Ever encountered the musty, moldy odor of smelly towels? The less-than-fresh scent is caused by bacteria. Gross but true! Learn how to naturally eliminate laundry room bacteria and keep towels fresh with this green cleaning tutorial.
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Towels are a breeding ground for odor causing bacteria while they are in the washing machine, damp in the dryer, or hanging wet in the bathroom. Bath towels are the worst odor offenders because the extra thickness holds in bacteria breeding moisture.
What Causes Stinky, Smelly Towels?
Have you ever tried to stop a leaking air mattress from deflating? It’s impossible to stop the air loss until you find the hole. The same principle applies when cleaning smelly towels… you can’t clean and freshen towels if you don’t know the cause of the problem.
Towel odor has four common causes:
- Being left in the washer too long: The warm, humid environment of the washer allows bacteria to quickly grow.
- Remaining slightly damp: Wet towels are a bacteria breeding ground in the dryer or a humid bathroom.
- Detergent build-up: Detergent that is not thoroughly rinsed out will attract dirt and bacteria.
- Fabric softener residue: Fabric softener is an oily coating that traps dirt and bacteria.
Do Green Cleaners Make Towels Smell?
New converts to green cleaning often smell towel bacteria and wonder if their new detergent is the cause. The bacteria problem is not new, it’s just identifiable for the first time.
Why? Commercial detergents and fabric softeners contain heavy artificial fragrances that cover up the musty odor caused by the growing bacteria, so you never know it’s there.
YUCK!
Switching to green, fragrance-free detergent allows you to notice the smell and get rid of the bacteria.
How to Eliminate Odor Causing Bacteria
Get rid of smelly towels with these three easy green cleaning tips:
- Clean the washing machine.
- Run an empty load with white vinegar to disinfect the interior.
- Set the washer to its hottest temperature, highest capacity and longest cycle (or cleaning cycle), make sure the fabric softener, bleach, and extra rinse are selected.
- Fill each of the dispensers with white vinegar.
- Add 3 cups of vinegar to the wash tub.
- After the wash cycle has run for about 15 minutes, stop the machine, and use a rag to wipe down the machine with white vinegar (this allows the vinegar to soaks the wash tub and interior hoses).
- After 10 minutes close the lid and allow the wash cycle to finish.
- Wipe down the rubber seal of front loading machines with white vinegar, it is often harboring bacteria. Dry the seal thoroughly to prevent bacteria growth.
- Leave the lid or door of the machine open to make sure it dries completely. Wet surfaces allow bacteria to breed.
- Clean the dryer by wiping down the interior with white vinegar.
- Use a soft rag and a mixture of half white vinegar/half water to wipe out the inside and outside of your dryer.
- Remove the lint trap and vacuum it, scrub it clean with dish soap and a soft brush if you have been using commercial fabric softener or fabric softener sheets. Allow lint trap to dry before releasing.
- Give towels a deep cleaning to make sure they aren’t harboring bacteria.
- Wash 3-4 towels per load in hot water on the longest setting with an extra rinse.
- Use your regular green detergent plus 1 cup of washing soda or baking soda.
- Add 1 cup of white vinegar to the first rinse cycle (you can add it to the fabric softener compartment or a Downy ball).
- Remove the towels as soon as the washer stops or bacteria can start breeding again.
- Dry the towels on the hottest cycle (heavy-duty) and make sure they are completely dry.
- If you live in a humid climate make sure to immediately remove the towels from the dryer. The dryer exhaust vent can allow damp air to enter the dryer and make the towels musty.
Towels Still Smelly?
If towels continue to smell, it means there is still bacteria in the washing machine or on the towels. Re-clean the washing machine and wash the towels a second time to remove any remaining odor. (This step is probably necessary if you have recently switched from detergent with fragrance.)
Preventing Smelly Towels
Keep bacteria and musty smells from returning with these tips:
- Wash your towels frequently, every 3 uses according to experts.
- Use vinegar in place of fabric softener when washing towels.
- Wash loads of towels alone, not with other laundry. Use warm or hot water.
- Clean your washing machine with vinegar once a month.
- Hang used bath towels with no folds; make sure the area is well ventilated.
More Green Cleaning Ideas
Laundry time can be all-natural and non-toxic with these easy green cleaning tutorials:
- Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent rates an A on the EWG scale and leaves no detergent build-up.
- Natural Homemade Fabric Softener & Dryer Sheets soften laundry and reduce static cling with no dangerous chemical or fabric softener residue.
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Michelle Grant
Hi! Have you ever tried stripping your laundry? If so, would you recommend Baking Soda or Washing Soda? I also read somewhere that baking Baking Soda would change it into Washing Soda, do you believe this to be true?
Bren
I have stripped my laundry. I have never tried baking Baking Soda to turn it into Washing Soda. I am not sure how to tell if the reaction actually took place in the oven as there is no physical change to tell you the correct temp was reached. I prefer to buy my washing soda as it is quite affordable.
