The most germ-infested objects in your home are your TOWELS

Germ-ridden towels could be the worst culprits for spreading bugs around the home, researchers have warned.

And its not just kitchen towels that are to blame - bath towels can also spread diseases.

The problem is two fold: first, towels retain moisture for long periods of time, allowing the bacteria to survive.

Secondly, they are used in the most germ-ridden areas of the house. 

The recent study, from the University of Arizona, found coliform bacteria - bacteria present in faeces which can lead to outbreaks of food poisoning and diarrhoea - in 89 per cent of kitchen tea-towels and E. coli in 25.6 per cent of towels.

The researchers said towels are more likely to be bacteria-ridden than other household items because they are used to wipe hand and surfaces that might have come into contact with raw meat products. 

Study author Charles Gerba said: 'You can cross contaminate food when you wipe your hands on a towel and then contaminate other foods or bring your hands to your mouth and infect yourself.

'With face and bath towels you may spread bacteria and viruses among family members who use the same towels,' he told ABC News. 

And bunging them in the washing machine might not be enough, either.

The researchers warned of another study which found bacteria can survive washing and drying with detergent in the kitchen.

WHY HAND AND BOTH TOWELS ARE THE PREFECT BREEDING GROUND 

Dr. Peter Barratt, of Initial Washroom Hygiene, told MailOnline:  

'The three elements required to provide a comfortable environment for bacteria and microfungi are: moisture, warmth and organic material. 

'Obviously, towels get wet. They also often sit in warm, moist bathrooms and washrooms, and pick up dead skin particles during use, which provides the organic food material for microbes to live on.

So, what's the best towel management strategy? 

Ideally, conventional cotton towels should never be used in communal situations, where bacteria and fungi can be transferred from one person to another. 

Washrooms should therefore consider more sanitary hand drying, like paper towels and hand dryers. 

In the home, gym etc, towels should be laundered regularly to remove contamination, and in between uses, should be dried effectively, as drying will temporarily arrest microbial growth. 

Damp, used towels in moist bathrooms WILL encourage microbial growth."

So what are the risks? 

Unlaundered, used, moist towels produce the highest risk of skin infections. 

For example, dermatophytic fungi, like those that cause athlete's foot, will not only live on the towel, but may cause skin infections in cut, abraded, or sensitive skin. 

It's skin infections that are the main risk, but if you can smell a mustiness around a towel, the chances are that it's bacteria and fungi that you can smell, and it's time for the washing machine.'

‘Coliforms, E. coli and Salmonella can survive the drying of kitchen cleaning cloths and regrow if the cloth becomes soiled again,’ researchers wrote in the study.

They say soaking the cloths in bleach for two minutes was more effective in reducing numbers of bacteria than washing.

Professor Anthony Hilton, head of biological and biomedical sciences at Aston University, warned washing towels at low temperatures does not always kill bacteria.

He told MailOnline: ‘There’s a tendency towards people to use lower temps to wash fabrics, down to 30. If a child is unwell, and vomits on fabrics, they need to be washed at high temperatures.

‘Many of these organisms thrice at body temperature, they live at 37. 

So washing at 30 is not going to kill them. But there are laundry additives designed to enhance low temperature washing that will kill bacteria.’

Even regular bathroom towels need be used with care, he added. 

A recent study found coliform bacteria - bacteria present in faeces which can lead to outbreaks of food poisoning and diarrhoea - in 89 per cent of kitchen tea-towels

‘When you rub a towel on your body or face, you leave a microbial fingerprint.

‘If it remains damp, such as after a shower, the organisms start to grow. That’s why towels start to grow musty.

‘In real terms of causing infection, there are lots of bacteria that aren’t harmful. 

'But as an extreme, someone could wipe their backside and then those organisms would be on the towel, perhaps a child or someone with a diarrheal illness.

‘The towel would be used to wipe a face then you’ve got that faecal-oral link that leads to infection.'

Infections such as athlete's foot are another issue, he said.   

TIPS FOR BACTERIA-FREE TOWELS

Dr Lisa Ackerley, a leading hygiene expert from the University of Salford, told MailOnline: 

'The first thing is to keep towels separate.

'Put them on the towel rail to dry so they don't fester while they wait to be washed. 

'Wash them often, at least once a week.

'Wash them on a high temperature, 90ºC wash - and bear in mind lots of washing machines don’t reach the temperatures they say they will.

'If you want to wash on a lower temperature, use a laundry cleanser product that kills bacteria. 

'Bleach would kill bacteria on white towels

'On face flannels, have one for each day and wash them all at the end of the week.

'Everybody should have their own bathroom towels, especially if they're ill.'

And, to make them extra soft, replace fabric conditioner with vinegar. 

'Anything with an exposure risk, especially in a damp environment, can spread infections.

'If I had athlete’s foot and rubbed my foot on someone else’s, they would expect to catch it. Putting a towel in between just wakes the towel the vehicle for exposure.’

And cross-contamination can be even worse in the kitchen, he explained.

‘In the kitchen environment you’ve got the dish cloth which lives in the sink in a bit of water used to dry up spills. 

Then you’ve got the tea towel used to dry dishes when they’re clean.

‘The problem comes when they are used for different purposes. 

'The towels get used for wiping up footprints from a cat, or a shoe. 

'You might end up washing up a spillage of raw chicken juices, and then next you might wipe some chocolate off a baby’s face with the same towel.

‘It’s probably full of nutrients, its damp, so bacteria will thrive.

‘These bacteria cause diarrhoeal disease, gastroenteritis.’ 

Source: Dailymail