September 2, 2022

Amba Products, a supplier of heated towel racks, has conducted and recently released a third-party study by EMSL Analytical Inc. testing the “Efficacy of a Heated Towel Rack to Reduce Bacterial Growth on Towels Under Daily Wetting Conditions.” According to the study results, the growth of bacteria is significantly reduced on heat-dried towels.

There is evidence that a towel dried after use reduces bacterial growth on towels, according to a study performed in 2021 by the African Journal of Infectious Diseases (AJID). Handled (used) towels will harbor microbes. The study found a correlation between a towel’s drying time and the number of microbes and bacteria the towel contained. It was also determined that microbial growth was killed on towels dried outside, which supports a 2018 report that ultraviolet rays (sun rays) are a sanitizing agent.

But drying towels outside to prevent bacterial growth is not practical for most people. So Amba decided to put the heated towel rack to the test. The company commissioned EMSL Analytical Inc., a leading environmental testing firm to perform the test.

Two simulations were tested. The first measured the amount of organic soiling (dirt) accumulating on the towel from use, and the second test focused on organic soiling and bacteria from human skin. The test was performed over seven days, simulating wetted towels during normal household use.

The test results showed that drying towels on a heated towel rack dramatically reduced bacteria. For example, after seven days, an unheated towel produced 890,000,000 colony-forming units (CFUs) compared to 520,000 CFUs from a heated towel – a decrease in growth of more than 99%.  Furthermore, the tests also showed a heat-dried towel produced a fresh and or pleasant odor during a seven-day period, whereas the unheated sample produced a musty smell by the fourth day.

Based on these test results, using a heated towel rack not only provides comfort and time savings on laundry, but heated towels will also reduce the number of bacteria contained in towels. To read the full report is available here.