Why Is My Washing Machine Making the Towels Smell Bad?

Try 1-2 cups of good old fashioned vinegar. That stuff is great. Some also add baking powder to it with great results.

Also, about once a month, run an empty load with bleach only. The next month, use vinegar only. That will keep the mold from forming inside. I learned that tip from a washer repairman when my washer went on me.

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Using too much detergent causes a build up in the basin which leads to all sorts of trouble. Do you have hard water? Detergent and minerals from the water combine to something awful.

First off, run the washer with no clothes on the hottest setting. Add 1 cup baking soda and 1 1/2 cups vinegar. Let it run thourgh the cycle. Towel dry the basin when done. You may need to do this several times. It is not going to be fixed in a day since it did take years to get that way.

Funny enough, I switched last year from detergent to making my own laundry soap. My washing machine just recently degunked itself, I didn't know any of this about washing machines until I did some research as to why I have these floatees in my wash. Using my own soap cleaned my washing machine, so funny.

No I don't expect you to go out and make your own laundry soap, but you can add 20 mule team borax to your wash every load. It is a water softener and a fresherner. Just a tbsp in a large load with help. After each load, wipe down the drum. Never leave clothes in for more than a moment.

On the smelly towels, I find nothing really gets rid of the smell once mildew has set in other than line drying in the sun. But you can try putting a few drops of tea tree oil into the wash cycle or even into the dryer on a soft cloth. Tea tree oil is available usually in the pharmacy section with vitamins and supplements.

If you have used a humidifer with a filter, you will realize what is going on with your washer. I hope that helps you. There is a lot of info online as well.

1 mom found this helpful

How funny! Only because just two days ago some friends and I were talking about this same thing. One of the ladies was saying they sell something called odoban (sp?) at Sam's club and it gets rid of the odors that can stay in towels and such. She also suggested the vinegar trick already mentioned. Just thought I would pass this info on- good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

We have a front loader and it was doing the same thing! I used Shaklee's Germicide and it made such a huge difference. It is non toxic, organic and Oprah has it listed in her favorites. I put a couple of tablespoons in with the load and wow. I also use it on my husband's smelly clothes when he works on the cars, not to mention his hunting gear. If you'd like, check out my website: http://www.shaklee.net/denisefriedl
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions.

Take care!

1 mom found this helpful

I had that same problem. I finally started using Melaleuca's laundry detergent. But if you don't have their detergent, you can use baking soda with your regular laundry det. I realize you had tons of responses so I'm sorry if I'm repeating someone... :) But both of these things helped me...

did youleave the towels in the washer after they were done? they may have jsut absobed some mildew. try washing them over again in small loads maybe two at a time in a full water setting with some vinegar, maybe about a pint of viengar per load then rewshing them in detergent and dry promptly. if that doesnt work, wash them the same way with about half a box of baking soda and then detergent . you may want to do it with the baking soda in an empty washer first then the towels. towels are thicker than clothes. might also try drying them outside if possible so the sun dries them. for next time, wash your rugs at a laundromat. they get so much cleaner and it doesnt stress your washing machine. i dont buy the rubber backedones anymore because when they get washed the rubber falls off. i have been buying the all cotton ones and i do wash the smaller one in the washer but i take the big ones to the laundromat. i once had a washing machine and dryer full of the rubber backing and had o throw them out anyway and had to scrub the dryer because the rubber had stuck to the sides.

Hi R.,

I could be way off, but we had a similar problem with our towels. Besides hating laundry, I think it's silly to use a new towel each time you shower, bathe, etc. My opinion only of course.

When I did some research, it actually is due to the fabric softener. What I found was that you shouldn't use any fabric softener on your towels as it attracts dirt, dead skin cells and will actually absorb air odors more easily.

I couldn't imagine not using fabric softener. I don't care much for scratchy crunchy towels. So I ran an empty extra large, heavy duty hot water load with bleach (I used a bit more than suggested for clothes). I then ran it again as above without the bleach (can't afford a new wardrobe as of late). I then popped the bottom off of the dryer and vacuumed underneath it, took out the lint trap and soaked it in hot soapy water and scrubbed it with a cheap tooth brush. The lint trap needs to be cleaned this way especially if you use dryer sheets instead of liquid softener.

