Smelly Towels- Please Help

[Guest]

my towels keep getting that sour old wet smell — I don’t know how to get it out so I don’t have to buy new towels
I let them dry before I wash them
I have even tried bleach
someone — please help
nikki

[trekglo]

I’ll ask, what exactly is causing them to develop the smell? Are they simply “sitting” for a long period of time and developing the smell? If so, then, I can only suggest wash them more often/frequently. I’d try to elminate the reason for the smells. If you can’t wash more frequently, then allow them to dry thoroughly between uses before wash day, i.e., hang up to dry, in an open airy space.
But for smells already there, you can try a number of things:
Soak them in a solution of white vinegar before washing and then use a product designed to remove smells, might look for a pre soak or detergent for diapers, and then hang in sunlight. And then tumble dry with a couple of dryer sheets, or simply wet a face cloth with some fabric softener in the dryer.
Soak in Borax before washing
Soak in a strong lemon, real lemon, not from a bottle, solution. Depending on how many, this might become rather expensive unless you have your own lemon tree.
Spray with something like Freebrez to help reduce the smell forming.
Use one of the animal smell neutralizers to soak/spray them.
Put out in direct sunlight for several days, even leaving them outside overnight.
Again, I think you need to prevent whatever is causing the smell to develop. I live in a very humid area, and find that if I leave my towels in the hamper for any length of time, they develop a smell. So I try to wash my towels daily. Not really a problem for my household.
Gloria

[Melissa Burnell]

I would soak them in 2 c. vinegar to 1 washer full of hot water for a few hours. Then wash normally. You might have mildew in them.

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