Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
01.15.2016
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
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How often you change your bath towel? Rather, there is an optimal frequency to wash it? Well, the first step is to think about what makes up the "dirt" of the towel. It is composed of dead skin and bacteria in our own bodies, say experts consulted by UOL. In some cases, if it is near a potent toilet, how aerosols at the time of discharge, may have some gut bacteria, says infectious disease specialist Gustavo Johanson, of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp).
In the case of healthy people, these bacteria are not a problem. If everything comes from our own body, we are used to these micro-organisms and to date, appear to be no deaths records to use your own towel. "The vast majority of skin bacteria are not pathogenic and are adapted," says Johanson. Here comes the good sense to the cleaning towel. "There is a recommendation in the medical literature for towel washing healthy people. If the environment is hot and humid, need to wash faster than a cool, dry environment, will common sense," says Johanson.
The microbiologist Maria Teresa Destro, a retired professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), believes that common sense is once a week. Most importantly, highlight the two, is the care with towel on day-to-day and at the time of washing. "Put the towel in a ventilated area and keep it dry prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi," says Maria Teresa.
As each has its microbiota, ideally not keep changing towel during use. "And for children up to 3 years, who are more sensitive, it is important that they have their own towel and that it is separate," says the microbiologist.
Recently, in the field of Tech Insider, the doctor Philip Tierno, the School of Medicine, New York University, recommended a towel wash every three uses to contain the proliferation of bacteria. Maria Teresa remembers that we Brazilians have more habit of bathing than Americans, so here we are cleaned every use.
People immunocompromised or ill
If someone is sick, the picture changes. People who are with diseases transmitted by feces and urine, such as salmonella, Shiguella and even hepatitis A, need to wash your towels every use, as is done in hospitals, says Johanson.
In the case of bruises on the skin, Maria Teresa recommends taking a towel to wipe only the hurt and do not carry the infection to other sides of the body, especially to the mucous membranes of the genitals, which are more sensitive than the skin.
How to wash
For Maria Teresa, soap and sun are the most practical options to clean towel. For children up to 3 years, she recommends spending. Johanson explains that bacteria die 60 degrees Celsius, so it is recommended that towels and underwear are or washed at this temperature (which is not very practical), dry in the dryer with that temperature or simply passed with iron at that temperature.
Source: Uol
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.