I then ran the towels on the hottest setting the fabric would allow with "Free" detergent and Borax a couple of times - basically when I could pick them up from the washer and not have the "smell" in them any longer.

When I do the towels, I use less softener than suggested - just enough to get rid of the crunchy scratchy issue (had to run a few loads to figure out the right amount).

I wash our towels once a week religiously - even if they were only used once during the week. We also will not allow the towels to stay overnight in the washer. If I can't throw them in the dryer right when they are done, I will wash them the next day.

We also make sure not to double or tri-fold the towels after use. It looks "tacky" but we simply hang them over the shower rod 1/2 on each side.

I haven't noticed the smell in our towels since. We have ridiculously hard water here in AZ, my DH is very acidic (will actually turn pillow cases pink) and was an electrician when this happened and when it was resolved.

Hope my info/situation can help you fix yours. Do let me know if it helps or not. If I was way off base, I do apologize for it being such a lengthy post. ;-)

Good Luck!

S.

First run fill your washer with hot water and enough bleach for a large load of laundry.

Then try using Borax 20 Mule team. Fill the washer with warm water and Borax and let the towels soak in their over night.

Some of my towels have that bad smell too, but it happens when the my DH doesn't wring out the dish cloth or the towels are not completely dry before I fold and put them away. Now I either let the towels go through the cool-down cycle so I can tell for sure that they are dry or I let them sit in the hot dryer for a while so I can make sure they are cool and dry before I put them away.

I hope this helps.

I have noticed the same thing with my colored towels...but its mainly in the summer months. The water in Phoenix during the summer smells when you turn it on. People had suggested that I try vinegar...it didn't work. Ammonia didn't work...Color safe bleach didn't work...so I ended up throwing all my color towels away and bought white ones. I use about 1/4 cup of bleach in every load and I no longer have that smell. I also use Tide.

Good Luck :)

This happened to us as well. If you have the front loading washers they get yucky inside if you keep the door closed. Here are the things I did to get rid of the smell.
1) Bought new towels, I could never get the smell out.
2) At Home Depot or Lowes, they have a cleaner for your washer. Buy Two packs... you will need 3 to clean it the first time and then you will have 3 for the next cleaning, 1 per month.
3) I then took my all purpose cleaner, Mr. Clean, and sprayed the front door on the inside and wiped it really, really good.
4) Now everything stays fresh and clean, too bad they don't tell you about it when you buy them. I hope this helps.

i dont know why but this is an odd suggestion i have done it and it works...go to the liquor store and buy some cheap vodka i know it sounds odd but when you wash them use about a cup in your water with your soap it will get rid of the smell i had the same problem it worked wonders i didnt think it would but it did ....hope this was helpful

I had this happen before and it was the soap. I cant remember the scent but now I only buy tide. I had to wash the towels in bleach and hot water. If you have colored towels, try a color safe bleach, but for the white or light ones, try bleach and change your soap. Good luck that smell is horrible it seems like it gets stuck in your nose!!

We have had this problem periodically as well. I have been able to switch detergent, after running the washer empty with just bleach, and that seems to help. I also will put some vinegar into the load of towels in place of fabric softner and it helps too, they smell fresher, not like pickles :) The thing that I figured out really made a difference was to run the drier longer. Finding the source/solution of this really became an obsession for me (bored?) and I discovered that the towels that I personally didn't wash, were the ones that were smelling. My husband always over stuffs the washer and then sets the drier so it seems like the clothes are always JUST dry when he takes them out. My mom would do laundry if she was here watching the kids, and she would put them in and take them out when they "felt" dry, which I think then the towels were folded and put away, but in actually were not totally dry. I always set the drier to "extra dry" or whatever it is, and just let it go and go because otherwise I forget to check it, go back and they are still damn and I have wasted time :) So, I just let it run longer than it probably needs to, but that way the towels are definately, for sure, all the way dry. When I do that, I don't smell the icky smell. This summer I used a clothes line and never had the problem either. I would use vinegar in the place of fabric softner and hang them on the line and everything was fine again.

If you do decide to get rid of the towels and start over, the animal shelters are always looking for donations and I don't think the dogs and cats would care if they smelled funny when wet!

