Have you ever left towels in the washing machine overnight (or worse, for days) after washing them? That’s okay, we’ve all done it. If you have, you know that when you take them out, they smell like mildew. And even after drying them with fragrant dryer sheets, that musty smell lingers. It’s one of the hardest smells to remove from a fabric, and unfortunately, it’s also one of the most unpleasant smells you can have in your bathroom – it’s actually the smell of bacteria growth, which is just gross.
There is a solution to eliminate that musty smell, and it goes far beyond simply putting your towels back in for a fresh load; it deep cleans your towels and kills the odor at the source. The next time you find yourself with moldy towels, try this easy trick and eliminate those disgusting odors for good.
This tip only requires vinegar and baking soda, which you probably already have at home! If not, we highly recommend making this $2 investment at the Dollar Store. Your smelly towels will thank you.
Vinegar and baking soda are a dream team for fighting odors. Together, these two products not only mask odors, they eat away at bacteria and eliminate them permanently. But together? Together, they cause a chemical reaction (remember those volcanoes in science class, right?) that penetrates deep into the fibers of your towel and actually eliminates those stubborn odors.
Plus, this combination removes fabric softener and detergent residue. This buildup in the fabric of your towels not only attracts and harbors bacteria, but it makes your towels “waterproof.” And when you’re trying to wash something that’s waterproof… you probably can’t wash it too thoroughly. Unless, of course, you’re using this intense cleaner.
Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll need to do to get started.
What You Need:
- 1 cup of white vinegar — Save on white vinegar
- 1/2 cup of baking soda — Save on baking soda
- Hot water
What You Do:
- Put the smelly towels into your washing machine and fill with hot water. The best way to do this may even be to boil some water on the stove, the pour it directly into the load.
- Then, add one cup of vinegar to the load and run the towels through a normal wash cycle. After that cycle finishes, leave the towels in there and refill again with more boiling water and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Run through a second cycle.
- Lastly, dry your towels thoroughly, whether in the dryer or on a clothesline. One Good Thing by Jillee swears this method should work 9 times out of 10. And if it doesn’t work, just repeat the process and you should have success.
