We have all been in a situation where your towels end up smelling very damp, musty or simple of mildew. This is one of the most uncomfortable smells ever and it can get pretty hard to remove as well. A lot of people get confused about what to do in this situation. So how can you remove this smell and prevent it from coming back ever again?
There are many ways of getting that musty smell out of towels, either simply use detergent or use vinegar and baking soda along with your wash. Vinegar is excellent at removing smells and it is even recommended that you use it every once in a while with your washes. Simply put one cup of vinegar or baking soda in your drum during a cycle and run it on high heat. Make sure to dry the towels properly after wash to ensure no future bacteria formation.
Why Do Towels Start Smelling Musty Or Of Mildew
Most of the times, the bad smell from towels is due to mildew or bacteria. Don’t get me wrong here, bacteria can be good as well but it is when bad bacteria start to settle and grow on your towels which lead to mildew and bad smell. So how does this bad bacteria start growing on your towels?
These bacteria thrive in moist, dark and damp places. If you don’t dry the towels properly before storing them or if you store you towels in a damp, moist and dark place then bacteria will quickly start growing on them.
During these situations people usually throw the towels back into the appliance with the detergent but they have the opposite effect. Washing the towels again will leave a thin film of detergent on them and if you again store them without drying then it will be easier for new bacteria to start growing.
On top of this towels are a perfect pace for mold and mildew to collect, they are usually made up of cotton which is an organic substance perfect for bacteria growth.
Usually towels are thick as well which retain moisture very well (that’s what makes them good towels as well), but this fact is extremely good for bacteria growth.
How To Get Mildew Smell Out Of Towels
So now that you know how this smell forms and the conditions which are perfect for this to form, what steps should you take to remove the bacteria and the mildew as well as the smell?
There are multiple ways of going about this, you can use vinegar, baking powder or even straight up detergent. The technique which you go for depends on the level of smell or mildew present on your towels.
But at the same time, they also largely depend on your preference, most of the time, mildew presence is pretty mild and any of these methods can be used.
Read: Maytag Centennial Washer Reset
Running Two Cycles Using Detergent
The first method which you should try is simply using detergent and running a couple of cycles using a small amount of detergent. There are a couple of things to keep in mind here, first, don’t ever use a fabric softener at this stage.
Fabric softeners leave a thin layer on top of the clothes which gives them the softness, but this thin layer is ideal for mildew and bacteria growth. Fabric softeners also prevent the towels from drying completely which his really bad in this situation.
Second thing is to not use a lot of detergent while washing the towels, also keep in mind to only use towels during this cleaning process. if you mix clothes than it is possible that some of the bacteria get transferred to your clothes. I would suggest washing the towels in two cycles using small amount of detergent and make sure to properly dry them after.
Vinegar and Detergent
The second method is using vinegar and detergent. Vinegar is excellent at removing stains, smells and killing any bacteria which are present on your clothes. This is due to its acidic nature. I would like to warn you about one thing here, using vinegar can leave a strong smell on your clothes which you will have to remove through multiple cycles of washing.
There are two method which are used when using vinegar, one, just add a couple of spoons of vinegar straight to the drum before running the cycle keeping the amount of detergent the same. This is pretty effective and doesn’t leave a lot of stench on your clothes. This method is quick and easy as well. You will just need white vinegar which you use for cooking.
The other method is soaking the clothes in vinegar first before running the cycle. This is used in cases where the mildew formation is pretty extreme. Straight up vinegar will surely remove all of the bacteria and the mildew smell, but it will also leave an acidic stench on your clothes.
The only way to remove this smell is to run multiple cycles with a small amount of detergent.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
The other method you can go for is using baking soda on top of vinegar. The change in method is simply adding a cup of baking soda in the drum during the first cycle.
After this cycle is finished, add vinegar in the second cycle and move the towels straight to the dryer. One thing to keep in mind here is to only add a couple of towels at a time.
Other Reasons For Musty Smell From Your Towels
If some of your other clothes also have a musty smell and even after all of this the smell isn’t going away there might be an issue with your washer or dryer.
If you have a front-loading washing machine, then it is especially prone to mold and mildew formation around its gasket and soap dispenser. If this is so then no matter how many times you keep washing, some smell will always come on your clothes.
The only solution here would be to completely remove all of the mold formation from the washer and repeat any of the cleaning technique you prefer.
In Conclusion…
Now whenever your towels or any clothes start getting a musty or mildew smell, you will know exactly what to do and what the reasons might be.
There is no need to panic and no need to throw away the old towels, most of the bad bacteria and mildew can easily be removed without needing to go to a professional cleaner.
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