Towels smell bad after a few uses

[hmfair54]

Hi people, hoping I'm posting this in the right place and that someone will have some advice.

Basically title says it all. Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of a damp/musty smell on towels that have only been used a few times since washing? I dry my towels on the heated rail after I've showered or over the bannister if there's no room so they don't lie crumpled on the bathroom floor.

I'm wondering if the washing machine's the issue? I clean it fairly regularly with the dettol machine cleaner and calgon so it should be pretty clean inside, and I'm washing the towels on a 2.5 hour bed and bath cycle. The only thing I can think of is that the machine doesn't go above 60 degrees so I can't do a boil wash?

Any advice would be appreciated!

I would say you just need to wash them more often and not use them so much before washing them again!

How many times is a few?

Is it possible you're drying the towels wrong (not quick enough/left in washing machine too long) so that they smell a bit anyway when they get warm and damp it brings the smell out?

What's a few uses ?

Throw a tablespoon or 2 of bicarbonate or white vinegar (not both!) in with the detergent and never ever use fabric softener on towels.

How many times is a few?

4/5 times and they're not musty - they need washing.

1/2 times - are you drying them flat? Are they being aired in a warm room?

Literally two or three times, I wash them regularly because of the smell and concern about germs etc. I don't sit in my towel ages after a shower either so only use it to quickly dry off and then get dressed straight away so they never get soaking wet.

We don't have a tumble drier so dry them hung on a rack in a warm room with good air circulation. After showers etc. they're hung flat over the towel rail or bannister.

What are you washing the towels with?

Powder is best or keeping smells at bay (better for your machine, too - you shouldn't need all the extra stuff).

After 4 or 5 uses, I agree that they're probably due a wash, anyhow.

Rather than hand towels, I have the half sized guest towels in the bathroom, as they take up less space on the towel rail, and change them daily (more if a mucky pup has made them grotty)

Too much powder? You only need a tablespoon of powder to wash towels. And give them an extra rinse cycle.

I would say your machine is the issue, give it a wash through & leave the door open to air it.
Do you boil wash your towels?

After use, there's probably not enough air circulating to dry them.

The musty smell is either because there is bacteria rubbed on them from not very well washed bodies which is smelling, or because they got wet with use and didn’t dry quickly enough so bacteria has started to grow in the damp.

Either way it’s a problem.

After watching programmes about faecal matter being wiped into towels when drying yourself, I decided to use smaller towels and wash after every use, rather than larger ones I used twice before washing, as drying my face in invisible faecal matter isn’t my idea of clean! Problem solved

We use Persil/fairy non bio gel (I know bio would be better for towels/bedsheets but a few in the house have sensitive skin so I can't use it).

Does your machine smell stale?
Do you clean your machine? Put the machine on the hottest wash with a good amount of soda crystals to give it a good clean.

Wash your towels on the hottest wash. Use biological powder and or antibacterial wash (you can chuck in some soda crystals too) and don't use fabric softener. Give them an extra spin if you can so they dry quicker.

You need to wash then more often.

OP I used to get this sometimes, which was odd as it was only every so often. My guess is that the towels are sat in the washing machine for too long before drying them - if I set them to wash so that I'm ready and waiting for when they are finished, they tend not to smell.

Fairy non bio comes as a powder, which contains oxygen based bleaching agents, which help to kill bacteria. The gel doesn't contain them, which leads to a smelly washing machine and, for you, musty towels.

I'd say you need to both wash and dry them on a hotter temperature. I find if towels are left to dry slowly they smell bad.

Hang them out on a washing line between uses.

Wash them on a 60 or 90, dry them as quickly as possible. A laundry cleanser like Dettol to kill any lingering bacteria (you don’t have to do it on every single wash) may also help.

Fabric softener builds up on towels and will leave a musty smell on them. Wash them on hot with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to get the build up off (if you use fabric softener) and only use powder in future.

God I wash them every other day.

You need to use hotter water, less soap, more efficient drying

If they are light coloured , try some napisan in the powder drawer. Kills bacteria

I would use powder rather than gel as powders have bleaches that help with keeping the machine clean

Our towels never smell. I wash them on 50/60 degree wash, no fabric conditioner. Tumble dry on high heat until they are really dry. Then into the airing cupboard until they're needed again. Once back in use, they go on a heated towel rail in between use. Then they're out for about 1-2 weeks. Everyone has their own. I'd suggest the smell comes because somehow they don't dry out fully in between uses, and if you can fix that then the smell should go.

Line dry if possible, even if you have to finish them off in a dryer or on a clothes horse. Even a couple of hours of fresh air makes a difference.