TOWEL

Miracle towel, €29.50, miraclebrand.co

CLAIM: The cotton in these hand towels is infused with silver to kill odourcausing bacteria. They dry twice as fast as normal towels and stay fresh three times longer, the maker says. EXPERT VERDICT: Silver or copper nanoparticles reduce the ability of bacteria to reproduce by affecting their DNA. We see this on pure metal particles in the lab — but does it work woven into a towel? I’m not so sure. This might help slow bacterial growth slightly, but it can’t replace washing and fully drying. If the towels dry fast, that’s good, as bacteria has less time to multiply. But, frankly, you should just wash towels regularly at 60c or, ideally, at 90c.

4/10