Mildew on towels?

Question

My bath towels always smell like mildew! I put them in the wash with a good amount of detergent. I put them in dryer with a couple of fabric softener sheets. They usually smell fine out of the washer. But they smell like mildew out of the dryer or sometimes after they have been sitting in the closet or the first time they get wet. I never had this problem at my last house and I am using the same washer. Could it be the water? Does anyone have any tips to keep this from happening?

I keep the towels in a closet and then after using, hang them to dry in my bathroom. None of my other clothes smell like mildew. Am I maybe doing too many towels at a time?

Answer 1

I think your closet maybe the problem? Try putting some fabric softner sheets in the closet with the towels. It is a cheap way to keep them smelling fresh. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I had the same problem until I started using a small amount of bleach to the wash. While the washer is filling (top loading washer), add your detergent and and carefully add in about 1/8 cup bleach so
that it goes into the water and not on the sides of the machine.. Reach in and mix the water around. When the washer is about half full of water...THEN add the towels.
I started doing this a few years ago and have NEVER had another mildew smelling towel, nor have the towels faded (hardly at all) in color or come out bleach spotted. Even if you do get some fading after awhile, it is well worth having clean smelling towels. I also do the same thing with the shower curtain when it smells mildewy.
I now have a front loading washer and I just add the bleach into the bleach tray and it worked fine.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Since you just moved, and you are using the same washer and dryer, i will assume that logically you are also using the same detergent, and fabric softner sheets.

Going on that, there are only a few things that could change:

If its a gas dryer, then its possible the efficiency of the dryer and quality of the gas in the area is affecting the dryers ability to completly remove the moisture when the same setting is selected, you might try a longer dry time.

If its an electric dryer, then we know the power is still at 60 HZ, and so... This should not be an issue.

Relative humidity will play a factor if you moved from an arid region to a more humid area.

The other change might be the water used by the washer, the 'hardness' of water varies considerably between different area's of the country, what you are smelling is the indiginous funk of the municipal county you pay taxes in, there are three ways to get rid of this:

-Outsource your laundry
-Get a water softener
-Get used to the local smell :)

Answer 4

Try not using the softener sheets. I stopped using these several years ago. Detergents have additives now days.

If this does not work, do what I have started doing which is after I take the towels out of the dryer, I hang them up over the shower rod or on the door rods for a day or two. This gets them REALLY dry. Then fold and put them away.

Sounds to me like your towels are still wet when you fold them. Sometimes it is hard to realize they still have moisture in the threads.

Another thing we all need to do, is leave the closet door open one day once per week to air them out. You can also spray the walls and then leave the door open for awhile. This will help get oders out of there that have been trapped over time.

One last thing, the closet might be at fault. Inside its walls there may be trapped mildew.

Answer 5

It could be the washer itself is the problem. Try running the washer without anything in it with a strong bleach solution, or let it sit with a strong bleach solution. Before you wash your clothes again, make sure you run it again without anything, to completely rinse away all the bleach. Then when you wash your clothes, add white vinegar to the wash when you get to the point that you'd add fabric softener (use the vinegar instead of the fabric softener). Your clothes should then be fresh smelling, even out of the dryer.

Answer 6

Do they get to hang somewhere to dry properly, or are you throwing them in a wet heap until you wash them? Or leaving them in the washer for hours? In my experience, once they smell like mildew I have to replace, the smell never goes away. I have been told that hanging them on a clothesline on a hot sunny day will solve the problem, but they aren't allowed in my neighborhood.

Also try a dehumidifier if your house is humid.