Recently my family started using a new set of body towels after we noticed our previous set started to smell. We wash our towels on a weekly basis and after about 3-4 weeks, our towels start to smell musty. After use, the towels are hung single-layer and not folded to dry. I soaked our washing machine in hot water and vinegar but the odor still lingers in towels, not our clothes. Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening as I'd rather not have to replace our towels every month? Your help is greatly appreciated!
sounds familiar...our problem was the detergent. It is hard to find a detergent that my son's skin could handle and that got the stains of 3 kids out and keep the clothes clean and fresh...I have come to use (and love) something called SA8 detergent. If you wanted to try it I would be happy to "mail" some LOL it is the BEST I have EVER tried. If you want some let me know I will tell you how to go about ordering it
J
Have you tried changing detergents? We were using some type of Gain scented detergent. It took two boxes of this stuff for me to realize it was making all of our clothes smell like they had sat for days in the washer. I changed to the Costco brand natural detergent. The smell went away and hasn't been back.
I noticed that the towels at my parents' house are like this and I'm convinced it's because they have very hard water, and they don't use a water softener.
There's a product out there called Calgon (I have no idea if it's related to "Calgon take me away"!) that you pour into your laundry to soften the water, if hard water is your issue.
I also only wash towels once a week, and I know the smell you are talking about! I started using Gain with baking soda and a free & clear fabric softener, and then into the dryer with a free&clear dryer sheet. I remove them when they are almost completely dry and it seems like the smell has disappeared..I havent smelt it in a few weeks.
Hope that helps!
hot water and borax added to your regular detergent. if you have to hang dry, do it outside!
Hi K.,
I have a couple of ideas.
1) If you're hanging the towels in the bathroom after showers, it may be steamy enough in there that the towels aren't drying quickly, so there may be a bit of mildew growing in the towels. If you have a fan or a heater in your bathroom, I'd suggest running that while you shower and then for a while afterwards to help the dampness clear out of the room.
2) If you aren't already, make sure you are washing your towels on hot/hot. If you are comfortable with chlorine bleach (I know many of us try to avoid it, but it might be needed here) use bleach as well. If your towels are hanging damp for a week, you certainly have some stuff on there that needs to get killed. If you aren't comfortable with bleach, bakingsoada or vinegar along with the very hot water should help.
Good luck!
T.
