Damp is the usual culprit behind a smelly towel. A towel that sat bunched on the floor, waited in a hamper, or stayed in the washer after the cycle ended gives mildew a head start. Too many uses between washes and a mildewy washing machine can add to the smell.
Key Takeaways:
- Wash a bath towel every three to five uses and hang it to dry in between.
- Smelly towels need hot water and a heavy-soil setting, then the dryer right away.
- Skip fabric softener, dryer sheets, and scent beads.
Why towels smell musty
Musty odors come from warm, damp conditions, according to Consumer Reports’ guide to washing towels, which points to a few common sources.
- Wet towels left in a pile on the floor or in a laundry basket.
- Clean towels sitting in the washer long after the wash cycle ends.
- Too many uses between washes, so the towel never dries out.
- A washer with its own mildew problem.
Charles Gerba, who teaches environmental science at the University of Arizona, told Consumer Reports that bacteria build up in towels from soap and skin cells. In his hand towel research, the longer between washes, the more bacteria he found.
Why do my towels smell after washing?
Towels left sitting in the washer can pick up a musty, mildewy smell, Consumer Reports says, so move them to the dryer as soon as the cycle ends.
Fabric softener is no fix for a smelly towel. CR says softeners leave residue and hard-water mineral build-up, and towels absorb less water as a result. Larry Ciufo, one of CR’s laundry experts, calls softeners and dryer sheets “a waste of money” for towels. Our post on why you should ditch your fabric softener has other ways to keep towels soft.
Sometimes the smell comes from the washer itself, and a separate Consumer Reports guide to household odors says a mildewy smell is common in front-loaders.
How to wash the smell out of towels
Wash towels together and apart from clothes, since Ciufo says towels can spread germs to other clothing and shed lint. Our post on whether you should wash your sheets and towels together covers the bedding side.
Use hot water, which Gerba and Ciufo both recommend for smells, stains, and bacteria. For towels that smell bad from workouts or heavy use, CR suggests the heavy-soil setting. A sanitize cycle helps too, though the hottest water can wear on fabric. CR puts the minimum disinfection temperature at about 140°F.
Some bacteria survive hot water in thick towels, so Gerba also suggests an antimicrobial laundry sanitizer. A steam cycle, if your washer has one, helps remove odors.
Dry the towels right away on a normal or heavy-duty cycle. Toss in a few tennis or wool dryer balls with them. Leave out dryer sheets, which CR says can coat the dryer’s moisture sensor.
For towels that stay stiff and smelly after all that, our guide to laundry stripping walks through a long soak that pulls out residue.
Is your washer the problem?
If every load comes out smelling a little off, check the machine. CR’s odor guide says to run its cleaning cycle, or run it empty on the hottest setting with chlorine bleach. If the musty smell lingers, the pump filter may need cleaning or replacing.
Clean towels without the washer drama
OrangeBag picks up your towels with the rest of your laundry, at $2.65 per pound by the bag. Every order is washed separately with toxin-free detergent at our Los Angeles plant.
Everything comes back sorted, fluffed, and folded in 24 to 48 hours. Our page on laundry pickup and delivery in Los Angeles shows how monthly plans waive the fees and save up to 33%.
Smelly towel FAQ
How often should you wash bath towels?
Consumer Reports cites the American Cleaning Institute’s advice to wash a bath towel every three to five uses and hang it to dry in between. For hand towels, Gerba suggests changing them every three to four days. If you shower twice a day, Ciufo suggests two towels so each one dries out between uses.
Why do my towels smell like mildew after one use?
Treat it the same way as any other smelly towel. Run a hot wash on the heavy-soil setting, with an antimicrobial laundry sanitizer or the sanitize cycle if you have one, then move it to the dryer right away. Between uses, hang the towel up so it can dry out.
Do scent beads get rid of towel odors?
No, Ciufo told Consumer Reports that scent beads only cover the smell with fragrance. His fix is hot water, a good detergent, and the sanitize cycle if your machine has one. Dry the towels as soon as the wash ends.
Rather hand off the towels?
Put the towel pile in a bag by the door with the rest of your laundry. It comes back fluffed and folded within 48 hours.
