the convenience of hotel services, we would want to have clean towels every day, knowing that they will be replaced almost immediately. The rule, often unwritten, is that if guests wish their towels to be changed, they should leave them on the floor or in the bathtub/shower. However, if we don't wash the towels daily at home, why would we demand that they do this at a hotel?

Of course, we are entitled to it, but in actual fact we can get by without it, because we don’t have to have clean towels after every single use. If we hang the used towels back on the rack, we will be telling the cleaning service that we will continue to use them, a gesture that many establishments promote and are grateful for. At the end of the day, these actions mean reducing the number of washes that the hotel must run. This leads to reduced water consumption.

Now, the million-dollar question is: whether it’s at home or not, how often should we wash our towels? The truth is that there is not a firm and unanimous answer to this. 

In general, we can say that towels or bath robes should not go for over a week without a visit to the washing machine. Likewise, after using them for drying off the body, they should be hung in a ventilated place (even better if it is on a clothes-line outside) to prevent them from remaining damp. Keeping them as dry as possible is the key to the matter. 

Back to the wash, pickier people say that every two or three days is best for removing the damp smell. However, in terms of hygiene (as said before) the time during which they are used can be stretched for up to 7 days, as pointed out by many allergists.