Help Removing Mildew Smell from Towels

I would try a half to a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle-
I have done this & it works- it also cuts laundry soap residue & cleans the buildup in your machine from fabric softners- multi purpose

3 moms found this helpful

i have had this problem a lot with dishrags!

the only thing that has seemed to work is a capful of bleach in the bleach compartment of your washer. (mix with a cup of water.)

so far, i just use it once in a while with my white load (with my dishrags) and it hasnt seemed to stain or ruin any other clothing in the wash... and its an especially good idea with underwear anyway... unless it makes a person have sensitivities...
lol
but anyway... just a capful of bleach. in HOT water.

Been there done that - Fabreze poured in the washing machine with the towels helps. If it is really bad pre-treat by spraying them with fabreze and then wash with more fabreze.
I also buy liquid fabric softener and use it liberally along with some dryer sheets. Liquid blueing is also another good one. However, for smells Fabreze works the best.

Hi B.
I use a Downey ball (about one cup)full of vinager to get the smell out works wonderful. T.

Hi B.,
Try something with tea tree oil in. I have products that have that as the signature ingredient, works great!
Blessings,
S.
homeschool mom and business owner

I have had the same problem...what seems to work for me is using clear ammonia (two capfuls) in the next wash load in hot water. The ammonia takes away the smell.
I would be interested to see what other suggestions are.
C.

I have heard that baking soda is also very effective in removing odors. And, if you can line dry them in the sun, that will also work wonders! Good luck!

I had some prego clothes given to me that reeked of moth balls. The best thing I found was white vinegar. It took about 3 washes, but it will come out. Use the detergent at the same time. You can't overdo the vinegar. Maybe about 2-3 cups per load, and even though it stinks going in, you can't smell the vinegar when the clothes come out. Just wash them and leave the lid open so they sit in the water for awhile. You may also consider, just because the smell is out, doesn't mean they're really clean. You don't want to mess with mold... Might not be worth keeping them...

Vinegar is supposed to help with odors. You could try that, and a nice-smelling fabric softener for the rinse cycle. Good luck!

Gosh, I HATE that! Always happens to me...
I read thru your suggestions and they are all great; they should work. One extra suggestion would be about a cup of plain old baking soda. I find, when it comes to laundry and odors, baking soda works better than vinegar. Just sprinkle 3/4 to 1 c of baking soda before you start your wash. Be sure to dispense it somewhat evenly and not just dump one big clump b.c sometimes you'll end up with a couple of clumps of bp when the cycle is done. The essential oils will work as well. Someone suggested lemon oil but you can also use grapefruit seed, any citrus (like orange) or eucalyptus. The little bottles are costly but you only use a drop or two so it lasts a long time. I have 3 toddlers so I try not to use much bleach for fear I leave the bottle laying where little hands can get at it so that's why I have had to come up with some alternatives:)
TC K. H.

I've read that adding a half cup each of washing soda and baking soda to a hot wash will take out the smell, but have only found washing soda online.

SAHM of seven

You might want to try using vinegar in your wash cycle and soak them for as long as possible. Or even lemon juice or baking soda. I would then hang them outside to dry in the sun all day for a day or two. I really don't know the answer, but these are all natural and great cleaners for around the house. Good luck!

I have had that happen to me and what I did is put them back in the washing machine with Tide with Febreze and I also added a bunch of Febreze to the water as well. Also make sure to fill up the fabric softner holder with one that smells fresh (I like original Gain) not one that is perfumy, it will make it worse. Use hot water and let it soak for a several hours in the water with tide and febreze before setting it to the wash cycle. If you want you can even spray febreze directly on the towels before in addition to the process above.

I have heard that washing them with a cup of vinegar will eliminate the odor. I can relate to living in a house that is too small!

I concur! Vinegar! Wow! Cheap and effective. I now use it for all towel loads as a supplement - Gosh - can't hurt! And for socks, too! (and we use all natural products - bleach or heavy hitters aren't ok, with us - )

JUST A CAUTION TO EVERYONE!!!

DO NOT mix (intentionally or accidentally) BLEACH and AMMONIA! This combo can easily result in death due to the fumes it produces. Personally, I don't have both ammonia and bleach products in my house in order to avoid accidental mixing. If you have both in your house, make sure they are stored in separate areas so they can't accidentally mix. If you use both as odor eliminators in your wash, run a load with one and then a water only load (to clean washer) and then run the second load with the other cleaner. Please pass this info on to others. My job involves safety at work and I am very familiar with chemicals to avoid mixing.

