Mildew smell in towels

[heatherweh]

and washcloths and other various items of clothing. Is there any way to get it out? I've tried soaking them in a vinegar solution with baking soda and detergent in it. They smelled OK when they came out of the dryer, but as soon as they got wet again- stinky.

TIA!

[prothyraia]

Try adding tea tree oil to the wash, and/or Line drying on a very sunny day.

[mommathea]

Have you tried oxyclean or equivelent?

[KyleAnn]

Yuck! Our towels are exactly the same way.

I did try TTO, had plenty leftover from cd days...the still all seem to stink as soon as they get wet....what's the story here?

I hope to see some good responses too!

[SarahGuinn]

I had to break down and add a teaspoon of bleach I borrowed from my neighbor. It was either that or a hundred dollars spent on new towels and kitchen towels and hand towels. I figured that teaspoon is better than buying paper towels, right?

[wendinbill]

We had this problem, too, but mainly with dishrags/towels. I now let them dry out before I toss them in the hamper, and it helps. I bought Bac-Out and I squirt some in each towel load. HTH!

[Sonya77]

I must say I use a little bleach with the towel loads....

no more mildew smell!!!

[harrietsmama]

I second the bac out! I love that stuff!

[jocelyndale]

A hot wash and hot drying takes care of that issue for me.

Do you overstuff your washer? Use enough water? Detergent or fabric softener residue can also cause that mildewy smell because the towels aren't completely clean. You might try putting them in a wash cycle with no detergent and seeing if they suds up when agitated. If so, you need to strip them the way you would stinky diapers.

[AuntNi]

Honestly, I think hot water would be your only solution. My mom has no sense of smell, and she has this problem with dark-colored towels. Her white towels, which she washes in hot (sometimes w/bleach) smell great. Her dark-colored towels, which she always wash in cold, stink. I've mentioned it a couple of times, but I don't want to hurt her feelings by bringing it up again.

Can you wash them in hot then hang out to dry in the sun? I bet that would take care of your problem. Good luck!

[lindberg99]

A tablespoon of bleach is all that has ever worked for me. It won't bleach the colors out, if they are colored towels.

[nascarbebe]

Originally Posted by lindberg99

A tablespoon of bleach is all that has ever worked for me. It won't bleach the colors out, if they are colored towels.

I'm going to try this because I recently encountered this problem with our washcloths. Our bathroom gets humid in the summer. DH just threw away a waschcloth because it smelled mildewey :

[Ruthla]

You soaked them in a mixture of baking soda AND vinegar?

BS and vinegar cancell each other out. Vinegar is an acid and BS is alkaline. Try soaking them in one or the other, not a mixture of the two.

[greenmansions]

I have this problem too. I always hand washcloths and towels to dry before I toss them in the laundry pile, but DH does not.

The only things that work for me are hot wash using Tide with Bleach Alternative (oxygen bleach), and then hot dry til they are really dry, not even a little bit damp. Sometimes I run a soak cycle so the towels sit in the soapy water for a bit.

The washcloths that were really nasty still smell, but the ones that weren't as bad this works for. The nasty ones I put in the rag pile for DH's projects (car repairs, plumbing, painting etc) where they get tossed afterwards anyway.

I tried the more "earth friendly" cleaners/detergents and nothing worked. I figured better a little Tide than having to buy new towels. I absolutely cannot stand it when they are smelly.