Expert debunks the 'clean after my shower' excuse for not washing towels regularly

We're all guilty of leaving it a little too long between pillowcase, sheet and towel washes, often opting for a 'she'll be right' mentality over a regular cleaning cycle.

But exactly how long is the recommended time between each wash?

According to home organisation and cleaning expert Carmen Strong, it's far more often than one might think.

Speaking to Today, Strong revealed that bath towels in particular should be washed every three-to-four uses – a detail that shocked host Karl Stefanovic, who admitted to changing his bath towel once every month.

"Definitely needs to be replaced more regularly than that one Karl," Strong informed him.

She went on to say that hand towels should be washed every two to three days, tea towels every day if heavily used, bed sheets once a week and pillowcases every four-to-five days.

Stefanovic then interjected with the time-honoured argument; "but I'm clean when I get out of the shower" – but Strong was quick to shut this down, informing him that it wasn't so much bacteria from skin that was the issue, but the resulting dampness of the towel.

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"They stay wet, and when they're wet that's when the bacteria grows and harvests," she said.

In addition to sheets and towels, Strong also discussed the frequency we should be cleaning the items we clean with, such as sponges, cloths, mop pads and heads and dish brushes.

"You actually need to replace a lot of it regularly, more regularly than you might think,"

Kitchen sponges require weekly replacement, while microfibre cloths need a wash after every use, mop heads a replacement every few months, dish brushes every couple of months and tea towels, daily.

Today co-host Sarah Abo then asked what the most sustainable option for those wanting to prevent waste when swapping out items is.

"I think the biggest thing is, if you're purchasing items that actually are good quality, you're going to find that they last a little bit longer," Strong revealed.

"The swap out for a sponge, which is gross, can be a scrubbing brush – yes it's plastic, but it lasts a little bit longer than your weekly [sponge]."

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