The Problem
Microorganisms are found everywhere in the environment. All they require to grow and multiply is water, carbon, nitrogen and organic materials to feed off of. Bath towels, by virtue of their inherent characteristics and proximity to our bodies, provide the perfect breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria. As the bacteria break down the organic materials in our towels they release a foul, musty odor that we’re all too familiar with.
In a recent article by Time Health, they discovered that hand towels that hang next to your bathroom sink are one of the top 5 dirtiest items found in homes.
“Bacteria like to grow in wet, moist conditions,” Gerba explains. Towels are made to absorb water, which is great for drying your skin, but not so great when it comes to discouraging bacterial incubation. “Most people don’t wash their hands properly,” he says. So when you grab that towel, you’re rubbing bacteria into an ideal growing environment—and one few people bother to wash more than once every week or two. You should be washing all towels—including the one you grab after showering—after two days of use, he says.
Citing another article by Time Health, an outbreak of MRSA, caused by Staph aureus (which our towel is proven to eliminate up to 99%) was transmitted through dirty towels!
Even outside of the home, towels have indeed been shown to help spread infection. “I worry about towels that remain damp or moist,” says Susan Whittier, director of clinical microbiology at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center. “That’s a breeding ground for MRSA,” an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Some people carry it on their skin or in their nose without getting sick. But research has shown that passing the bacteria along can infect others. Sports teams, the members of which tend to share things and have frequent skin contact, are especially vulnerable. After a 2003 outbreak of MRSA among college football players in Los Angeles, a study found that sharing towels on the field helped facilitate the transmission of the infection.
The Solution
After reliving this experience over and over we decided there had to be a better way. We poured over case studies regarding textiles and bacteria growth to find a natural, efficient way to eliminate nasty odor-causing bacteria from growing on our towels. It was then we discovered a natural, efficient and permanent technology that would solve this funky problem – pure silver. Silver kills bacteria by binding with proteins inside and outside of the bacteria’s cell membrane thus inhibiting the bacteria’s essential need for respiration. In multiple case studies silver was shown to have eliminated up to 99.9% of bacteria from the sample.
We’ve partnered with an internationally recognized partner to permanently infuse our towels with natural, recycled silver salts. This technology is not a nanotechnology and therefore poses to risks to your skin or the environment. Additionally, it has received Medical Class 1 approval in Europe, the same class that includes bandages for direct contact with open wounds. They've partnered with brands like The North Face, Lululemon, Adidas and Patagonia to protect their garments from smelly bacteria growth.
This silver treatment prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi at the source, permanently. Our towels are proven, by a third party lab, to eliminate up to 99% of Staph aureus, the bacterium responsible for nasty staph infections. See below for our Certificate of Analysis.
Finally, what good is a bath towel if it’s not comfortable? That’s why we opted to use Supima, the world’s finest cotton. 100% American-grown, Supima cotton is inherently softer and more luxurious due to its extra-long fibers. The length of the fiber produces smoother, cleaner yarns that result in a softer towel that resists pilling. This means that your towel will feel lusciously soft and only get softer as time passes. It’s twice as strong as regular cotton which makes for extraordinarily resilient bath towels. The longer fiber resists tearing and pulling, resulting in a longer-lasting product.
We use a premium, zero twist process that "opens" up and exposes more of each cotton fiber to maximize breathability, absorption, and comfort.
The Conclusion
If you’re tired of the same cycle and want to save money, time, water and energy then it’s time to switch to nutrl. Here at nutrl we promise to create sustainable products that are part of the solution and not the problem. We’re working hard with all our partners to get nutrl in your hands and in your home.
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Sincerely,
The nutrl team.