Getting Towels Back to Their Fresh Clean Smell

Get some lemon oil extract and add a few drops to the laundry cycle. (available at Fruitful Yield, NOW brand) If that doesn't do it get some Lavendar extract and add that, (a few drops) to the rinse cycle. also, available at Fruitful Yield Health food store, the NOW brand.

My husband introduced me to this: Ariel. It is sold in little Mexican shops. He would put it in with the regular soap about a quarter cup, when he was washing his oily clothes for work. Ah, it smells wonderful. And I am still madly in love with him. The pink kind is good and smells the best to me. I think there is a store over near you LaHuerta, and across from Menards is a larger store with Hispanic groceries as well as reasonable prices. Try those places.

Maybe the towels are sitting a day or two before getting washed. Are they being left in a hamper or on the floor all day? Maybe wet towels are on the teens closet floor for a day or then some. Anyway, those habits must stop. Wash the towels in hot soapy water with 1/3 to 1/2 a box of baking soda. Don't overcrowd the tub. Use enough water to completely cover the the load. Don't use liquid softener in the tub. Hang the towels outdoors in the sun (even if you have to lay them flat on your picnic table). Air has to circulate thru the towel and softener blocks that from happening. When towels are dry, put in the dryer for 10 minutes with a fabric softener sheet or two. p.s. it wouldn't hurt to let the washer go thru a wash cycle with Lysol liquid cleaner-largest tub or all interior parts of machine are being exposed. Leave the lid open on machine after it completed the cycles, ALWAYS.

I'd go with adding baking soda or Oxi Clean.

P.- You don't say what type of washer you have- top loader or front loader. The product I use is specifically for front loaders but will probably work with top loaders as well. It is called Smelly Washer. I get it online at smellywasher.com. However more companies are coming out with similar products. One is called Affresh and may be available at regular retail outlets. You first put the towels through a wash cycle using only the product (you may want to let them soak in it for a couple of hours). Then you wash again in your regular detergent.
Good luck.

Have you tried throwing a little COLOR SAFE bleach in?

I swear by Borax - I had a load go sour a while back and saw that it was a) half the price of the febreeze laundry stuff, b)is indorsed by the queen of clean or at least was at the time and c) said it deodorizes. That's an understatement to it's benefits! I had towels in that load that I'd been given years before for my wedding shower that I'd given up hope that they'd ever come clean. They not only didn't stink after the washer/dryer they looked brand spanking new! It works really great with bleach to bring whites whiter. You can find it in the laundry additive section. Another option is baking soda, but honestly I've never had a problem with the borax, though occasionally I've had to wash more than once. Hope that helps you.

Hi P.,
I use Arm and Hammer Baking Soda in the laundry. I buy the jumbo boxes of baking soda and add it to most of my loads of laundry. It freshens everything and helps to get rid of odors. I also make sure to let the towels dry thoroughly before removing them from the dryer. That helps prevent them from getting that musty odor. Hope that helps.

I've heard the baking soda solution. I've tried it and it works pretty well.

The problem is in the laundry product you are using. I heard a story from a few years ago that there was a town in Wisconsin where a tanker full of anhydrous ammonia tipped over and the town was evacuated for a week. When people returned to their homes a week later, the washing machines were still loaded with wet smelly clothes, all except this one person who talked about the only difference is the laudry product she used. She didn't have mold or smells and was amazed. ( It is the fillers they use that get moldy)

This happened to me I was using Tide with Downey and Downey fabric sofnter. No matter what I did the smell was horrible. I was about to throw all of my towels away and buy new ones but I tried Arm and Hammer laundry detergent and cut out the fabric softner. With one wash my towels were fresh and clean! I'm not sure why the combination I was using affected only the towels, my clothes were always fine. I was able to find several complaints online from others regarding the same issue, try the arm & hammer, I have used it ever since and had absolutly no problems!

