By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
Published: 08:09 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 13:37 BST, 22 August 2026
From mopping up spills to wiping down plates, a tea towel or dishcloth is an essential in any kitchen.
But just how often should you be changing your tea towels?
The debate has raged online, with some claiming you should clean them every day while others wait until they start to smell.
Now, a microbiologist has finally settled the debate once and for all – and it's bad news if you don't enjoy doing laundry.
According to Dr Primrose Freestone, a microbiologist from the University of Leicester, you should change out your tea towels every single day.
While they might be useful for drying dishes and cleaning up spills, your innocent-seeming dishcloth can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria.
If left to fester, you can risk spreading dangerous bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella across all your kitchen surfaces.
Dr Freestone told the Daily Mail: 'You could get sick if the tea towel has mopped up fluids with infectious bacteria in them and then re-used to contaminate a previously clean area.'
According to Dr Primrose Freestone, a microbiologist from the University of Leicester, you should change out your tea towels every single day
The question of dishcloth cleanliness has left social media divided into two camps.
On one side are the relaxed cleaners who only change out their tea towels when it feels like they really need a wash.
On Reddit, where the discussion recently reignited, one commenter said they would only change their tea towel 'when it stinks. When it looks dirty.'
Another added: 'I change things when they get gross. So, when you can see stains on the dish towels and cloths.'