How to Avoid Mold on Towels in Humid Climates

Towels are thick and absorbent, thus prone to mold.

Humid climates may result in mold growth on your towels and other surfaces in your home. A moldy towel smells musty and sour. Mold growth may also result in discolorations in your towels that you cannot remove by laundering. Preventing the mold growth is not impossible even if you live in a region where humid conditions are the norm most of the year. Effective habits and controlling the indoor humidity enables you and your family members to reduce or eliminate towel mold.

Things You'll Need

• Exhaust fan
• Dehumidifier
• Humidstat (optional)

Instructions

1. Instruct family members to hang up towels after using them. This gives the towels time to dry out before being put in the hamper. Towels that don't fully air out can quickly grow mold.

2. Dry your towels thoroughly after laundering. Set the clothes dryer on "hot" to dry a load of towels or hang them up on a clothesline. If the towels are still damp when you fold and store them, mold can grow.

3. Ventilate the bathroom while taking a shower or a long, hot bath. Use an exhaust fan or a dehumidifier. Both remove excess moisture from the air that may allow mold to grow on the towels and other surfaces. Set the humidifier so it keeps the humidity level at approximately 35 to 50 percent, as researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggest.

Tips & Warnings

• Instruct family and guests to hang their towels over a fence railing or a patio chair to dry out after swimming in your pool. This prevents you from having to wash a load of towels right away.

• Consider using a humidistat. These help control excess humidity inside your home. Purchase one at a hardware or home-supply store to attach to a dehumidifier.

References

• University of Missouri Extension; How to Prevent and Remove Mildew — Home Methods; Wanda Eubank, et al.; April 1998
• University of Maryland Medical Center; Control Mold Growth!; Alan Greene, M.D., F.A.A.P.; April 2007