Smelly towel issue driving me nuts! Towel suggetions!

I started buying all white linens a few years ago because I love the smell of freshly bleached crisp, clean whites.

We have 2 sets of colored towels, though, and I've never had an issue with smell. I use hot water to wash and then dry them on the hottest setting for a full cycle. I think the heat and total dryness prevent odor.

I find that it helps to thoroughly dry stinky stuff (like the load of wet clothes my dh left in the dryer two days aho) and then rewash. I do think smells are retained if I don't dry first.

Vinegar. We had this problem with gray towels we bought that were super thick. They always smelled mildewy even after washing and when I would dry off, I could smell it on my skin. I couldn't bleach them because they were gray. I stopped letting DH wash them because he used fabric softener which contributed to the problem. If they are colored, wash with hot water and throw in vinegar. Do not use fabric softener in the wash or dryer sheets. I wash on the antibacterial setting and always use oxyclean. I dry on the antibacterial setting with no dryer sheet. They now smell clean.

I prefer to use our white towels because I can bleach them and I really like the smell of bleached whites. But never use dryer sheets as they make them less absorbent.

It’s probably not that the soap cleans better, it’s more likely that it rinses out more completely. A lot of these issues result from too much soap, using liquid detergent or the fact that the HE washers now just don’t get all of it out because they use so much less water. But hey, if it works that’s great!

Hang them over the edge of the hamper until they are fully dry before putting them inside, wash towels separately, use hot water, detergent, and vinegar. Store towels in a ventilated location.

I had this issue with my DH but it was me who was constantly washing and washing then finally it hit me that maybe it was him.... i realize when he showered he just was putting soap on with his hand then rinsing off. I bought him a shower poof and got him to use that and no more smelly towels.

I use vinegar in the rinse to get out the stink.

We got My Pillow bath towels a year or two ago, and they've never stunk once. No need for vinegar with them. They are nice and thick, too.

Let them dry, between uses or after one use before tossing in the hamper.

In the spring and fall when the furnace doesn't kick on much and the windows aren't open yet we hang out towels on the shower rod, flat. In the winter with the furance running all the time the air is moving and dries the towels on their hooks. Same with warm summer breezes.

I also either let my dishrags and tea towels dry overnight in the kitchen or hang them over the edge of the laundry hamper.

Our master bath is a small room without much air circulation. I started running a stand fan to help prevent mildew in the shower stall. As long as I set the fan on oscillate (to also blow on the towels), the towels don't get that funky smell.