Smelly Towels - Ridgeland,MS

I had this same issue a couple months back and started using Oxy Clean. It makes a big difference in the smell of the towels. It actually removes those damp, musty odors. I buy the powder kind and put a scoop sometimes two in every wash.

Hi H.,

Wash 'em and hang 'em in the sun! It is a wonderful dryer, sanitizer and de-smellifier. They're more absorbant when they're line dried, too.

L.

Try washing them with some vinegar. I had the same problem with blue jeans. I have a front end loader washing machine and added plain white vinegar where the bleach should go and put it on the white cycle. Had to do it a couple of times because I could smell a faint oder, but it did work.
M.

I've added Borax or a small amount of white vinegar. It seemed to work for me!

Hi H.!!
Don't worry, you are not the only one who does that!! I am terrible at getting my laundry into the dryer. What I have found that works great to get the smell out is vinegar. I know vinegar doesn't smell the best either, but it should get the mold smell out and then if needed you can wash them like normal again. Just put one capful in at the beginning.
I hope this helps!!

The bacteria is still in the towels. When I forget a load of clothes and they "sour" like that I either use bleach on light stuff or a cup or two of white vinegar on non-bleach clothes. I find that if you don't use soap it works better. I suggest you wash and rinse the towels first to make sure they are clean then start the load over but only add a cup of the vinegar. No other additives for this load. No Downy, no Clorox 2, no detergent, nothing.

This has never failed. I have used it on everything from coats to towels, from winter clothes to jeans, and it always works.

Rewash them and use vinegar in the last rinse. Try it with a 1/2 cup/white vinegar. It might smell a little like vinegar but when you dry them the smell so dissipate. I hope this works for you. Vinegar will take out extra soap too if you get to much in your clothes.

The problem is you have not killed the bateria and fungus that was growing on your towels. They go dormant when they dry out when they get wet the wake up and begin to reproduce and pass waste. This activity is what you are smelling. I use a product called sol-u-mel. It is a natural anti-septic and solvent. I order it on-line from a company called Melaleuca. You should check them out if you are not already a customer everything they have works great and is less expensive. For example I pay 24.99 for 192 loads of there whitener, the same number of loads of clorox 2 is $49.74. This same math is repeated over and over, I have been a customer since May 2008 and we have saved $350.

I work from home in Metairie so if you are close and if you'd like to try before you buy let me know and I'll meet you somewhere to give you some.

We can do it!
L. Seben
____@____.com

Baking Soda and vinegar

Half a cup of ammonia with the laundry detergent should work. It gets the smell out and it isn't bleach! Good Luck.

~K.

Hi,
I do this all the time. Try puting a cup of baking soda in the washing machine along with your detergent. This should help. If this does not help, you can also add vinegar and baking soda the next time. It will go eventually go away. I hope that this helps.

J.

Use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda(The Big Box), you can buy it in the laundry isle at the grocery store, this works! I use it in my towels every time I wash them and never have that icky smell again!! It is very Affordable too.

Try using the Febreze for laundry with your normal detergent. I've had to start doing that with my towels everytime I wash them.

Sunshine, Sunshine, Sunshine!!! I did this and ended up hanging them out in the sun for days. As much sun they can get the better. I've had to do that with stuff from my mother-in-law that was covered in cigarette smoke. It works great.

Hi there H.:

My solution to mildew smell is Borax plus baking soda.

Also you could try Borax in the wash. If possible, drying them outside in the sun could help, too.

I had the same problem. I looked on line and found a solution that worked great. I had the problem with both towels and blue jeans. First I used oxy clean in the wash with my regular detergent Tide w/ bleach and two cups of white vinegar in the rinse cycle. It worked like a charm. Good luck. Mildew smell is one of the worst.

Vinegar to the rescue! LOL

I am QUEEN of forgetting stuff in the washer! Honestly, your question does make me feel a little better *grin*

The trick is to put in the towels, fill the washer with warm water (hot will make the edges of the towels shrink, and I won't tell you how I know LOL). Add one cup of white vinegar, let it swish for a couple of minutes, then stop the cycle and let it sit for an hour. Let it run, put them in the dryer, and they should be all better. If you want to double up, to be sure the smell is out, run them through a normal wash cycle with detergent, then add one cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup baking soda to the rinse cycle before drying them.

Nifty trick, the baking soda and vinegar act as a fabric softener, without breaking down the fibers of the fabric (works on almost anything). Hey, if it can get mildew stains and smells PLUS icky diaper smell out of cloth diapers, it can work on ANYTHING! LOL

Good luck and update to let us know how they turn out :)

I've done this more times than I care to admit, and re-washing them with white vinegar always does the trick.

