Behind the scenes
Italy’s the leader in cleaning – Germany’s just average
by Tobias Heller
Galaxus survey: 7 in 10 people in Germany dry off with dirty bath towels
25.4.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
A representative survey conducted in Europe reveals: half of all respondents use filthy cloths and sponges to clean their pots and pans. Women use cleaner kitchen towels than men. And people in Switzerland have the filthiest bath towels, but the Germans are hot on their heels.
Cleanliness around the house is one of the most common reasons for an argument in relationships (page in German). Who was supposed to get rid of that the smelly sponge again? Speaking of which, the shower towels are in desperate need of a wash. Different cleanliness standards are a classic relationship killer.
So how dirty are people’s homes really? Are there big differences in Europe? And is it men or women who keep their homes cleaner? These and other questions were asked in a representative survey conducted by market researcher YouGov Switzerland on behalf of online retailer Galaxus. 2,673 people took part in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy.
Teaming with bacteria: kitchen sponges
The rule of thumb for the kitchen is: anything that regularly gets damp and is exposed to food should be replaced at least once a week. In other words, kitchen sponges, cloths and towels need to be replaced on a weekly basis (page in German).
According to the Galaxus survey, you’ll find the most germ-ridden kitchen sponges in French and Italian homes. In France, more than three quarters of respondents don’t chuck their sponges often enough. In Italy, it’s more than two thirds.
In comparison, Austrians keep their pots and pans much cleaner. Six in ten people there replace their kitchen sponge at least once a week, as recommended.
When it comes to hygiene standards, no difference was detected between men and women. Instead, the results revealed that more than half of men and women in Europe wash their dishes with dirty rags and sponges.
Doing the dirty work
Although they’re not leading by example with their sponges, the Italians do have the cleanest dishcloths in Europe. By contrast, one in five people in Germany and Austria wait over a week to replace their cloths, which is too long.
Turns out, the older people are, the more important clean kitchen cloths become. While 70 per cent of respondents aged 15 to 29 change their dishcloths at least once a week, the figure for 60 to 79-year-olds is 84 per cent.
Tea towels forgotten by men
The Italians are also spearheading Europe’s hygiene ranking when it comes to clean tea towels. Who knows? Maybe it’s because homemade pasta only deserves to be handled by the cleanest hands. But Austria’s in close second place. In French kitchens, it might be better to air-dry your dishes and hands, as one in five people in France don’t change their kitchen towels often enough.
Men replace tea towels significantly less often than women. Just under 20 per cent of the men surveyed use their kitchen towels for over a week without washing them.
As with kitchen rags, people seem to increase their cleanliness levels the older they get. While one in four people under 30 use tea towels for longer than recommended, it’s only one in ten among people over 60.
From the shower to the dirty towel
The New York Times recommends changing textiles in the bathroom after a few uses. In other words, bath towels should be washed roughly every three days.
Europe’s leading country by far when it comes to using dirty bath towels is Switzerland. It’s where just under nine out of ten people dry themselves off with towels that are long overdue a wash. As a reminder, the official recommendation is to pop bath towels in the washing machine every three days. Germany and France come in joint second with seven in ten people using dirty towels. In Austria and Italy, this figure is «only» just under six in ten.
While women pay slightly more attention to keeping their towels clean, 66 per cent of them still don’t change them often enough. The same applies to 71 per cent of men. But there’s hope. The older people get, the more likely they are to wash their towels every few days as recommended.
How often do you change your kitchen sponge? Do you dry off with a fresh towel every time you’ve showered? Are there items in your home that are long overdue a wash? Let us know in the comments!
Header image: Shutterstock
Jana Pense
Communications Manager
Jana.Pense@galaxus.de
