What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

How do you keep your towels from getting that musty/mildew smell?!

I was my towels allllllll the time. I bleach the white ones. And yet after a couple months they get that smell....?

Help!

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

Are they completely dry when you put them away?
Also, are you leaving hem in the washing machine too long before putting them in the dryer?

Mine don't have that smell unless they have been used and sat around wet too long. But I know my MiLs towels used to smell like that and she would let them sit in the washer overnight before putting in dryer the next day

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I wash my towels on the towel setting. When the wash is done I immediately move them to the dryer and put them on for extra long dry. It is more than an hour. If you leave your towels in the wash or don't fully dry them, then they will get musty. What detergent do you use? How much do you use? In between washings do you hang them up or leave them crumpled? I only wash towels every three uses. You may be washing them too much so they don't completely dry, unless you have dozens of towels. I do not bleach my towels. I find at bleach can leave funny smells some times. I use tide free and clear. Once a month I also use oxyclean too.

Message edited 11/20/2015 7:37:45 PM.

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I would think they aren't drying all the way, or its build up on the towels. I found a vinegar rinse on Pinterest that I use 1x a month on my towels.

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I'm guessing I'm not letting them dry enough...and maybe I'm over washing.

Thanks everyone!

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

Strip them. Get Borax, Calgon and washing soda. Put clean towels in your tub, fill with hot water, and put a 3 part mixture in. Agitate towels every so often, let soak 4-8 hours or overnight. The water may turn very dark also. Drain tub and wash wet towels on a hot cycle without detergent. Dry as normal.

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I agree with the above poster to strip them but I usually use a tablespoon of blue dawn. I put them in the wash cycle with only dawn. Rinse them an extra time and then wash as usual. Also use white vinegar instead of fabric softener. This will help them smell fresh and will not decrease absorbency like fabric softener will.

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I have been having the same problem! I took the advice on here and put a capful of white vinegar directly on the towels. I've done 2 loads and no musty smell!

Re: What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

We are having the same issue all of a sudden. I am pretty sure it's time for me to get new towels (they are pretty old) but I am going to try the white vinegar first.

What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

I also wouldn't use bleach - it destroys towels. You really don't need it. I use white vinegar in every towel load. It also helps to clean the washing machine when you add white vinegar.

What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

Try switching detergents. I found that when I use arm and hammer that I don't have that problem.

What am I doing wrong with my musty smelling towels?!

Too much detergent. After awhile it just sticks to them as pp said vinegar wash.