How Many Times Can You Use a Bath Towel Before It Needs to Be Washed? Prepare to do a load of laundry asap. Shutterstock

Solve a household debate: How many times can you use a towel before having to wash it?

Three or four, say consumer and environmental health agencies. Any longer and towels can breed bacteria and mold.

Hang your towels properly: Spread them out on the rack (not bunched up) so they dry thoroughly. Before taking a shower, open the door and, if you have one, turn on the bathroom fan while bathing, so the air is less humid.

—Keri Petersen, M.D., internal medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City

RELATED: Why Y'all REALLY Need to Wash Your Sheets More Often

Have health questions? Send them to askanything@rodale.com or tweet them to @womenshealthmag with the hashtag #AskWH. And for answers to reader questions on various other topics, check out the "Ask Anything" section in the May 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.