How to Keep Towels Smelling Fresh

You get out of a long, hot shower. You grab your bathroom towel off the rack. You go to dry your face and immediately toss the towel to the side. It doesn’t smell fresh at all. So how do you keep your towels smelling fresh?

Things You'll Need

• Towels
• Vinegar
• Detergent
• Fabric Softener

Instructions

1. Wash your towels. If you want fresh smelling towels, you can’t limit washings to once a week. You should wash towels every two or three days, washing in hot water.

2. Use vinegar to get rid of the mildew smell. If your towels get a mildew smell, use vinegar. For a large load, use ¾ cup vinegar. Add the vinegar to the water, and let it mix for a few minutes. Then add the towels. Do not add detergent to this washing cycle. Once the towels have gone through the complete washing cycle, wash as you normally do with detergent and fabric softener. Fabric softener is optional, but also helpful.

3. Remove the towels from the washer and immediately transfer them to the dryer. Nothing causes towels to smell faster than leaving wet towels in a washing machine over night. As soon as the washing cycle is over, immediately transfer them to the dryer. Add a fabric softener sheet for extra scent and softness.

4. Line dry your towels. Wash your towels and hang them to line dry. You can put them in the fluff cycle once they are dry to fluff them up. Avoid line drying, if rain is in the weather forecast.

5. Hang up used towels. Once you are done using your towel, hang it up so it can air out. Wet towels that are not air drying will get smelly much faster than towels that are hung up to air out.

6. Use baking soda with your detergent. Add baking soda, along with the detergent to your wash cycle. Wash in hot water and follow with two rinses. You may also add fabric softener if you wish. Do not use vinegar with the baking soda and detergent as the baking soda and vinegar will cancel one another out.

Tips & Warnings

• soda or vinegar will help take the mildew smell out of towels. You can use the baking soda with detergent. If using vinegar, wash one cycle with vinegar (no detergent). Follow up with a normal washing cycle, using detergent and fabric softener.

• Don’t use baking soda or vinegar at the same time. The baking soda and vinegar will cancel one another out and will not get rid of the smell in the towels.