Stinky towels

Butterfly_Brain

White vinegar works it is an anti bacterial agent and the smell is almost certainly from a build up of washing powder and softener.
I use white vinegar instead of softener and never have the problem of smelly towels

pigpen

Wash them hotter.. if they are covered in sweat and dead skin and body grease a normal 30/40' or probably 60' wash won't shift it... the fibres probably have a liberal crusty coating of the above. Some of my towels are over 40 years old and don't smell, wash powder and fabric conditioner doesn't make them stink! I think these would be running away by themselves by now if it did!

I'd run them through a 90/95' wash with the machine half full so they have plenty of room to agitate with nothing in it.. we have a habit of overstuffing a machine so things don't wash properly.

Soaking in a bathtub of bicarb and or napisan might help neutralise the smell.

scottishminnie

Thank you all. For some reason I'd thought that washing at 95 would leave me with something shrunk to the size of a facecloth I think I should wash them hotter then to see if that helps.

TorryQuine - maybe I do wash too often but it goes back to hubby growing up in a house of 7 where a bath towel was made to last 2 days and he was the last allowed to shower/bath as the order was parents first, daughters next, eldest son then hubby. Hand towels were changed once a week and sheets twice a year for summer and winter so he's a bit obsessive about things being laundered and I totally understand it. There's no danger of me reusing the gym towels - I can wring out mine after a spin or insanity session. Why I'm not as thin as a whippet I don't know but that's a whole other thing:D

Torry_Quine

scottishminnie wrote: »

Thank you all. For some reason I'd thought that washing at 95 would leave me with something shrunk to the size of a facecloth I think I should wash them hotter then to see if that helps.

TorryQuine - maybe I do wash too often but it goes back to hubby growing up in a house of 7 where a bath towel was made to last 2 days and he was the last allowed to shower/bath as the order was parents first, daughters next, eldest son then hubby. Hand towels were changed once a week and sheets twice a year for summer and winter so he's a bit obsessive about things being laundered and I totally understand it. There's no danger of me reusing the gym towels - I can ring out mine after a spin or insanity session. Why I'm not as thin as a whippet I don't know but that's a whole other thing:D

Don't tell me your one of the people who won't share towels.:rotfl:

I change my hand towel weekly as it really doesn't need anymore in my opinion. The sheets must have walked to the machine!!:eek:

scottishminnie

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Don't tell me your one of the people who won't share towels.:rotfl:

I change my hand towel weekly as it really doesn't need anymore in my opinion. The sheets must have walked to the machine!!:eek:

No, I'm not that obsessive:). If he has a shower first I'll reuse the towel then consign it to the laundry bin.

:rotfl::rotfl: about the sheets, you are so right. He says they had flannelette sheets in winter with blankets and candlestick bedspreads on top and nylon sheets in summer with an eiderdown on top. My skin crawls at the thought of it. Apparently only hope of getting your sheets changed more often was to be very not well and soil them (although he says it had to be quite visible)_pale__pale__pale_

Horace

You could also try that Dettol laundry liquid - I wash everything at 30 degrees including towels and sheets but when I do a towel or sheet wash I use this Dettol laundry liquid and fabric softener for clothes and smalls.

kwmlondon

We now put a scoop of sodium bicarbonate in every wash. I cycle every day and I go to the gym a lot and have had trouble with stinky tshirts but a scoop of bicarb in every wash seems to do the trick. Towels seem to be less stinky too. It's quite cheap as well and helps keep the washing machine fresh.

honeythewitch

Another point worth considering is that washing machines often don't get to the correct temperature.

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/08/washing-machines-dont-reach-correct-temperature-330730/

lottie3000

I wont share towels and wash at 60c about three times a week and once/twice a month run them through a 95c wash. I've found this really interesting as my towels always smell OK but some of hubby's t shirts seem to stay smelly, i'm going to try bi-carb with his washing. How much will I need?

kaya

You need to wash them at a higher temp to kill all the bacteria off, *simples*