Try washing them with some white vinegar. That should get the smell out.

Try sending them through an extra rinse. Sometimes the soap doesn't always get washed out, and they smell funky-especially after they get damp again. You can also try tossing a little vinegar in with them too.

i used oxy clean i had some towels i forgot about and they smelled terrible an the oxy clean worked best for me ,that load of towels had one with sour milk in itan the oxy clean did a awsome job an it wont bleach the color.

Arm & Hammer laundry soap or add some Arm & Hammer baking soda to the wash. IT WORKS!!! we used to live in Florida and when we came home from the beach our towels smelled awful until someone gave me the tip.

Hey there. I am always forgetting to put my clothes in the dryer. So I rewash them and put baking soda in the washe about 1/2 to a 1cup of baking soda with my detergent. I have also found a better detergent that is 100% naturally based and I have found out that when I leave my clothes now they dont smell as bad. I am really bad about leaving my clothes in the washer. If you would like more information on the detergent I use just let me know. Ihope the baking soda works.

Thanks

S. Gladwell
www.always4myfamily.com

i use vinegar whenever i leave stuff in the washer - just put a cup in and then wash with it - i think it gets the smell out!

Hi H.,

If you will put about a cup of vinegar in the rinse that should do the trick. I'm guessing a cup. When this has happened to me I just pour some vinegar in the rinse cycle without measuring. I then send it through the rinse cycle again. Baking soda is also good for odors.

Good luck,
T.

You might try putting vinager in your water.

Try washing in vinegar.

Ok now this sounds crazey and I have'nt used it on towels but it just may work. I read in a magazine that when bathroom mats get wet and smell milduey (sp) to mix half vodka and half water and spray them with it. I have'nt used it on bathroom mats but I have on the carpet in the bathroom where the toilet has overflowed and I could'nt get up all the water, and it worked great. Vodka does'nt stink and gets the smell out so I don't know why it would'nt also work on your towles. I guess it is worth a shot- no pun intended, lol.

Ditto on the odoban. It works great, even on pet messes and vomit!

The vinegar should do the trick!

I have had that happen and rewashed them first with baking soda,(I would use at least a cup.) and then again with lemon (squeeze a whole fresh lemon in the wash water with the towels)I presume you are smelling mold which is hard to get rid of, but possible.
Sincerely,
B. S. RN CCM

try using vinegar in the fabric softener slot or downy ball. You can even mix a little baking soda in with the detergent part. (keep the vinegar and baking soda from mixing until water is added). I use this in my husband's work clothes and it works wonders. The vinegar doesn't leave a smell but gets rid of smells.

I don't know if it'll help, but I tried everything and then washed mine in Arm & Hammer with Febreze and it worked, we can finally use them again. I was getting the smell out and then as soon as you used them, they had that funky mildew smell - this seemed to have solve that problem.

You may want to use some baking soda with detergent or vinigar but NOT at the same time.

Wash them in vinegar :)

I use Odoban that you buy at Sam's Club. It's a jug of concentrate that needs to be watered down. It's made with plant extracts and smells great. Plus it kills germs and can be used for everything from mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, pet odors, and even smelly laundry. I love this stuff!

Tell your husband you will throw them out if he is paying for all new.
How long were they in the washer?
If the second wash didn't work you should hang them out on the line for about how many day's they were left in the washer! The dryer only dries a smell in!!!

Wash them with your normal laudry soap (I use Gain) AND add 1 cup of ammonia to the wash. Dry with bounce dryer sheets.
I use this on all my towels and bedding. Smells so good.
Also, I use the white ammonia from Walmart. They only have a couple of kinds. It should be around $0.97. For some reason it seems to work way better than any other kind.

Baking soda, and the hottest water setting on your washing machine! :) If your machine is a high efficiency --then just mix your baking soda w/ water then pour into your detergent despenser. The more the marrier! This should help!

I got this tip from this site, add a little amonia to every wash. I have been doing that for about 3 months and the clothes and towels do not smell any longer. I use about a half cup to each wash and it does the trick.

I finally threw mine away. I found nothing that would ever get the smell out of our old towels. I hope you get some good ideas, in case that ever happens to us again! Good luck!

Same thing happened to me and a friend told me to put a little vinegar in where I'd usually poor in the bleach... it took the damp gross smell out without mking my towels smell like vinegar. Good Luck!!

Borax and hot water might help. This happens to me all the time, just keep washing. Then dry them extra hot too. It might fade them a bit but at least you will have them.

Try Natures Miracle from a vet/pet store, works great on smells and stains