by Wendy Minks

Created on: December 03, 2008

The End of Smelly Towels

Ah, Irish Spring clean, scrubbed head to toe, lathered and slathered. You turn off the water and reach through the steam for a soft, fluffy warm towel. "EWWWW! That's not going anywhere near my clean face!" you exclaim. You drop the towel in the hamper and reach for another, but they are all the same. The ones you washed and folded last week smell just as awful as the one your spouse hung to dry this morning. You wash, you dry, you even use fabric softener, but still they stink. How does this happen? More importantly, how to make it stop?

The problem here is mildew (mold). Molds are survivors. They thrive in moist, warm areas, like bathrooms and laundry rooms. Their microscopic spores travel through the air, and can lie dormant for a long time, until the right conditions exist for growth. They are hard to see and even harder to kill. Once introduced into your home, they will spread far and wide. A few spores float in through an open window and find a new home on that damp towel at the bottom of the hamper. A few days later you do your normal load laundry and the spores spread. Before you know it your entire linen closet, and probably your sock drawer, smells terrible.

If you are serious about getting rid of the stink, you need to remove the active mold/mildew and all of the spores. Once the problem is contained, you can then move to prevention.

1. Thoroughly clean your washer with bleach. Start with a spray bottle of bleach diluted 10:1. Spray and scrub in every nook and cranny. If you have a front load washer there are often rubber gaskets or seals to prevent water from leaking out of the door. Clean this area thoroughly. Mold can grow in all the folds and curves that trap water after each cycle. Don't forget the fabric softener dispenser. Take it apart if possible.

2. Run the longest wash cycle, at the highest water level, at the hottest water temperature with a cup of undiluted laundry bleach. Run a second rinse cycle to be sure all of the bleach is removed from the washer.

3. Re wash ALL of your linens. It is important that you wash them all. All the bath towels, sheets, wash cloths, kitchen towels, etc. Forgot some and you may reinfect your nice fresh linen and start the vicious cycle all over again. Start with all the whites. Wash them in the hottest temperature with the normal amount of your favorite soap and the recommended amount of liquid bleach. Remove them from the washer immediately after the cycle is complete. Do NOT hang them

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