Once it’s time to wash your towels, Gerba let us in on a few best practices: “We found that a lot of the fecal bacteria survived cold-water washes,” he tells mbg, “probably because the thickness of the towel makes removal difficult.” For this reason, he says it’s best to wash your towels in hot water and dry them on a high setting if you’re using a dryer. (For most other laundry items, cold-water washes are effective—and more earth-friendly.)