Hygiene - drying tea-towels

[tell-me-more]

My mother insists on putting used (wet) tea-towels away in kitchen drawers rather than letting them dry by hanging them on a hook or something.

Apart from being annoying and a waste of time and space, it seems unhygienic to me.

I don't know anyone else who stores used tea-towels in drawers, but the fact that it's abnormal doesn't bother me - surely it's unhygienic? I'm interested in the explanation as much as confirmation.

[boobesque]

nooo!

mine dont go back into the drawer until they have been washed and dried, they stay in a holder i have in between uses, the kitchen is a germ playground and i would never put a wet teatowel back in the drawer, i never dry up either, i always leave the things to air dry, i only ever use a clean tea towel from the drawer to dry if i must do it.

 

 

oh my life, i sound like my mum!

[shaneystar]

Oh No,no,no!!
I only ever use a teatowel once to dry up stuff that doesn't go in the dishwasher and then it goes to be washed.

[tell-me-more]

This is where the problem starts - your reaction is as mine. I instinctively think nooo! but I need a more scientific justification than gut feeling. I need to be able to spell out exactly why wet tea-towels in drawers are not a good idea. Some explanation based on ventilation, water aiding the breeding of bacteria/germs and what might result from that. It needs to combat the argument "it hasn't killed you".

[shaneystar]

If you Google ..Germs bacteria tea towels...you will get loads of information as to why putting wet tea-towels away in drawers is not very hygienic.In fact we shouldn't be using tea towels at all !!

[mfewell]

Tea towels have only one purpose, drying hands. Drying up crockery etc is an absolute no-no, drip dry only.

[ursula62]

I can understand your revulsion, but if your mum did this all your life and you haven't come to any harm then maybe you should just shrug it off as one of her harmless idiosyncrasies.

I'd let sleeping dogs lie unless your mum has an infirmity or is particularly vulnerable to infection.  Her house, her rules!

[Eels]

Tea towels are technically totally disgusting bacteria factories, BUT it has been shown that these days we're not doing ourselves any favours by making our environments so sterile. 

I do always air-dry my dishes, so I don't use many teacloths, but those I do use are left to dry between-times... or they'd smell!