Oxyclean, oxyclean, oxyclean! Any time my laundry starts to have a smell, this happens with front load washers - I add a scoop to my laundry and it goes away!

I wish I could tell you how to fix this problem, but I cant. we have the same problem with our towels and its making me crazy. I did soak our towels in viniger in the washing machine. that seemed to help for a while but not long. It doenst affect our cloths eather ? weird itsnt it. Im thinking about buying all new towels but the ones we have are not cheap that makes me made. so if you find the answere could you pass it on. Thanks. C.

Hi R.,
An inexpensive good smell improver would be to dump a box of baking soda in the washer with your towel batch. Also make sure you don't leave wet towels sitting in the washer like over night and putting them in to the dryer the next morning. That allows time for the bacteria to grow=bad smell.
Good luck, Marlene

I am anxious to hear what people have to say to this because I have the same problem. I don't think it is the washer because that was the case with both mine now and my last washer. I tried using vinegar one time which I think helped a little bit but then it went back to having the smell. I also have problems with my dish rags which I do end up throwing out but my towels are too nice to just get rid of.

L.

Do you have a front load or a top load. If you have a front load that was made by maytag it might be one that was involved in a recall a few years ago. I would try to out a small amount of clorox bleach in with the load and wash it on the hottest setting available to your machine. Then make sure that as soon as the wash cycle is finished that you immediatly flip it over to the dryer. Hope it helps :)

I don't have a front loader and I have the same problem! I think it has to do with the hard water out here. It is disgusting. I'm going to try the vinegar and see if that helps... For me it is mostly my kitchen towels that get stinky. I stopped using them completely. Nothing else that comes out of my washer smells. It is so strange.

Hi R...

We have the same problem. Our washing machine is old but still works great other than the towels smelling bad too.
The only thing I have found to sort of work is to add a capful or two of Pinesol to the wash. Seems to work a little bit. Also, just make sure you are transferring the towels from washer to dryer as soon as possible.
I have thrown some of our old towels out because they just didnt get better but maybe try the pine sol and see if it helps at all. \
If you get any better advice, please pass it my way!
Thanks and good luck!

you can buy the smelly wash stuff online, or you can take the machine appart and clean it really good...afterwards, make sure you only use 1/3rd the recommended amount of soap in the washing machine, that is what caused the odor to begin with. maybe even go with only using dryer sheets too. that smell is also in your regular clothes but you won't notice it unless you work out or unless it rains too. the pure wash/smelly washer stuff will take that smell out too after you get the smell out of the washer.
good luck.

Try using 1/2 c Arm&Hammer baking soda in the rince water.

Have you tried running the washer through a cycle with vinegar, that sometimes helps get rid of bad odors. I would also try the vinegar in the towels. I have added febreeze to my wash when certain items kept a bad smell. Also, are your towels completely dry when you take them out of the dryer? If they are a little damp they would smell bad. I would also try hanging them out to dry if that is possible.

Hi R.,

The same thing happened to us, Towles only!

What I did is took white vinegar added it to the
bleach cycle and ran a regular wash with my towls in it.

IT WORKS, NOW I ADD WHITE VINEGAR WHEN WASHING TOWELS.

Denise

Thank you for the question. I thought I was the only one experiencing this problem. It's is so frustrating.

I had the same problem before. I was told by a repairman that this is due to the moisture in the washer after a cycle. He told me to run a cycle (no clothes) with a cup of vinegar every three months or so. I do this every couple of months (I have a large family) and this has solved the problem.

J. L

Creeepy, I have the exact same problem and I am also married to my high school sweetheart and we have 2 beautiful boys! If you find out a good answer please let me know!

I don't have an answer for you but I have the same problem. Do you have a front load washer?? If you get any good info let me know. I sometimes put fabreeze in the wash cycle. Seems to help for a couple of days but does not get rid of it. I have three kids so I do laundry daily!!
C. A

If it'a a front loading washer, you should make sure to wipe down the inside rubber seal. Peel it back and wipe any moisture that collects.
Good luck.

I have the same problem with my front loading machine. Try washing each load with about 1/2 - 3/4 cup white vinegar in addition to your detergent and make sure to remove from the washer immediately to dry.

