What diseases can spread through dirty towels?
While using a dirty towel won’t cause you to contract herpes, it can spread other germs from one person to another. Examples of such bacteria are Staphylococcus (staph) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [3].
On hard, porous surfaces as opposed to nonporous ones, like fabric, these germs and others can survive for a longer amount of time. Yet, if a towel is just now dirty, you could get infected by germs, fungus, or viruses from it.
Caregivers to sick people must take extra caution to avoid contact with towels that have been soiled from the following:
- pee
- feces
- vomit
- phlegm
The only thing you should need to do to avoid contracting an infection is thoroughly wash your hands after coming in contact with a soiled towel.