Diamond
Hey Been I am using homemade laundry soap I use mine with zote soap… I notice that my husband’s t-shirts are sometimes still a little funky… I use vinegar with the rinse cycle… should I use the hottest water temp I have… even with colors…i really want to my soap for the long haul.. but my husband will only be on board if it seriously cleans the clothes so help me out here… do you have an extra strength recipe I have 2 toddlers and I am pregnant.. so I have to keep them in mind
Bren
Diamond, my favorite powdered detergent recipe is here and my liquid detergent recipe is here. Hope you find one you enjoy!
Susan
Hi! I’m really interested in trying out your laundry recipes – are they all suitable for an HE washing machine?
Bren
I have a HE washing machine and use all my laundry recipes in it. Good luck!
Lichelle
But you can’t stop the he washers. There is no way to stop them to soak anything that is only one of the reasons I hate my he washer. How are any of y’all able to stop your he washers?
Bren
Lichelle, my HE washer is a top loader so you can stop it just like a traditional machine. You can also try the “soak” cycle or simply cancel the wash partway through the cycle. Check your users guide for ideas. Hope this helps!
Maria
“Use your regular green detergent plus 1 cup of washing soda or baking soda.”
Washing soda is a lot more alkaline than baking soda.1,000 more…?
From an other article of yours: Baking soda has a more neutral pH of 8. Washing soda is more alkaline with a pH of 11.Each whole pH value is ten times more powerful than the next whole value. For example, pH 10 is ten times more alkaline than pH 9 and 100 times more alkaline than pH 8. Because washing soda is highly alkaline, too much washing soda can damage surfaces, fade colors, and eat away at fabric/surfaces over time.
May I ask why you recommend using the same amount regardless?
Bren
Maria, for the towel deep cleaning the washing soda isn’t going to damage the towels in a one time wash. If you were repeatedly washing the towels in washing soda I would lessen the amount. Hope this answers your question!
Jodi
Hi there, I will be making your liquid laundry detergent. I am not new to DIY household cleaners But have always found homemade laundry detergent to be a big putzy. I am looking forward to trying this one because I use Castile soap for handwashing anyways. At the end of your recipe you mention the cost per load is $.24 and you mentioned your favorite laundry detergent cost per load was $.30. Would you be willing to share with me what brand that is? I always like to have a fallback and recently found out my favorite detergent rated very poorly on the EWG scale. I may as well of been using tied for all these years! So sad!
Thank you for your time.
Bren
Jodi, I’ve used several kinds over the years my current favorite store bought brand is from Biokleen. Hope you like the recipe!
Elizabeth
I have some shirts in our household that seem to hold onto b.o. in the armpits (not just synthetic fabrics but cottin also). Do you have any suggestions for getting the odor out? Sould I clean them like you deep clean towels?
Bren
Yes, you can deep clean them just like the towels or spread some this DIY all purpose cleaner on the underarm area, spray with hydrogen peroxide, and wash as usual. Good luck!
Rebecca
I spray 91% isopropyl alcohol on the armpits of smelly shirts and it works like a charm.
Bren
Thanks for the tip, Rebecca. The 91% isopropyl alcohol would be effective at killing bacteria.
Flori
I’ve resorted to precleaning the armpit ates of shirts as well as necklines (there’s often a brown grimy fuzzy line, of something, oils and sweat I presume. Just can’t stand poorly washed clothes as supposedly clean. Learnt the difference in what’s really clean when I handwashed clothes when there was no washing machine. The handwashed laundry was so much cleaner.
Linda
I used the vinegar and baking hack for 6 months and I believed that is was working really good, until my sinks stopped up when my husband starting working on the pipes to see what was holding up the water from going out. All that baking soda had like turned brick hard and he had a heck of a time getting it cleaned out. He said never use that again.
Bren
Yikes! I would stick to the vinegar in your situation. I only use baking soda in my towels occasionally… maybe once every 6 months so it has plenty of time to was out of the drain lines. Did you use a vinegar rinse? Vinegar neutralizes baking soda helping it rinse clean.
Clarissa
This is great! Thank you for the walk-through…I’m sure my towels need a deep cleaning!
-Clarissa @ theviewfromhere.is
Bren
Thanks Clarissa. You are too sweet, as always!
Bren
Thanks Clarissa!
Kathleen
Hi, Bren.
I had been using white vinegar in my laundry until recently when I read in several trustworthy sources that vinegar can damage the rubber components in washing machines. I’m not sure that this is a good idea anymore. Have you seen this, too?
Bren
Kathleen, yes, I have seen those comments as well. I’ve been using vinegar in my Maytag washing machine fabric softener dispenser for about 8 years. It’s a HE top loader that dispenses the fabric softener by flushing water through the fabric softener compartment. I have not had a problem; the washer is 15 years old and going strong. I do not use vinegar is any appliance that slowly releases vinegar such as a dishwasher rinse aid compartment, this keeps the tubing in contact with the vinegar for a long period of time. I have heard of HE machines with “self-dispense” mechanisms where the detergent and softener are added a whole bottle at a time then refilled every few months. I would not use vinegar in this type of machine, again lots of long-term contact inside the machine. Of course, I recommend that everyone do only what they are comfortable doing in their own home. Hope this helps! Bren