Towels should be changed every three days, but that doesn’t mean they have to be washed right away. They can comfortably wait until their scheduled laundry day if you follow a few simple steps.

The best ways to keep towels fresh and clean, according to experts and years of personal experience, are as follows:

Given the rapid accumulation of dead skin cells, bacteria and sweat, it is generally recommended to change your towel about every three days.

Of course, you can change them more often if you shower more than once a day.

When conditions are ripe to toss the towel in the laundry basket, it’s best to let it dry completely first to avoid the risk of odor or bacterial growth.

As for stains, it is recommended to pre-treat the towel before washing, as special cleaning products are more effective if they have enough time to soak. Towels can be stained with face cream or hair cream, benzene peroxide and alpha hydroxy acids are most likely to cause discoloration, so check the ingredients of the product you have used before wiping with a towel as the discoloration can be permanent.

It is also recommended to use dark or economical towels for make-up removal and skin care.

Some stains can be removed with bleach, but bleach should never be used for colored towels, or even white towels for cotton, because they are dyed and bleach will discolor even them. Special oxygen products are available for such cases.

New towels should be washed at least once before use, and some recommend two washes to remove excess lint. Tests have shown that the ideal result is achieved in about five washes. However, the first wash is necessary due to fabric softeners, the chemicals used to saturate the colors, and even the formaldehyde often added by manufacturers.

Most manufacturers recommend washing in cold water on a delicate cycle, as this will retain the color and softness of the towel over time. Of course, to disinfect them, you need a high temperature and a longer washing time if someone in the house is sick, or, conversely, a high temperature and a quick wash with the addition of a small amount of soap, about two tablespoons, as it will leave more marks.

Some recommend washing towels separately from other clothes to avoid contact with items that could damage them, such as zippers.

If you’ve pre-treated stains, it’s a good idea to check towels before putting them in the dryer to make sure they’re clean. Because stains can become stubborn, a second wash before drying can help remove them if they persist.

All experts and articles advise against using fabric softeners on towels as they can make them less absorbent. But if you can’t resist the feeling of softness, you can use fabric softener occasionally, provided you wash your towels more often. The towel’s only job is to absorb water from your body, so why compromise its effectiveness? Some even suggest using woolen balls for drying.

For the latter, instead of folding the towels all together, some suggest shaking them out before drying, as this prevents them from sticking and reduces the amount of moisture they hold, while drying faster and wrinkle-free.

To avoid damage to the fabric, dry them at a low temperature and take them out as soon as they dry, otherwise they say that their appearance will begin to wear out. But if they still have wet spots, put them back in the dryer for a few minutes or lay them out until completely dry.

If you’re cleaning your towels after an illness or injury and want to sanitize them, you can sometimes dry them over high heat. Drying is the most useful tool for combating pathogens that often survive washing with hot water.

The article was published in The New York Times.