Why Should You Avoid Sharing Towels?
Sharing towels may seem convenient, especially for teammates. Obviously, it’s a simple solution for drying off after a team beach outing or practice when there’s only one accessible towel. However, this is far from sanitary and should be avoided at all costs.
Among other problems, sharing towels can create situations where germs are easily transported. For school sports teams and summer camps, placing a bulk order for custom woven towels is the best way to avoid sharing towels.
This post has been updated from a previous post made on September 20th, 2017
4 Hazards of Sharing Towels
Transmitting bacteria through custom woven towels can lead to several unpleasant illnesses. Bacteria spread through shared towels can enter the body through pores, cuts, sores, and wounds. These are some of the most common illnesses that arise from towels:
- The bacteria that causes staph infections grow quickly in damp conditions that towels cultivate. Staph infections (and similar conditions) are some of the most harmful conditions that might be passed via towels.
- Acne is another condition commonly resulting from skin-to-skin contact. Avoiding shared towels will help prevent acne transfer.
- As fungi also thrive in the damp conditions that towels cultivate, fungi-related illnesses are frequently transferred through towel sharing. Common fungal conditions include jock itch, athlete’s foot, ringworm, and yeast infections.
- Contact with the facial region may pick up and spread bacteria that causes pink eye.
Custom Woven Towels Retain Moisture
Despite the fact that towels allow you to dry off quickly after a swim, towels take a lot longer to dry themselves. In fact, these towels remain damp for a significant period of time after use. Depending on the conditions, towels can take several hours in order to fully dry. The thicker the towel, the longer it will take to dry – which is why we advise against using bath towels at the beach. In essence, repeated use of the same towel will gradually encourage bacteria from several sources to accumulate.
Without the proper drying time or conditions, wet towels can also cause mildew development. Inhaling mildew can cause illnesses or respiratory issues.
Contact With Foreign Bodies
When you dry off with a towel, that towel collects your own bacteria. Using a teammate’s towel after they’ve used it will transfer their bacteria to your skin. If they have an infection caused by harmful agents, those pathogens could travel to your body, likely giving you the very same infection. Bacteria from other people could be hazardous to your body, even if it didn’t present issues to them.
Conclusion – Team Towels
While sharing towels is often an easy and convenient way to dry off, it can potentially lead to unforeseen consequences. Distributing towels to each member of your sports team or summer camp will prevent the transfer of germs, and ensure a healthy, prosperous environment. Our custom woven towels will help your team to stay healthy and dry.
