Dry Right

It's no surprise that Americans love to bathe; roughly two billion towels and washcloths are sold annually in the U.S. And given our insatiable obsession with ridding ourselves of germs and microbes, some manufacturers are working hard to convince us that we need towels treated with the antimicrobial chemical triclosan to eliminate them.

But triclosan has been found to react with chlorinated water to form chloroform, a probable human carcinogen that may also contain or break down into a form of dioxin when exposed to sunlight. The chemical also builds up in the fatty tissue of the fish that end up on your plate and is toxic to aquatic organisms at high levels. Furthermore, a 2004 study found that a harmful strain of E. coli bacteria that survived treatment with triclosan became less susceptible to seven of 12 antibiotics tested.

Manufacturers are using these often unnecessary antibacterial treatments on towels as a marketing tool, exploiting the public's fear of germs. Studies show shared towels can spread staph bacteria, says Stuart Levy, M.D., president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, but that doesn't mean towels need, or even benefit from, added chemicals. "Triclosan in towels won't necessarily inhibit bacterial growth," he says. "And if the chemical leaches out of the towels [as they're washed], it further contributes to the environmental load of triclosan. I just don't see the benefit."

Why risk the uncertainty when, with a little care and proper laundering, towels can be as germ-free (and pesticide-free, if you choose one of the natural alternatives below) as you desire?

Bath sets include one washcloth, one hand towel and one standard bath towel:

CB2 bamboo/conventional cotton set ($36.85; www.cb2.com, 800-606-6252); Mad Mod Bamboo Comfort towel sets ($58; www.mad-mod.com, 615-297-5050); EcoBathroom pure bamboo ($60), organic cotton ($49) or bamboo/organic cotton sets ($109; www.ecobathroom.com); SDH Legna wood fiber bath towels and washcloths made with wood pulp from well-managed forests ($122; www.home-environment.com, 877-251-4905); Euro-Luxury organic linen ($72) and European hemp ($72) "Grand" towel sets (www.rawganique.com, 877-729-4367).

For the floor, check out the affordable, large organic cotton bath mat from Eco Existing ($14.65; www.ecoexisting.com, 864-286-6679).