How to Get a Mildew Smell Out of Towels?
If you feel like your towels don’t soak water as they used to and they’ve developed a bit of a musty smell, there’s a good chance you’re washing them wrongly. Even if you’ve used your towels for months or years, there’s still a good chance you can bring them back from the dead and get the smell out of your favorite towels. Here’s how to remedy this most common problem and prevent towel odors from recurring.
When it comes to treating your towels right, there are a few basic tricks to learn. To avoid the damage you must stop leaving them in a big damp ball in the corner of your bathroom or laundering them regularly. Or you should do the following things to help your towels last longer.
Clean Washer
Nothing will help if your washer has a severe case of the funk-n-gunk. Use the cleaning cycle on your machine once a month to keep the water fresh and the gunk away from your towels. Keep the door open on high-efficiency machines so they can air out properly.
Use Vinegar
Add plain old white vinegar to your laundry and stop using the old softener. Vinegar is a cheap wonder tool when it comes to laundry. The mild acidity of vinegar strips skin oils out of your towels and leaves the cotton fibers raw, to increase the life of your bath towels or other bath linens.
Separate Laundering
Launder them alone and don’t overload your washer. Towels are different enough from the other fabrics so it’s important to avoid getting towel lint all over your clothes. Do not mash every towel in the house into the washer at once so that they don’t end up under-drying in the dryer.
Cut Amount of Detergent
Depending on your washing machine, cut back on the amount of detergent you use. In a high-efficiency washer, try to use 1/3 to 1/2 amount to avoid getting a load of towels with detergent residue on them.
Machine Wash With Baking Soda
Run the towels through the regular cycle by adding only a half cup of baking soda and no detergent or fabric softener. The baking soda alone should be sufficient and do the trick.
Dry on Medium Heat
After thorough washing, make sure the towels, washcloths, or other linens are good and dry. Never roast them on the hottest dryer setting, when you have to fold them and put them away. If your towels aren’t coming out dry after running them on a medium heat cycle, you should rewash them with vinegar or reduce the size of the load.
High-Quality Towels For Quicker Drying
It’s likely that musty and mildewy odors will always linger in towels that haven’t been replaced in years. Unless you manage odors correctly from the start, they’ll hang around for the lifespan of your linens. Slow-drying materials are also much more likely to become musty over time. That’s why it’s so important to invest in high-quality towels and take proper care of them from the first use.
How to Keep your Towels Fresh and Orderless:
There are a few key steps you can practice to make your towels last longer and keep smelling fresh.
Proper Hanging
If you share your bathroom with any other family member, you may be saving on space by folding towels in half on your towel bar. When you fold a wet towel, you make enclosed spaces that collect air and produce smells. Always spread out damp towels for better circulation and faster drying.
Avoid Letting Wet Towels Sit Too Long
If you have plenty of extra towels, you might be tempted to grab a fresh towel and toss your old one in the hamper until the laundry day. When putting your used towel in the hamper, make sure it is completely dry if you don’t have time to wash it straight away.
Exhaust Fans in Bathrooms
If your towels never fully dry between uses, you should come up with a bathroom humidity solution. Exhaust fans quickly circulate air so your bathroom can dry effectively in less time. Not only will a fan help your towel avoid mustiness, but it will also help you keep your tile grout looking clean and bright for longer.
How to Fold Towels
To maximize shelf space, fold your towels in thirds. Fold the towel in half, with open ends to the left, then fold in half again. To make it simple to use with only one grab, face the towel’s outer edge toward the front while storing. For a crisp finish, the towels in the bathroom can be ironed without risk. After ironing, fold them in thirds like other towels.