Smelly Towels - Genoa,IL

Ammonia has always worked for me to get mildewy smells out. Just wash as usual, add about a cup of ammonia. The laundry comes out clean and smelling good. Also great for when you've forgotten a load in the washer for a few days and it mildews!

We have a front loader, and was told it was mildew growing b/c the door's always closed. Makes sense..so we keep the front door open to dry always. then use Downey fabric softener in with the regular wash, and still use a fabric sheet in the dryer. Hope it helps.

Also, about every couple of months we run something called AFFRESH (only sold at HomeDepot) and run that every couple of months to clean the mildew in the front loader. But I will try the vinegar!

Hi K., I had this same problem - so I asked my mother who grew up on a farm with well water. She told me to put ammonia in the wash water with detergent. It works!
My boys are football players and some of their shirts smell horrible - so I always add ammonia in the wash water to help get rid of the smell. Hope this works for you too.
J.

Hi K.,

I use white vinegar. Links below should be of help.

Here are a few links for tips for using vinegar:
http://www.vinegartips.com/

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html

http://www.lifescript.com/channels/healthy_living/Life_Ti...

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/go/index.php/357/uses-...

Linda

I know I am late in responding to this, but we went through the same thing and fought the smell and fought the smell. We used Affresh in our front-loading machine and covered it with fabric softeners like others suggested. It helped, but didn't solve the problem. Then we used the vinegar tricks in the rinse cycle, etc. It helped, but didn't solve the problem. We finally had to switch to using Charlie Soap (see http://www.charliesoap.com/) and after washing everything once or twice in the new soap, problem solved. I read somewhere that modern detergents don't actually CLEAN anything, they just use fabric brighteners so you don't "notice" the dirt. Gross!!!!

Also, I want to mention to everyone here with a front loader - you are not supposed to use fabric softener in there. You could actually be voiding your warranty as the manual on most of them says NOT to use liquid fabric softeners. Why do they put a dispenser? I don't know. I use vinegar as my fabric softener now (with the Charlie Soap) and my washer smells better, my towels smell clean (not mildewy) and my clothes actually come clean (little stains and such are coming out where as before I had to pre-treat every stain and then hope for the best).

Sorry for the late advice - hope you find the right combo for you!

Another late response. We don't see all the requests from your part of the country.
OK, had this problem years ago. I tried all the things the others mentioned. Then I needed a service call and right before he left I mentioned it to the repairman. He said "Oh! I know what that is!" He had taken the 'lid' so to speak off of my top loader and showed me a ring of dried dog hair, human hair, lint and minerals that was near the top of the highest water line but it was BEHIND the part of the drum that you see with your eye. He started scraping it off and then told me to finish. I smelled this caked-on mixture and it smelled of mildew so bad I nearly gagged. Anyway, problem solved- odor never came back.

The problem isn't your detergent or towels or fabric softener.... that wouldn't make sense.

The reason vinegar sometimes works is because it can dissolve minerals. If you have a ring like this hidden in your washer, it will infect your wash over and over and I bet it's worse when the washer is full, like with towels. If you can't get to this problem with a screwdriver, I would run some straight vinegar- maybe the whole gallon a few times with a large load of water. It will take a while for a cup of vinegar to dissolve this mess.

It's possible the problem is coming from the washer.
Fill washer with bleach/water about 1 cup to full tub and let it sit for a few hours.
Let it go through the rinse cycle after then.

When ready to wash again add 1/2 to 1 cup baking soda to your wash load and not only will the odor be gone but they will be brighter and fresh.
There are large boxes of baking soda available on the cleaning supply isle at Walmart and many grocery stores.

Hope this helps.
Merry Christmas

add about 1 cup of vinegar to the final rinse. then dry the towels with a clean, dry towel to help them dry faster. using a little baking soda in the wash might help, too

I too had this problem and read on here to try white vinegar in the rinse cycle. Problem solved!!! Use about a cup with each load. You will smell it in your laundry room but not on the laundry. It also worked on my boyfriend's work clothes that always smelled HORRIBLE! We would wash them 3 times and they would still smell. Now we wash them once with about a cup of white vinegar as well. Tada - fresh smelling clothes everytime! And you can't beat the cost. A gallon of the generic brand is around $2 or a little less. Good luck.

My mom use to own a dry cleaner and she says not to use any kind of fabric softner when you wash the towels. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of Borax (you can buy it anywhere found by the other detergents)in with your detergent when washing. When you dry also do not use any dryer sheets. You dont have to worry about washing twice or soaking ahead of time. Hope it helps you, it seems to work great for me. Good luck.

add 1 cup of baking soda and 2 tsp of vinaigre to the laundry or buy new towels (:

Have you tried cleaning out your washing machine? I had this problem about a year ago & I found this web site called www.smellywasher.com/ This stuff really works. It's a pain to do but well worth it. I've used it twice this year and I haven't had the problem since.
Good luck

I am a mother of 4 and we too sometimes get those towels that have a mildew smell I use a cup of viniger in with our wash. I have found the viniger gets out a lot of smells.
I hope it works for you.

A friend told me to pour a little bit of vinegar in with the regular detergent and just wash as normal. This took that gross mildew smell out of my kitchen towels. It just wouldn't come out after multiple washes, but one wash with maybe 1/2 to 1 c. of plain white vinegar and it worked like a charm! Good luck!

Baking Soda..... 1/2 - 1 cup per load.

