How often should you wash your towels?
Is once a week enough to wash your towels? Or, like some, once a month?
Perhaps you should reach for a clean towel daily?
With the pandemic still a recent memory last year saw an unprecedented global rise in over a dozen communicable diseases.
One contributing factor cited by the American Medical Association was hygiene, specifically the role of the humble bathroom towel.
Professor Elizabeth Scott is a professor of biology and co-director of the Simmons University Center for Hygiene & Health in the Home and Community.
The manager of a groundbreaking 1982 study examining the bacteria lurking in hundreds of homes, she filled in Sunday Morning's Jim Mora on the dos and don'ts of our fluffy fibres.
"Every time we use a towel, bacteria are being transferred from our skin to the towel, potentially from our respiratory system if we're coughing and sneezing, potentially from our gastrointestinal system.
"Consider that we touch every single part of our body with a towel."
So how often should we wash our towels?
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The American Cleaning Institute recommends washing your towel after every 3 to 5 uses.
Scott thinks this is overdoing it. Instead, she recommends once a week as a loose rule of thumb.
"In a healthy household where no one's suffering from any infections once a week is okay."
However, this comes with a few caveats.
"In a situation where anybody is suffering from any kind of infection, skin infection, respiratory infection, or gastrointestinal infection, then it's really important for those individuals to have their own towel and for that towel to be washed daily, or even more frequently."
"Anyone who has a skin infection with something like staph aureus, really should not be sharing."
Towels should also be washed at a high temperature and kept thoroughly dry - this is doubly important for those with infections.
"I have seen studies where pathogens have been recovered from fabrics that have been cold, washed, but dried in the sun."
And if you can, avoid hanging your towel near a toilet.
"And there is quite a lot of research going on into the potential contamination of the environment surrounding a toilet when it's flushed.
"There definitely is evidence that the surrounding environment, immediately surrounding the toilet bowl, can get sort of an aerosol splash.
"So the way around that really is to do with the high temperature. That's the best way to eliminate bacteria from towels."
She notes that along with the kitchen sponge, the often overlooked and overshared kitchen towel is also a common source of infection spread.
"In my experience, have their own bath towel, but they tend to share hand towels."
Because while a nasty bug might be merely inconvenient today, many of these common infections are set to have devastating impacts over the coming decades.
"The UK government has signalled that by 2050, some 10 million people around the world will die of infections that cannot be treated any longer because bacteria are so resistant.
"So any way that you can reduce your risk of infection in your own environment is another way of preventing having to use antibiotics.
And above all - remember - wash your hands.
"Washing with soap is the gold standard."
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Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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51.9% Human-centred experience and communication
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15.3% Critical thinking
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29.9% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
The Gospel’s Relevance Today**
The Gospel, meaning ‘good news’, is the cornerstone of the message contained in the Bible’s first four books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While these records were written approximately 2,000 years ago, a natural question arises: why is this Gospel still relevant and vital for us today? This analysis seeks to explore what the Bible itself defines as the Gospel and to understand its enduring significance.
**Defining the Gospel: Core Biblical References**
The Gospel is not a vague concept; Scripture provides clear descriptions of its content and focus.
* **The Gospel of the Kingdom:** In Matthew 4:23, as Jesus begins his ministry, he is described as “preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” This immediately establishes that the good news is centrally about a kingdom—the Kingdom of God. His accompanying miracles served to validate the authority of this message.
* **The Gospel of Jesus Christ:** Mark 1:1 opens with, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Here, “Christ” is a title meaning ‘anointed one’. Thus, the good news is intrinsically about Jesus: his identity as the Anointed One and his unique status as the Son of God.
* **The Gospel of God’s Grace:** In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul speaks of his mission to “testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Grace signifies an undeserved gift. This reveals that the Gospel involves a gift from God, offered not because it is merited, but out of His benevolence.
* **The Gospel of Salvation and Peace:** Romans 1:16 declares the Gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,” breaking down barriers between Jew and Gentile (Greek). Furthermore, Romans 10:15 calls it the “gospel of peace,” pointing to a future state of peace brought about by this message.
* **The Gospel Summarised:** 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides a foundational summary. Paul reminds believers of the gospel he preached, “by which also you are saved.” He then states its core historical facts: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” The Gospel is therefore rooted in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus.
In synthesis, the Gospel is the good news of **salvation and future peace in the Kingdom of God**, made possible by **the grace of God** and **the obedient sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ**, and offered to all who believe.
**Old Testament Foundations: The Gospel Preached to Abraham**
A crucial question is whether the Gospel is confined to the New Testament. Scripture shows its foundations were laid much earlier. Galatians 3:8 states explicitly that “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’”
This reference points back to Genesis 12:1-3, where God made profound promises to Abraham: to make him a great nation, to bless those who blessed him, and that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These promises—later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob—form the bedrock of the Gospel hope. The good news of salvation through Christ is the fulfillment of how **all nations** would be blessed through Abraham’s “seed.”
**The Gospel’s Personal Relevance: Good News for You Today**
How does this ancient message become “good news for you” today? The application is clearly outlined in Galatians 3.
* **Access through Faith in Christ:** Galatians 3:26 declares, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The promise made to Abraham is now extended to anyone with faith in Jesus.
* **The Role of Baptism:** Verse 27 explains, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism is the God-appointed act of faith that identifies a believer with Christ’s death and resurrection.
* **Unity and Inheritance:** Verses 28-29 reveal the glorious outcome: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Through the Gospel, all barriers are removed; believers become spiritual descendants of Abraham and heirs to the promises of the Kingdom.
This Gospel was once a mystery hidden in God’s purpose (Ephesians 3:3-9). Now, it has been revealed: the unsearchable riches of Christ, offering salvation to all who heed the call, believe the message, and are baptised into him.
**Conclusion: An Enduring and Open Invitation**
The Gospel is far more than a historical account; it is the living, powerful good news of God’s plan for salvation. It is rooted in promises to Abraham, accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and open to all people without distinction. It offers a tangible hope—the hope of resurrection, peace, and an inheritance in the coming Kingdom of God. This is why the Gospel remains profoundly relevant. It is an invitation to listen, believe, and stand firm in this hope, linking our lives today to the eternal purpose of God.
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