Woman Doesn't Know If Her Relationship Can Survive Her Boyfriend's 'One Towel System'

Everyone has their own self-care habits that they stick to, and even their own ideas about what’s truly hygienic. This can make it challenging for people with different standards to be in a relationship, but not impossible.

But for one woman, there might just not be a way to move forward with her boyfriend. She said his questionable habit is “actually making me lose my mind,” and, quite honestly, I don’t blame her. The conflict stems from the fact that her boyfriend thinks he only needs one towel … for absolutely everything.

The woman feels like they’ve ‘hit a wall’ as a couple over towel usage, which she never expected to be a problem.

In a Reddit post, she explained that she’s been living with her boyfriend for six months, and everything is going pretty well overall. They seem to agree on all of the big issues, but there’s one minor thing that she didn’t anticipate. “He uses one towel for everything,” she said. “I mean everything.”

Ron Lach | Pexels

She continued, “He uses it for his face and his feet and his gym sweat and then hangs it back up in a crumpled heap in a bathroom with zero ventilation.” The singular towel has also developed a concerning “sour smell.” Things got so bad that she decided to wash the towel herself after he had used it for three weeks straight, which meant she “practically had to peel it off the hook.”

As for her boyfriend, he sees no problem with his downright disgusting habit. According to her, “His logic is that since he only uses it when he is ‘clean’ from the shower, the towel stays clean forever.” When she tried to do him a favor by washing it, “he actually got annoyed because he said I was ruining the ‘break in’ period and now he had to use a fresh one that wasn’t as absorbent.”

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Others pointed out she might not be the best person to judge the situation, but it does sound like it’s gotten completely out of hand.

Her boyfriend called her own hygiene habits “extra,” and he’s not entirely wrong. She described her system as “normal,” although it requires the use of a microfiber towel for her hair, a soft bamboo towel for her face, and a “big plush one” for the rest of her body.

Sora Shimazaki | Pexels

One Reddit commenter said they’re simply “on opposite sides of the towel system spectrum,” which is true. Their relationship could improve if they both found a way to look past how the other uses towels. The boyfriend might have put the proverbial nail in the coffin with his latest move, though.

“The other night, I saw him use his ‘everything towel’ to wipe a spill off the floor and then he just hung it right back up next to my face towel,” she wrote. “I almost packed my bags right then and there.” Another Reddit user might just have spoken for everyone who came across this unfortunate post when they commented, “I don’t have enough life for this.”

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This man may see his method as convenient, but he’s exposing himself to a major health hazard.

The woman emphasized multiple times throughout her post that she has tried to appeal to her boyfriend’s logic (if he has any) and remind him that using the same towel constantly can be a health risk, but he actually accused her of being a “victim of marketing” for believing towels need to be washed regularly, so that didn’t work well.

In news that is sure to be validating for her, dermatologist Alok Vij, MD, said that towels typically need to be washed at least once a week. Otherwise, there’s a serious risk that they could grow things like bacteria and mold that cause infections and viruses.

Gustavo Fring | Pexels

Experts noted that being grossed out by your partner’s hygiene habits can be an obstacle in your relationship, but it doesn’t mean there’s no hope. You can try to talk about and work through things, and possibly find some acceptable middle ground.

This woman is clearly on a completely different page than her boyfriend, though. It might be time for her to move on and find someone who understands the value of using multiple towels.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.