Any ideas on how to keep dish clothes smelling better?

Question

And yes I change the one I am using every couple days, soak them in bleach, wash them frequently but they still smell. Do I have to buy new ones every couple months or what? I crocheted the ones I am currently using, they are 100% cotton. Any tips?

Answer 1

The smell is caused by the growth of bacteria in the cloth. If you soak them in bleach and they still smell, try throwing all of them in a big pot of boiling water with some bleach. Also take a good cleaner and clean out where you keep the wash cloths after you wash them. If they still smell, then you need to just throw them out and get new. Nothing I hate worse than a nasty smelling dish cloth...Good Luck

Answer 2

One other thing you can try: heat a very wet dish cloth in the microwave till it's very steamy. I do this with sponges and it helps.

My dish cloths sometimes retain an odor even after I use bleach. That usually happens if the cloth has been hanging around damp before being washed. Try spreading your dishcloth out to dry every time, even if you know you're goinig to launder it later on that day.

Maybe a thinner cotton yarn would dry faster.

Answer 3

I know what you're talking about... it's not exactly that your senses get better, it's that you become more sensitive to it. In your case, you become more sensitive to smells - but like you said, it's not in a good way, instead it just seems to make your head hurt more. For other people they can have photosensitivity (light) or sensitivity to sound. Unfortunately, I can't give you any more of a concrete reason. For some reason, no one's positive what causes migraines, so doctors have trouble explaining what causes all of the symptoms as well. I can tell you that I have the same sort of thing with light - what you're experiencing is totally normal for someone with migraines. Check out something about migraines on wikipedia or even just by googling it - that can give you a little more info. =)

Answer 4

Trasan Cloth

Answer 5

Do not leave the cloth bunched up when through with it hang to dry. If it smells bad it has soured and needs to be replaced with a clean cloth. Wash the old one with something like tide, gain etc and bleach and it will refresh it again. Change clothes every few days to keep them fresh.

Answer 6

Why not use a fresh one everyday? I have lots so that I can have fresh towels everyday. Soak the others in a light bleach solution or try using some OdoBan. I get it at Sam's Club. Works great on that musty smell.

Answer 7

Crocheting may be the problem. The tighter the weave (thread count) the less likely they are to have spaces for bacteria breeding. What you smell is the bacteria growth. And mold, possibly.
Try adding two tablespoons of baking soda to your bleach soaking liquid. Try switching to vinegar rather than bleach. Try microwaving your damp towels, to assure death to bacteria.
If all else fails, use paper towels.

Answer 8

I got fed up with stinky dish clothes, now I just buy J clothes and throw them in the compost when they get smelly.

Answer 9

I notice the same thing, but now after I use them, I lay it out over the sink there you stand over the ledge or over the facet, so it can air dry evenly. If you leave it bundled or wadded up and it dires, that's when it starts to smell. That's what i noticed.

Answer 10

try putting bleach, just a little every time you do the dishes this will make your sink clean and dish rag and glasses will sparkle. hang upright to dry on a rack