We just recently moved into a house with hard water, but we have a water softener.. since we've moved here we've had this issue with our towels. sometimes they smell kind of metallic , other times very musty ( sometimes like old French fries) I don't know what it is, any ideas?
I have found that using half the amount of soap that you usually use is good for everything. I've never had a problem with bad smelling towels or clothes not being clean. You can also add an extra rinse cycle. Good Luck.
When working in the kennels at the vet hospital I learned from a professional cleaner that if you wash anything that has feces or urine on them you need to put 1/4 c. clorine bleach in the washer. I add it to the water and swish it a bit before adding the clothes to be sure it's mixed well. It will disinfect the clothes without bleaching the colors and get rid of any smells. I use this at home also and it does work, even on other smells.
I use baking soda in the wash with detergent, hot water, then two rinses. I put fabric softener in the final rinse. I would use vinegar but my DH wants the towels to smell flowery. He doesn't care about the absorbency as long as they smell like a mountain breeze or a summer bouquet!! I also dry them in the dryer and put extra time because I have problems with them smelling if they are the least bit damp when I put them away.
Use baking soda in the wash with the towels. Do not use it with the vinegar, as they will cancel each other out. About a cup per large load of laundry should do it. Ammonia also works, but tends to change the colors of the towels. If the towels are white, you can just bleach them, but if they are colored you have to use other methods.
After you wash them in vinegar, hang them out on the line to dry in the sun. If you know it's going to rain you could leave them out to get rained on and then let them dry again. I found that the rain and sun helped to freshen mine!
I use my towels only two times (drying thoroughly between uses) before washing them again. Prevention is key when it comes to smelly towels. To remove the stale odor, I would recommend you wash them with a cup of white vinegar (use no detergent) and have them go through the entire wash cycle.
After they've gone through the final spin cycle, wash as you normally would with detergent. If you have a clothes line, let them line dry every so often and fluff them in the dryer when they are completely dry. Hope this helps!
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Request: Fresh Smelling Towels
Archived on 03/21/2008
How can I get my bath and kitchen towels to smell fresh? These items get used VERY frequently in my house (we have 3 boys) and never have a chance to sit around and get musty. Bath towels are always air dried before being put into the hamper so they are not getting sour. I use the same detergent and fabric softener on our clothes and bed linens as well as the towels. Our clothes and sheets smell great but the towels have a metallic, sour and musty odor. Please help, it's driving me crazy.
jleigh37 from Alleyton, Texas
Answers:
RE: Fresh Smelling Towels
I have had this problem in the past. We have very humid weather in the summer, so I think that doesn't help! I use plain old vinegar in the load, I put the vinegar in the fabric softener cup that is in the washer. Fill it to the top. It has helped for me. Plus when the load is done, get them out right away so the towels aren't sitting there wet. So, try that, it doesn't smell like vinegar when done! Trust me, if it did I wouldn't use it!! ;) (06/22/2006)
I had this annoying problem, too. I even soaked my towels in dry bleach/detergent & it didn't help much. Then I started using Clorox, but I feel only about 1/4 cup is needed, not the 1 cup they call for. ONLY use on white/light towels! (06/22/2006)
I have always been told to not use fabric softener with the towels (any towel) it takes away from the absorbency. I have always rinsed my towels in vinegar it removes any left over soap residue in the towel and it does not leave your towels smelling like vinegar. I learned this trick when my daughter was a baby and allergic to soap. The doctor told me to do this to get all of the soap out. This trick also works on your hair and leaves hair sparkling. (06/22/2006)
By Carol
RE: Fresh Smelling Towels
I've found that it doesn't matter what you use - the problem will remain. Try sticking a dryer sheet in between the towels. (06/23/2006)
Soak overnight in washer with 1 c vinegar added to water, spin out and then wash as usual. Works for me. (06/23/2006)
By Linda
RE: Fresh Smelling Towels
I don't use detergent on my towels. I use Borateem in a hot water wash and vinegar in the rinse. If possible I hang out to dry in the sun. My towels smell like summer sun and cotton. (06/23/2006)