Washers are wet all the time and have pretty tight seals on them to keep them from leaking, especially the front loaders. They can get mildew in them too, just like a bath tub. Run a load with no clothes but 2 cups of white vinegar. That will clean the washer and help with the odor. Try to leave the door open when you aren't using it so it can dry.

After you do the vinegar trick, put the towels back in with bleach... color fast if you need it. That should fix your towels, and you don't have to toss them out :)

Every once in a while, I wash my towels with a little bit of Pine-Sol. I know, it may sound creepy at first, but I learned this from my mom-in-law. It works for towels because mine smelled so much better. And if your washer smells like it, I suggest that run the washer on the rinse cycle only with no clothes or anything, just a little bit of Pine-Sol.(Name Brand, no generics)Read the directions of the bottle and it will tell you how much to put in.

Try 1 Cup of Vinegar to the rinse cycle. Don't use fabric softener, as the vinegar will do that as well. The vinegar should remove the smell. You may even try Borax (20 Mule Team--It's a box that I purchase at Target for under $3) in with your laundry soap, to give the soap the boost in cleaning power. I use this combination as well as using Hot water for my towels. The towels do not smell like vinegar and they are soft when exiting the dryer. HTH!

Make sure to leave your washer lid open after each load so it can dry out in there and prevent mold/mildew. I always leave mine open all the time when it's not in use. I also use vinegar every once in a while with the load - I never use fabric softener. Hope you get rid of the smell.

http://www.azfamily.com/video/?z=y&nvid=283614&shu=1
I saw this episode on channel 3 a while back, hope it helps.

There may be a build up of mold. Check the rubber inside of the washer door to see if there is mold. That should be wiped down after the last load of laundry is done and the door left open so everything dries. You can also run the washer machine by itself without any items inside with some special stuff you can find at Home Depot or Lowe's. Sorry I forgot the name. That should be done every month or two to keep mold at bay. Also, your towels should be put into the dryer right away after they are washed and not left sitting out. The above stuff was told to be by a Whirlpool mechanic and he seemed to know what he was talking about. I hope you figure it out!

Try adding baking soda to the water or using arm and hammer detergent. If that doesn't work put a tiny bit of bleach in and the smell should go away.

Is it a front loader? Front loaders have a rubber gasket on them that has a smell. We just sent our GE front loader back b/c of the smell. They told us it is the gasket and they have no solution for it. We had them replace it for a top loader.

J.

I have no idea how to help, but have the exact same problem. I have noticed that my towels always smell as if they were left in the washing machine to long. I have never had this problem with previous washing machines. The machine I have now is a front loading washer. My clothes don't smell after being washed. Hopefully someone has an answer for you. If you get one that works could you possibly repost it. It would be very much appreciated.

This is so funny that I should read this because not only did we go through the same thing but we were just talking about it today with some other people with the same problem. Okay this is what's up: The newer front loaders are air tight when they are closed. If you have this machine you will more likely have this problem. When you're done emptying the load you probably shut the door. This allows the water that's setting in the bottom of the machine to sit and get stagnate with a moldy smell. It also causes a film build up within the machine that has a really rank smell to it. If you have a regular upright machine they are not air tight but can also have the same results when you continue to leave the lid shut after each washing. It's not as common but still can happen. What I have found to be a sure cure is to put the machine on hot water, add a half a bag of pool shock and allow the machine to fill up. Shut the machine off and allow it to sit for several hours. Every hour or so I would go in and shut the lid and allow it to aggitate for about a minute then i'd open the lid and allow it to continue to sit. durring the aggitation I would notice a lot of debret breaking loose and floating about. After several hours of this I let it finish it's cycle and then finally I ran the machine on full cycle with no clothes in it to remove any shock residue left in the tub. I also was careful to only do a load of whites as my first load after doing this as the shock acts like a bleach. After doing all this I never left the machine with the lid down ever again after doing wash. I have never had the problem since then. If you have a front loading machine, it's very important that you don't shut the door after washing. You have to allow the moisture to evaporate and not sit inside a sealed tub to stagnate. Hope you find this information useful. I went through a lot to figure out this solution!

Good luck, P.

