How to get the smell out of towels

Step by step

1. 1

   Read the care label

   Check the wash temperature and bleach symbols. Most white cotton towels allow hot water and chlorine bleach; colored towels usually need oxygen bleach. The laundry symbols guide decodes the label.

   Why: Hot water and bleach do most of the work here, so you want the strongest version the towel can take without fading or damage.

2. 2

   Wash hot with the right dose of detergent

   Wash the towels in the hottest water safe for them, using the amount of detergent the package recommends for the load size. Don't add extra, and don't crowd the drum.

   Why: Too little detergent or too-cool water leaves body soil behind, and too much leaves residue. Both give mildew and bacteria something to live on.

3. 3

   Add bleach that's safe for the towels

   Add chlorine bleach to the wash for white cotton towels, or oxygen bleach for colored ones, following the bleach label. Badly musty towels may need this wash two or three times.

   Why: Texas A&M and the American Cleaning Institute both remove mildew by laundering in the hottest safe water with a fabric-safe bleach. The bleach oxidizes the mildew and the odor compounds it produces.

4. 4

   Soak in baking soda if the smell lingers

   If the towels still smell after washing, soak them in a solution of baking soda and water, then wash again.

   Why: This is Texas A&M's method for lingering odors. Baking soda is a mild alkali that neutralizes acidic, sour-smelling compounds.

5. 5

   Dry them completely, right away

   Move towels to the dryer or line as soon as the cycle ends. If line-drying, spread them out rather than folding them over a narrow rail, and make sure they're fully dry before you fold them.

   Why: Mildew grows on damp textiles. Towels hold a lot of water and dry slowly, so any delay gives the odor time to come back.

6. 6

   Clean the washer if the smell keeps returning

   Run the machine's tub-clean cycle, wipe the door gasket, and leave the door open between loads. See how to clean a washing machine.

   Why: A mildewed washer puts the smell right back into clean towels. Detergent and softener residue and a closed, damp drum are what let it grow.

Why towels smell, even after washing

Towels are thick cotton (or cotton blend or microfiber) terry, built to hold a lot of water. That also means they dry slowly. When a damp towel sits in a pile, a hamper or a closed washer, mildew and bacteria grow in it, feeding on skin cells, body oils and leftover detergent or softener. The waste gases they give off are what you smell as musty, sour or "wet towel." The American Cleaning Institute notes that odor-causing buildup can come from detergents themselves when they aren't rinsed out.

That's why the smell often comes back the moment a towel gets wet again: the growth and residue are still in the fibers, and water wakes them up. Softener or scent boosters only cover the smell. Kentucky extension makes the same point about softener and smoke odor: it masks rather than removes. Mildew also weakens fibers over time, so long-neglected towels can wear out faster.

How to keep towels from smelling

Hang used towels spread out so air reaches both sides, and wash them regularly. Never leave wet towels balled up in a hamper or sitting in the washer after the cycle. Measure detergent, and keep fabric softener to the label amount or skip it: ACI says the right amount doesn't reduce absorbency, but overuse leaves buildup. Kitchen towels used for cleaning should be washed in hot water (ACI gives 120 to 140°F) or warm water with bleach. For the mildew smell on its own, see mildew smell in towels.

By situation

Musty or mildew smell

This is mold growth from towels left damp. Hot water and a fabric-safe bleach are the core fix, and it can take several washes. Dry the towels immediately and completely afterward, or the smell will return.

Sour smell after washing

Sour towels usually have body soil and detergent residue left in them, often from too little detergent, too much detergent, cool water or an overloaded drum. Wash hot with a measured dose, add bleach safe for the towels, and follow with a baking soda soak if needed.

Old towels that smell as soon as they get wet

Years of residue and mildew are trapped deep in the loops. Give them two or three hot washes with bleach, a baking soda soak in between, and clean the washer. If thin, weak towels still smell, they may be at the end of their life.

Visible mildew spots on towels

Apply detergent and launder. If the spots remain on a bleach-safe towel, Georgia extension soaks the spot for 10 to 15 minutes in ¼ cup chlorine bleach mixed with ¾ cup water, then rinses and launders. That's a strong spot-soak, not a whole-load dose; see mildew stains on clothes.

Clothes that smell like a wet towel

It's the same cause: clothes left damp too long, in the washer or a gym bag. Rewash them in the warmest water the label allows with a fabric-safe bleach, and dry them right away.

Microfiber and colored towels

Use oxygen bleach, never chlorine, on colored towels. Go easy on softener, which coats fibers and adds to buildup, and follow the towel's care label for temperature.

What not to do

• Don't leave wet towels balled up in a hamper or the washer. Warm, damp, dark fabric is exactly where mildew grows.
• Don't overdose detergent or softener. Residue builds up in the fibers and feeds odor; ACI notes too much detergent can leave laundry less clean.
• Don't just add more softener or scent booster. It masks the smell without removing the mildew or bacteria causing it.
• Don't mix chlorine bleach with vinegar or ammonia in the same wash. They release toxic gases; see never mix these cleaners.

Other methods that work

Vinegar in the rinse

A widely repeated tip for musty towels. No authoritative laundry source collected for this page recommends it for towel odor, so treat it as traditional advice with weak evidence.

Caution: Never use it in the same wash as chlorine bleach.

Hot wash without bleach

For towels that can't take any bleach, washing in the hottest water the label allows with a measured dose of detergent, then drying fast, still removes much of the residue and growth.

Caution: It's less effective on established mildew, so expect to repeat it.

Stain still there?

Towels smell fine dry but musty once used

Odor-causing growth is still in the fibers. Repeat the hot wash with bleach, add the baking soda soak, and make sure towels dry fully between uses.

Even freshly washed laundry smells musty

The washer is the likely source. Clean the drum, gasket and dispenser, run a tub-clean cycle, and leave the door open between loads.

Towels feel stiff and don't absorb

That's detergent or softener buildup. Wash them with a measured dose and no softener for a few cycles.

Safety

• Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.
• Use the Georgia extension bleach soak only as a spot treatment on bleach-safe white fabric, and wear gloves.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

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