Re: Is it harmful to use wet or used wachcloths?

I can't say that I have performed this experiment or that I've seen 
published reports about this subject.  The answer I give is an informed 
opinion.

The entire world is covered in bacteria.  They are found on all surfaces.  
And bacteria are found in all washcloths, whether wet or dry, used or 
unused.  The same can be said of fungi.  Some of these microbes may be 
pathogens, although most are likely not pathogenic.

Bacteria require moist environments to grow as water is the solvent of life.  
Some bacteria tolerate dry conditions better than others.  Fungi do better 
than bacteria in most cases under dry conditions.  In my mind, wetting a 
washcloth will initiate the growth of microbes.  As microbes grow quickly, 
there can be significant growth and multiplication in the time that it takes 
a washcloth to dry.  We are all familiar with the musty odors associated 
with old washcloths.  These are due in large part to microbial activity.

When we dry ourselves with a washcloth, we contaminate it with skin cells 
and with the microbes on our skin.  This will contribute to the growth and 
proliferation of microbes in the washcloth.

So certainly the answer to the first question is, yes, microbes will grow in 
a wet washcloth.

The second question is whether this is a health hazard.  This comes down to 
a numbers game.  It is not possible to predict the pathogens that may be 
hidden in the washcloth.  Recognize that laudering does not sterilize the 
washcloth.  Some of the microbes from the last user(s) will remain even 
after a run through the washing machine.  But in general, the numbers of 
microbes will be lower, likely lower than what you would have to contact to 
acquire disease.

Of course, if you have a cut, pathogens could enter there causing infection.  
These types of microbes, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, are likely on 
your skin anyway, or on the table, the doorknob, or the soil.  A wet 
washcloth may harbor more fungi that can cause skin infections like 
ringworm.  That would be my biggest concern.  If the washcloth was used to 
wash 'downstairs', anywhere your jockey shorts would cover, then there is 
the possibility that other pathogens may inhabit the cloth, perhaps those 
associated with diarrhea, perhaps even the eggs of roundworms.  If you wipe 
downstairs and then wipe your face, you could infect yourself with these 
organisms.  Again, it is a numbers game and transmission like this is 
relatively unlikely, especially in the shower.

Overall, the washcloth is never sterile.  There is always the possibility of 
contacting pathogens.  Just because you use the washcloth exclusively, 
without sharing, doesn't make it clean.  But overall, the risks are small, 
unless the uncleanliness of the washcloth is taken to the extreme.

Hope this helps.