We’ve all done it. We put a load of towels in the machine to wash. And then forget about them.
And they smell awful. So bad you think you might need to throw them away.
But don’t worry – there is a fix although it may take a little bit of work to make them smell fresh again.
I was asked this past week how to get the stink out of towels and I briefly answered it in the comment section. Here’s a more thorough answer.
1) Wash towels on the hottest water setting possible. If you have your hot water heater turned down to save money, turn it up for this wash. I know the controversy that modern detergents are so great now we can wash everything on cold…but that is not the case with moldy, mildewy towels. If you have a machine with a Sanitizing option, use that.
2) Wash on the longest, most heavy duty cycle your washer offers. Towels are probably the most sturdy cotton material your washer deals with. The ‘heavy duty cycle’ is made for items like this, so don’t be afraid to use it! The smelly towels need a tremendous amount of agitation to get rid of the stench and possible bacteria. Use a long cycle to help this process.
3) Use a capful of detergent up to the top fill-line. Now is not the time to skimp on cheapie detergent or use a lesser amount of detergent. You can be frugal in your other loads of laundry this week, so use high-quality detergent and an ample amount of it.
4) Do not use fabric softener. Do use a scoop of oxi-clean in the wash and white vinegar in the rinse. Fabric softener will only mask the smell, if any remains. The next time your towels get wet (ie: when you dry off), they’ll smell icky again. Use a full scoop of Oxi-Clean in the initial wash and use 1/2-1 cup of white vinegar in the rinse. You can put the vinegar straight into your fabric softener dispenser or into a Downy Ball.
5) Dry in direct sunlight if possible. There is nothing like fresh air and hot sunshine to help get rid of towel stench. It is a wonderful, free cure! No clothesline? Get a portable clothesline and dry them in any outside space. Wash the towels in two separate batches if you need to, to ensure that they all have ample outside drying space. If you aren’t able to dry your towels outside, dry them on the hottest setting on your dryer and get them completely dry. If they are wet at all when you put them away, they’ll be gross again then next time you use them.
If after the initial washing your towels still smell moldy/mildewy, repeat the washing process again before drying in the dryer. Heat sets in all kinds of bad stains and smells. It may even be that you have to repeat the washing process 3-4 times.
That sounds like a lot of work, but it sure beats throwing away a washer load of towels. If you make the effort to get them usable again, you’ll be so thrilled with your result!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I love you. You know that right? I am wondering why your updates arent showing up in my dashboard. I flipped out when I realized you posted things I hadnt read yet. I need help with red mud. I love your step by step directions and that you use vinegar. I do too a lot. The other day I reorganized my WHOLE laundry space and put away ALL the laundry because of your post. I have to say it was the most fulfilling day ever. PS I LOVE YOU.
.-= Jana´s last blog ..Lets name the love story!!! =-.
Twitter: MamaLaundry
February 19, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Hey Girl! So completely proud of the laundry re-org! Pictures?? We must see your progress!
Red mud. It’s a toughie, honestly. Oxi-Clean is your best friend. If I have time, I’ll write a tutorial post on it this weekend. We live in the land of red mud too and it can be a pain to get out of clothes.
Love you Chickie!
Will this same method work for t-shirts washed on cold? I don’t want to shrink them.
Twitter: MamaLaundry
August 11, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Potentially.
You can try washing them on cold and then drying them in the sun. The drying in the sun part is so important in getting rid of stink.
While washing on cold adds a layer of protection against shrinkage, it’s not the most effective method for removing that mildew-y smell. First, try washing on cold on the normal cycle (def don’t use gentle/delicate) and drying in the sun. If it is absolutely still awful, you might need to step it up to ‘warm’ temp and dry in the sun.
Twitter: momsmagic
September 16, 2011 at 10:56 pm
I forgot about a load of clothes in the washer and ended up with a load of whites/lights that smelled. I discovered this after my husband had tossed them into the dryer – eek! So I washed them again, and they smelled ok. I tossed them into the dryer on a no-heat cycle (mostly to get the spin cycle wrinkles out) and then forgot about them. For the second time. Double yuck. This was shortly after your post about sour towels, so I went back to it and used the link to get to this post.
THANK YOU!!!!
I washed the load on a normal cycle, but changed the settings to “heavy soil” and hot water, and put vinegar in the softener part of the detergent tray. (Oh, and used unscented detergent to be sure I wasn’t masking the smell). The load definitely smelled of vinegar when the load finished. I knew that the smell would go away, but I set the load for a rinse-and-spin cycle to get the vinegar odor out so I could be SURE that the sour smell was gone.
Once again, THANK YOU!
My clothes smell, well, like clothes now. No more sour smell! Yay!
RLR´s last [type] ..Lunch Box Challenge, Week 1
Twitter: MamaLaundry
September 17, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Yippee for you! I actually washed a load this week and didn’t put detergent in. I realize they didn’t smell ‘Outdoor Fresh’ as I was putting them in the dryer. Sigh.