Hi P.. Just yesterday I was at our local Ace Hardware and saw a product by the check out called "Smelly Washer"!! I briefly read the ad while waiting in line. It said it gets rid of the musty moldy smell. Maybe it would work on your towels? We have the problem of a smell inside our relatively new washing machine, so I think I may go back and buy some. There was no price listed on the shelf but it may be worth a shot? Good luck smelling sweet again!
K.

I have the exact same problem with my towels too. I started pouring a capful of liquid fabric softener into the water - as well as using the usual amount in the cup that releases it into the cycle. It seems to work OK. If you just do a load of these particular towels, you may need to play around with the extra amounts you add. You may need to add more than one capful to get the smell out of an entire load of towels. Also, Snuggle and Downy have some really nice frangrances added to the softener. It costs too much to use in every load, but maybe for just the towels, you may want to consider it.

I don't have good advice, just the same problem! It does seem better if I dry them immediately after the washer finishes, as you mentioned. We have the worst problems with this in the spring and fall, when the heat or air conditioner are not on regularly. The towels don't dry well when they are hung up after showers during these times. Good luck!

Hello P....

I didn't have the time to read all of the requests, so I apologize if I am repeating...but, here is what I recommend from my experience...

First... you can check out a great product at www.smellytowel.com

OTHERWISE...

Here is what I recommend:

If you are using a new fangled, high efficiency front loading washer, like I am, I have learned (now being on my second one) that they are notorious for harboring mildew--which can transfer onto the items you are washing. So, if you do have one of these machines, you might want to open the door and give it a good sniff--if the washer itself smells musty, then you might want to start by cleaning it first by spraying the gasket with a solution of oxy powder (it will tell you how to dilute it right on the tub and you definitely want a heavy solution)...allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before wiping. Then, run the washer on the sanitary cycle (having dumped a fully rounded scoop of the Oxy Powder into the machine itself---because I've also learned from experience that putting it into the dispenser can sometimes cause it to clog) and then pour plain white vinegar, yes, into the fabric softener dispenser, and run your cycle.

When the cycle is done, wipe the gasket down well and leave the door open in order to allow the machine to air out--overnight if possible. These steps should remove any existing mildew. If it's really bad...you may have to do this twice.

HOWEVER...

If your washer is not adding to the problem, then here is what I recommend for the towels themselves: And, please note that I only recommend doing this to your everyday towels that you wouldn't mind possibly fading...as they may do so in order to truly sanitize them...

First, place towels into your washer and allow them to soak in a tub of hot water with 1/4 cup of baking soda...run a rinse cycle and then run another cycle and wash them in VERY hot water with 1/2 cup baking soda (1/4 cup for just a few towels), 1/4 cup borax (or 1/3 for a few) and add vinegar (about 1/4 cup for small-mid load, 1/2 cup for larger) to the rinse cycle. If possible, you may want to observe the rinse water for any sudsing. If you observe any soapy bubbles in the rinse water, you may need to repeat the first step...it may take a few rinses due to the fact that the towel fibers are releasing all of the residue. If there is no residue, then dry them immediately and thoroughly.

Just so you know...liquid fabric softeners can build up on towels making them less absorbent. I learned early on that most labels tell you to use much more than you need, so you might even want to try backing off on the amounts of detergent/fabric softener that you are using...it is not true that the more you use of them the cleaner/softer your clothing will be. Lots of things like mildew, smells and even dirt/grime will want to cling to your items from the residue that is left over. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle will naturally soften towels and help retard mildew growth. I use Borax in place of fabric softeners, and I always use baking soda along with my detergent--and I also cut back on the amount it says to use in order to eliminate any residue. Note: Use only a white vinegar...not balsamic or cider.

I sure hope this helps!! ~Kimberly

First I would use the "Smelly Washer" type product on your washing machine, there are different brands to choose from to clean your washing maching. And then bleach your towels, if they are light colored it won't matter, if you have dark colored towels bleach is definitely not going to make them look pretty, but that will take the smell away, i used to have to do that to my smelly towels. Good luck!