I went to a summer camp in early August and when I was packing my stuff back up I put my cotton beach towel in a black bag and forgot about it until now (early november). I washed it and the smell is gone, but is it ok to use? Is there any fungus in it?
By julie
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Wash it with bleach and hot water. Even if the stains do stay in, its still usable. Although there will be people who freak out and tell you to throw it away. I had a favorite towel in Jr high that I let mildew, so I washed it, but the stains stayed. I used it for years after that and I survived just fine, and I even have super sensitive annoying skin, so you are good :)
Yes, it would not kill you anyway, unless you tried to eat it (and probably not even then). :) Dorinmoz is correct.
If this is a colored towel, don't bleach it. This will remove or change the color. If there are still mildew stains in it, you may not care, in which case, go for it. If you are worried about it, you can boil it in a large pot for 10 minutes or so. No soap. Just boiling water. This is what they did in the olden days to sterilize laundry.
However, all that being said, it is likely just fine the way it is now. It is certainly safe to use. Mildew that grows on damp clothes can be stinky, but isn't harmful.
Bleach will definitely lighten or ruin colored towels but it will definitely kill all the mold spores.
Hot water will do the same thing. So it you don't want to ruin the colors, just soak it in hot water and detergents. Add peroxide to whiten it a bit.
I have used 20 Mule Team Borax with my regular detergent to get rid of that kind of smell, sometimes I also add some kind of pine cleaner to the wash cycle, then I rinse twice. Works for me!
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