You are the judge: My mother says that our family should share towels, but I think it's disgusting. Are I right to protest? | Life and style

The Prosecutor's Office: Ava

I have firm limits around personal hygiene, and bacteria thrive in wet towels

The towels must be only for personal use, but my mother believes that they should be shared in our home in four. That could have been well when I was a baby, but now I am 21 years old, I think it's strange.

Mom has this about washing and the environment. She has been trying to wash the clothes less, and use these washing bags that capture microplastic fibers to prevent water supply. I support this, but not at the expense of my personal hygiene.

She wants our family to only use one or two towels a week, which means that the four we share them: my younger brother, Lewis, who is five years old, my parents and me. I think this is totally disgusting. Mom says “dry towels, it's fine”, but that's not true. The bacteria thrives in the towels and the idea that a towel is clean just because it has dried loses a crucial point: moisture generates bacteria, especially in humid and warm environments like bathrooms.

I don't want the germs of all others in my body. A towel that has been used once can transport many bacteria. Lewis is a messy child. Sharing a towel with him will increase my risk of fungal infections, since the towels after his swimming club. The idea of ​​using your towel is disgusting for me.

Like most young women, I have firm limits around hygiene. Growing up, I didn't think much that my mother made us share towels, but I began to notice when I grew up. At 16 I said that I no longer wanted to do it and began to wear a fresh towel every time I showered me, and they told me for it.

Then I committed and began to use the same towel for a week, thinking it was just for me. But what I didn't know was that Mom was using the same towel to dry and Lewis. When I found out, I got scared. Now I started hiding my towel in my room, so no one else uses it.

Mom believes that I am being a diva, but everyone who has their own towel is not an indulgence, it keeps us all clean. Using the dirty towel of another person, even if they are relatives, is disgusting.

The defense: Lynsey

I always shared towels with my family while growing up: older generations do not care about these things

From the perspective of a mother, insisting that everyone uses a different towel every day is a waste. It means more laundry, more water, more electricity and more mental load. When you are juggling with work, meals, school careers and everything else, making children share a clean and dry towel is a simple way to reduce chaos.

It is not antihigienic if the towel is used in clean and freshly outdated bodies to dry between uses. Ava wanted a new towel after each shower and told him that he was contributing to the destruction of the planet, and it was not good for my mental health. She said she would wash her own towels, but I haven't seen that happen. She always adds her clothes to my battery and then expects not to notice.

Ava's obsession with personal space is relatively new. He has become more demanding since he returned home from the University a month ago. I think it's ready to move. She has led to hide her towel, but I think we should share them. If one begins to smell or look questionable, he would wash it before, but if it is dry and clean, it is fine. I make a regular weekly washing of the towels.

I always shared towels with my family while growing. Major generations did not think about these things, we didn't have time. Often there was only one or two towels to turn around, and nobody took off. My husband and I were sharing towels with Lewis and Ava until she was old enough to start protesting. Teaching children to share and not be beautiful about small things generates resilience and cooperation. He does not have the idea that comfort does not always have to come with individual property.

Ava is not a germaphobe with other things, such as sharing my headphones or cleaning myself, so it seems funny to have become so obsessive when sharing towels. She needs to remember that there is a difference between good hygiene and becoming obsessed with germs about things that represent little risk.

The jury of Guardian readers

Should Lynsey give Ava your own towel?

Ava has already said that he will wear a towel throughout the week so that the laundry load decreases a lot. The guilt about the planet and mental health seems a bit excessive about this element.
Sofia, 32

It is completely reasonable to ask for a towel for exclusive use. I understand that washing can be overwhelming, but an additional towel for the good that Ava feels comfortable and clean is not really a problem.
Sam, 30

It is perfectly reasonable for Ava to bring the line by sharing towels. After all, they not only dry you, but they double as exfoliators for dead skin, just something you want to inherit from anyone, even the family. Lynsey should respect that limit and, in return, Ava could help with washing.
Matthew, 50

I am absolutely with Ava in this case. You dry the intimate areas with a towel, the last thing I would like to do is share it with any other person, even the family. I sympathize with Lynsey's environmental concerns, but surely Ava can have a towel per week for your own personal use.
Anna, 45

I am a recovered towel thief in my family. I think it is good to save the environment and the water invoice sharing towels: it is already clean when you use one, after all. Anyway, some shared germs will maintain their immune system on their feet fingers.
Kitty, 33

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