Hi K.-
My dad and step-mom have the same problem. We've narrowed it down to 1 of 2 things (or both) - a) the wet towels are sitting too long in washer before going into dryer OR/AND (b) the towels are not getting hot enough and drying throughout in the dryer. Also, my step-mom was hanging them to dry on the line outside sometimes and never really got dry before they came in. Not sure that will help but hope your problem disappears for you! Good luck!

One Mom mentioned running your washing machine on the hot cycle without any clothes, using 1 cup vinegar as the detergent and using bleach in the bleach cycle.

Then, run your towels on the hottest water you are comfortable with, using your detergent plus 1 cup of vinegar. Get them into the dryer as soon as the washer is complete and dry completely on high heat.

See if that does the trick.

THANK YOU!!!

Everyone who has helped K., well in return you have helped me!! I did not know the problem I was having with smelly towels and would try and try with Pine-Sol to wash out the washer!!

lol I thought I was the only one with the Smelly Towels Mystery!!

Happy Holidays and Thank You for the BEST gift ever!!

~R. ^_^

I've never had a problem with smelly towel. I've always just washed my towels in hot water with Tide. That's it.

i use Oxy-Clean in every load of my wash. You can also presoak with Oxy-Clean.
Second do you wash with hot, warm or cold water. i use cold water for a lot of my wash loads but with problem like with I would use hot water to make sure all the germs are being killed. Also make sure to use the hottest cycle in your dryer.

S.

One more idea. . . .years ago I heard someone on TV give this idea and it has always worked for me. Listerine. I routinely use Listerine (the original, not mint) when I wash towels, just pouring a splash (maybe about 1/2 cup but I don't measure) in as the washer is filling. If I have stubborn stinky towels, ones that sat wet too long, then I use a little more and let it soak in warm water along with all-fabric bleach for a couple of hours, or even overnight. Then wash as usual and they are fine. Generic Listerine is really cheap at Walmart and I keep a big bottle by the washer.

Hi K.,

I've found what works with any smelly or mildewy clothes is to throw 1 cup of ammonia in the wash with detergent and rinse twice. Works for us!

Good luck!

Oh my gosh, thanks for asking this question...you must have read my mind.
I have the same problem and I have been meaning to ask about it, but have been too busy.
Thanks to all for your helpful advice!

Try an extra wash cycle, and use fabric softener/dryer sheets. Fixes the problem for us every time. My husband washes the towels and almost always forgets that they need to be moved to the dryer. After the next wash cycle we have no problems.

soak in vinegar than add more to rinse cycle. i had been throwing towels away left and right until i tried this. it works. make sure they get dried right away. DO NOT LET THEM SIT IN THE WASHER AND DRYER WET.

You have great advice, but I read that tea tree oil can work for removing bacteria. Only use a little (which is good because it is so expensive).
And Martha Stewart says that fabric softner on towels retards their absorbancy. FYI

My mother-in-law has this problem and I have wondered how to tell her without hurting her feelings.
At least now I have some great advice to pass along when I bring it up.

Thanks for asking, K.. And thanks to all who responded!

C. P

Wash all of them and hang them out to dry in the sunshine. Use Downy in the rinse water.

I had the same issue with my towels. Now when I wash them I add clorax2, along with fab. softner. I also use the same sent for the dryer sheets. It worked for me, Good Luck!!!

I put just a little bleach in the wash. It doesn't really affect the color, as my towels are dark grey I was worried about getting them stained, but just a little bleach works great! I've tried vinegar, but bleach seems to work better...

What a great question! Im glad you asked because I thought I was the only one!! lol Thanks

I wonder if a splash of white vinegar poured in while on it's rinse cycle would air out this smell? Good old vinegar helps for so many things. I keep a big jug of it nearby all the time.

Two things I would add to the responses you got. First, bleach is a carcinagen and is terrible for the environment. Don't use it if you can at all avoid it. Second, be careful where you hang your towels. If you are hanging them on an old wooden rack or anything that can absorb smells, that may be where your mildew smell is coming from.
L.

Hi K.,
I have this problem and am actually soaking my towels as I type to you! I use hot water, 1 1/2 cups of white vinegar, let soak about an hour, finish the wash cycle. Then run another wash cycle like you normally would with your detergent only. As soon as the wash is done put them in the dryer and dry completely.
I read and have heard on the "Today" show you should not use any type of fabric softner with towels so I have stopped doing that - no liquid Downey and no Bounce sheets. I forget exactly why you shouldn't use it but since I've stopped using fabric softner and using the white vinegar my towels have gotten rid of the mildew smell.
Hope this helps!
M. T

Baking soda and vinigar work wonderful.

Me, too.... Can't wait to read the replies!

Kristin,

Thank you for asking this question. I have the same problem. I will check to see what your responses are.

H.

You know I have noticed that over the years, too. With 4 kids, I have literally just gone to washing the towels after each use and that seems to have cut it down. We used to use them twice. Granted, more laundry, but we don't go through towels like we used to.

K.,
Just a caution on the vinegar - or anything acidic - don't let it sit for any amount of time in your washer - it will erode anywhere not plastic or ceramic, and start oxidizing (rusting) the metal.

Good Luck,
M.

Bleach works for me...but the smell returns after being used for a few days.

Reading all these great suggestions made me think of an important WARNING to be aware of in general. I noticed that some people suggested Bleach... another suggested Ammonia. PLEASE don't EVER combine these two under any circumstances. They will produce a toxic gas that will burn and damage your lungs permanently. I know someone that this happened to. Just wanted you all to know.