I've done that at times too. With 5 kids I sometimes get too busy with them to finiah the laundry. I use BORAX powder in the laundry to give it a boost in cleaning. CLothes that hae urine smell, vomit, sweaty, etc. Seems to work well for me.

Hi B.,
I would use 1-2 cups of Vinegar with your normal detergent! It is amazing how it cuts the mildew.
GOOD LUCK
M.

www.journeysoflifephotography.com

Hi there,
I had a similar situation. Wash them in vinegar load - may need to do more vinegar than you think, but it sure helped me out and it also helped me get a "puke" smell out of my carpet.

B. Fingerson

We have a new HE or Hight Efficiency washing machine. If one does not keep the door ajar after it runs and wipes the excess moisture on the plastic door and the Gasket which is folded together at the rim mildew will grow and ruin the clothing and give it a Smell. I heard this issue on the radio too. Someone there mentioned using a small amount of Bleach during the rinse cycle could help clear up the mildew in the items washed in mildew.

I've had this problem before as well. I looked all over the internet and found many different ideas, but the one I tried first seemed to work well. I used vinegar as well, but I used apple cider vinegar. My towels came out without the mildew smell and the smell never returned.

B.,
I would recommend using ammonia,maybe one capful as it is strong it works on the fuel oil smell and i think it would work on the mildew smell as well.

Try washing them in vinegar.

Soak them in your tub in HOT water and dump in a box of baking soda (I say a box since you have so many). Soak them til the water starts to cool, rinse again in hot water then dry. Repeat if needed. I haven't found anything better than good ol' baking soda at getting odors out =)

DO you have the fornt load washer? They are prone to this cuz the mildew is actualy in the washer seals itself. Before you do any more laundry run a coulple hot wash cycles, one with vinegar only and one with annonia only. You also have to check the front rubber seals and clean them, there is probably mold on them as well. Then, once you've cleaned the machine out, you can thry washing the towels again using annonia along with your soap - just dump it in the soap dispenser area. It may take a couple washes to get it out of the towels, but it should help. Also, from now on, you must keep your washer door open when you are not using it, so it can dry out between uses and not grow mold. If it has a light, juswt loosen the bulb a turn or two until it goes out, or you can just let it burn out, but leave a bulb in the socket. We have the first originals neptunes that were VERY prone to this problem and my husbands BF is an appliance repair man, who told us this remedy. I've been doing it for a couple years now, and it seems to be working pretty good.

Good luck!

I agree with the vinegar. I use it almost every time I wash towels and never had a stink problem.

frebreeze laundry oder remover, it is in the laundry isle I know Cub has it, works really well, it got the smell of pet poop out of some stuff I had

B.,

This has happened to me and I wash them with some bleach. Not enough to discolor them, but enough to get the smell out. Good Luck!!!

Bleach. Whatever color they are they may end up a shade lighter, but you will get rid of the mildew smell. I had to do the same thing with a load of blue jeans, and I really can't tell a difference in color.

You could try washing them in hot water with 1 or 2 cups of vinegar in the wash cycle then hang them outside to dry in the sun.

Try Arm & Hammer baking soda. Sprinkle a little in the wash along with the detergent.

hi B.-

try wd-40...its fish oil based-works great for many issues-if you get a stain in your clothes/kids...spray it on wash-works great...just spray on your towels-let washer fill-add just a bit of bleach....

What great responses... I also wanted to note that I've read where using Tide, specifically, is a real culprit as well. I switched to Arm & Hammer liquid detergent about a year ago and found the problem has pretty much disappeared, as long as we don't leave wet towels in the washer too long! Then it's back to one of the remedies listed below!

Add a little (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of bleach to the next load, that should take the smell out! As long as it isn't too much and it is properly added (not dumped on the towels, but added to the hot water) it won't affect the color of the towels. I've had to do this with my large blankets before and it worked just fine.

I like charlies soap. It has worked to get the smell out for me before and I don't have to add anything extra to the wash load. It is all natural..no perfume or color. You can find it at www.charliesoap.com

A.

Hi B.,

This is an easy fix! Put the towels back into the washer and wash again with 1/8 cup of bleach. Don't worry if your towels are dark in color. This much bleach won't change the color. The bleach will take care of the smell. You can also do this with washclothes from the kitchen when they get smelly. It works like a charm!

C.