People should not share towels with anyone else, an expert has said. 

The practice might be common among couples and families, but UCD microbiologist Dr Amalia Scannell said this is something to be avoided. 

“What you have left on it is skin, for a start,” she told Moncrieff. 

“So, you know the way you get nice and wet in the shower? You come in and you wipe your skin off and you get all these little ropes of skin that fall off every so often, they’re going to be on the towel. 

“The bacteria on your skin are going to be on the towel; so, it’s a pretty livable place for a bug.” 

Dr Scannell added that if no one is sick then the practice is not “terribly bad” but some people might not be aware they are carrying an infection. 

“I don’t know whether you’d consider crotch rot or thrush or impetigo a good thing,” she said. 

“But those are the kind of things you can share among family members, for example, for erstwhile partners.”

Dr Scannell added that sharing a towel with some is akin to playing “roulette” with your health.

Main image: A couple using a towel at the beach. Picture by: Alamy.com.