Are the towels in the gym really clean?

Question

I'm a bit of a germiphobe, so everytime I pick up a towel in the gym and wipe my face, I wonder about the hundreds of people who have used the towel before I did and how the gym's cleaning service gets rid of all the critters left behind by previous users. I've never gotten sick, but I still wonder.

Answer 1

I've worked in the linen supply business for 4 years. The past year as a truck driver, but my first three years as a laborer.
Linens, like motel sheets, gym towels, etc get washed in very hot water for at least one cycle. Maybe your home water heater gets to 120-125° In commercial laundry, we are supposed to go to 145° for four minutes at least once. This kills just about everything and will get most stains (all sorts of bodily fluids) out.
Linens are inspected on tables and pre-spotted. Most sheets from motels will have a soiled condom wrapped up in the sheets that the maids missed. I have seen hypodermic needles in linens. Workers have to use extreme care, because a lot of people use drugs in motels. Linen from nursing homes most often has only skid marks, which is relatively harmless.
Aside from the extremely high heat, the machine agitate and spin with much more force and we use some bleach in every load. Maybe about 1/3 of what you'd use at home to remove stains. We'd only use more when needed. Too much bleach wears out the linens. Not using it means dingy linens that are less sanitary.
Typically this stuff will take about 50 washings before it is too worn. I know at my plant it is cleaner than what you have at home. I can't vouch for anyone else, or in-house laundry, but we clean to very high standard.

Answer 2

If you are truly concerned then take your own towel to the gym. Just like the reports you see about hotels/motels not having good laundering practices, gyms can have the same issue.

The towels in your gym may or may not be clean, but at least if you take your own then you know the last hiney it came in contact with (before being washed) was yours.

Answer 3

First of all ask yourself if you are clean.
No, a single drop of sweat make you smell, dust around you, your dirty hand though it seems clean. Everything around are dusty. Imagine if yourself is in such state what will happen to the gym towel.

I think that you are used to this towel that why you have not gotten ill.

Anousha

Answer 4

I personally get grossed out even using the cloth napkins in resturants, so I wont use them

Answer 5

They probably are laundered but if this bothers you I would bring my own from home that way you will be assured that it is clean.

Answer 6

don't take risk with reguards to ur health. u should carry ur own towel.