I would wash your machine with bleach or try vinegar or both

hi!! i have been doing this for 2 years now and is the best thing..... use distilled vinegar instead of fabric softener.... your clothes will not smell like vinegar.... i promise....actually they will smell sooooo fresh,....u keep using ur detergant as usual.... ur washer will be like new.... actually u can use vinegar to clean your entire house...... read up on it on line and u will see.....it is soooo much cheaper that fabric softner too.... the color on your clothes will last longer too.....

I'm guessing it's not the washing machine if it doesn't happen with other clothes. Try washing your towels with laundry detergent plus about a cup of ammonia, (no fabric softener) and hang them in the sun rather than using the dryer. Then always make sure they get hung in a way they can dry between uses.

If you have a front loading washer (like I do) it's totally common. You can buy these washer tablets at Home Depot and do a load with them (alone) once every 2 weeks or so. Then after each wash use a Clorex disinfection wipe and clean out between the rubber ring in the front of the washer and along the rim. This will help TREMENDOUSLY! But this will only work with a front loader. If it's a regular washer I am not sure what to do. Hope this helps!

Hi R. - I've noticed the same thing with our washer, and it's fairly new and we don't wash rugs in it. What we do occasionally now is run an empty load with hot water and put like a quarter gallon of bleach in it. Then we ran a load of white clothes right after to sort of make sure that the bleach is all rinsed out of the machine. It helps. I also double-up on the fabric softener with the towels (using 2 sheets in the dryer instead of 1), and that's helped too :) Good luck!

I have this same problem. Only thing is that it's happened with both of the washer I had. One was a top loader and the one I have now is a front loader. So I doubt that it's because it's front loader. I am going to try the vinegar and then a bleach load to see what happens.

Thanks for asking this! It looks like many moms needed help.

Let us know what happened and what worked for you.

Thanks!

:)

I don't think it is your washing machine. I had the exact same thing happen to us for a while. We wanted to throw away all our towels too. It was so embarrasing when we would have company especially. I looked online and found this:

Put your towels in the washing machine, using the hottest water available. Add one or two cups of white vinegar. Do not add detergent, fabric softener, or any other products at this time. Run the washer.
Leave the towels in the washer and wash the same load again just as you would normally with laundry soap. Again, use the hottest water available. Don't use fabric softener or any other products.
Dry the load in the dryer using a high heat setting. Towels should be thoroughly dry when you pull them out. If they're not dry, put them back in, or move them immediately outside and hang them in the sunlight.

The difference was AMAZING!!! I now just wash all my towels in one load, and do this every time to prevent that mildew smell. I used 1 1/2 c. the 1st time I did it, and now use 1 cup each other time. Just buy a large container of white vinegar. I am so so so glad I found this!

Here's a site that tells you how to wash your washing machine :)

http://www.thediaperhyena.com/washingmachinecare.htm

If you have an older front loading washer, there cold be mold along the rim. Leave the washer door open between washes to it can dry out and use something like Smelly Washer to wash your machine and your your towels. You wash your towels in this and then wash them again in regular soap. That should get rid of the smell. From that point you wash them in regular soap all the time. Although I still find the need to wash them in Smelly Washer every few months. I think the website is smellywasher.com.

Hi R.,

So i have had the same problem in the past not anymore. And what I did was i would wash a load of bleach water(no clothes) HOT water. When I wash my towels now I use hot water and a extra rinse cycle. I only use Arm and Hammer laundry soap. And dry on high until completely dry.
I have used vinegar but I am very sensitive to smells i could smell the vinegar throughtout the next 5 loads of laundry I did.
if you reuse towels before washing, make sure you hang them up so they dry all the way and in a ventilated area.

Good Luck. I hope you can get rid of the funk. :)

R.,

I had a similar problem and a friend recommended I put a capful of white vinegar in the wash and the smell will go away. You can also do an empty wash (no clothes)just water and capful of vinegar,let the cycle run as usual and the smell will go away.

A. R.

Hi-
We have the same problem and I think it might be old fashioned mildew. I ran a cycle with just bleach in the washer to clean it (you could probably use vinegar if you prefer) and now I am militant about taking the towels out right away. Also, in between loads I keep the washer lid open so it can thoroughly dry out. As for the towels, they were a lost cause so I kept the ones that didn't smell too bad and the others I bleached out and use for rags.
Good luck!