Smelly Bath Towels and How to Deal with Them Effectively

When you get out of a good hot shower and dry your face with a towel do you ask why do my bath towels smell?Does that unpleasant odor hit you as soon as you pick up your towel?A refreshing shower or relaxing bath can be totally ruined if your towel smells unpleasant.If you want to know how to make bath towels smell good you need to understand some basic science. You need a few tips and tricks to avoid the causes of the problem and we've laid them out here for you so just read on.Moldy MildewMildew is the most common cause of those unpleasant sour smells. Plain old mold is at the root of your problems. Mold can exist in a number of places, some of them quite surprising and if it's present all it needs is warmth and moisture for the mold to start reproducing.The unpleasant smells are a simple byproduct of the mold and if you live in an area where the water is high in mineral content, the speed at which the smells develop can be much faster.So, eradicate the mold and eliminate the conditions needed for it to thrive in and your towels will be sweet smelling from the day you put them out, to the day you leave them in the laundry basket.Blame Your Washing MachineThe best place to start when your bath towels smell musty is, believe it or not, your washing machine.Modern front loading washing machines have a rubber gasket around the inside door that is a perfect trap for the sort of things you really wouldn't want to see in your home. If you have a front loader, you NEED to watch this video: Mold builds up because it's warm and wet inside the lip but mainly because people use too much detergent. So, now we've tracked down the cause what's to be done?First you need to clean up your act; well your washing machine at least! Start by looking inside the rubber gasket. Open the door and pull the outer lip away from the door. The folds in the seal are the perfect place to harbour mold and bacteria. Take a cloth soaked in a mixture of water and bleach and thoroughly clean the inside of the lip. A toothbrush can help get right inside the nooks and crannies - most satisfying! Make sure you clean all the way round, not just the bottom - no short cuts here please.Remove your soap and conditioner dispensers from the machine and given them a thorough clean as well.Once you've removed all of the mold from the seal, run your washing machine empty with a cup of baking soda and white vinegar on a weekly basis to keep the mold from returning.Laundry Detergents, Additives and Modern Washing Machines Now, here's a good one. Laundry detergents and fabric conditioners are designed to clean your towels and make them smell lovely and fresh. But a thin layer of softener or detergent on the inside of your washing machine, left after the wash is complete, is the perfect breeding ground for mold. Modern washing machines also use less water. At the same time, they don't need more detergent, so if you are heavy handed with the soap, the machine never cleans itself completely.Similarly, if you over use fabric softeners the final rinse cycle will leave a fine layer of softener on the inside of your machine. The combination of detergent and softener makes a perfect breeding ground for mold spores.Do you also find that your towels just don't dry you as quickly as you'd like? That's because your fabric softener deposits a coating on your towel that makes it soft and fragrant but also makes it more difficult for the towel to absorb water. So why not think of doing without it, at least for towels.Stop using fabric fabric softener and switch to dryer sheets or dryer balls and your towels will still be soft and fragrant and you've taken one of the main mold producers out of contention.If you live in warmer climates and don't have a dryer, then ditch the fabric softener on your towels and fluff them fully with a good shake before they go on the washing line and once more when they've dried completely. Sometimes the old fashioned ways really are the best!You can also add vinegar to your wash, it will act as a natural agent that stops any mold present in it's tracks so no more unpleasant shocks when you pick up your bath towel.Make Sure You Dry Your Towels Properly So your washing machine is perfectly clean and your towels are laundered without additives that encourage mold. Indeed, they may even be treated with other additives that inhibit mold growing but that's not the end of the story. Now, you need to ensure that you dry your towels properly.Moisture is the final part of the equation and even the least amount of mold will spread and eventually smell if your towels are wet. Dry them on the line or in the tumble dryer completely. Avoid bringing them in and folding them when they are still a little damp - you know what will happen - phew wiff!Towels also need to be thoroughly dried after then have been used. Don't let anyone leave them in a pile on the bathroom floor - not even teenage boys! If they aren't hung over a towel rail they'll not dry properly. Maybe you just need a good towel rail/warmer?If you have a small bathroom, things can naturally get cluttered, so check out these small bathroom hacks. One more idea is – make sure you have adequate lighting – get a little fancy with your lighting too!Time for Mission MoldSo now you know exactly how to make bath towels smell good. Our simple steps - clean the machine, cut down on the laundry additives and keep everything bone dry will keep your towels smelling spring fresh.Good though we are, there's a wealth of Martha Stewart type tips and tricks out there so if you come across any good ones we'd love to hear them.Why not drop us a message below?Brought to you by Bathroomzz. Referenceshttp://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Mildew-Smell-from-Towels http://www.home-ec101.com/sour-smelling-towels/http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a19968/common-towel-problems/

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