7 Laundry Mistakes That Make Towels Smell Sour (and the Fix for Each)

The 7 mistakes

1. Rewashing a sour towel on a quick, cold cycle
2. Pouring in extra detergent
3. Adding fabric softener to towels
4. Letting towels stay damp
5. Stuffing the washer too full
6. Forgetting the washer can be the smell
7. Mixing your fixers in one load

1. Rewashing a sour towel on a quick, cold cycle

   Why it backfires. A quick, cold wash feels like the gentle choice. But a review of laundry studies found that frequent cold, short washes do not clear out the bacteria, skin oils and smelly compounds that build up in fabric. Washes at about 122°F (50°C) and up generally do. (On a care label, “hot” means water from 112°F to 145°F, set by the FTC.)

   Do this insteadWash towels in the hottest water their care label allows. If a towel already smells sour, do the one-time reset first. The same old wash will just bring the same old smell back.

   Full tip: How to get the sour smell out of towels

2. Pouring in extra detergent

   Why it backfires. Speed Queen, a washer maker, says soap residue builds up in towels, keeps them from drying well and can leave them musty. If you still see suds after the rinse, that is a sure sign you used too much.

   Do this insteadMeasure your detergent by the line on the package instead of pouring by eye. If you have an HE (high efficiency) washer, use HE detergent.

3. Adding fabric softener to towels

   Why it backfires. It seems like softener should make towels softer. But Speed Queen says it builds up on towels and makes them less soft over time, which is the opposite of what you paid for.

   Do this insteadLeave the softener out of towel loads. Your other laundry can follow its own label.

4. Letting towels stay damp

   Why it backfires. The laundry research review found that slow drying leaves more bacteria on fabric, while fast drying and tumble drying cut it down. So a wet towel balled up in the hamper, or a load left sitting in the washer, gives the smell a head start.

   Do this insteadHang towels open between uses, and never throw a wet one in the hamper. Move a finished load to the dryer or the line right away, and make sure the towels are dry all the way through before you fold them.

   Full tip: How to get the mildew smell out of clothes left in the washer

5. Stuffing the washer too full

   Why it backfires. The American Cleaning Institute says clothes need room to move in the washer. It also lists mixing bath towels with sweaters and flannels as a cause of lint.

   Do this insteadLeave room for the load to tumble, and wash towels with other towels.

   Full tip: How to get the sour smell out of towels

6. Forgetting the washer can be the smell

   Why it backfires. Clean towels can pick up a smell from the washer itself. The same research review found that smell-causing bacteria form slimy films in the damp, hard-to-reach parts of a washer, like the rubber door seal, the detergent drawer and the filter.

   Do this insteadWipe out the door seal and the detergent drawer, and run your washer’s cleaning cycle the way its manual says. The full washer routine is on the page below.

   Full tip: How to clean a front-load washer and stop the musty smell

7. Mixing your fixers in one load

   Why it backfires. It is tempting to throw in everything that cleans. But oxygen bleach powder’s label says not to mix it with ammonia, chlorine bleach or other household chemicals. And Washington State’s health department warns that chlorine bleach mixed with an acid like vinegar gives off chlorine gas.

   Do this insteadUse one fixer per wash, and keep vinegar out of the washer altogether. Maytag, a washer maker, says its acid can wear down rubber seals and hoses, especially in front loaders.

   Full tip: Cleaning products you should never mix

More help like this

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  How to get the sour smell out of towels

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  How to clean a front-load washer and stop the musty smell

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