Hello Smart Mommas,
I always get awesome advice from you so I thought I would fire off this question to you all. I recently bought a set of face cloths to replace many of the ones that were old and starting to really smell like rotten stale water when they were wet. I just assumed that the smell was coming from them being old and that they needed to be replaced so thats what I did. Well all of the new ones that I bought started to smell too and I guess I was trying to convince myself that it was a coincedence and I looked online to see if its possible and found something that said sometimes even new materials can smell funky from the type of fabric used but they were ALL 100% cotton so I dont know. The smell started to appear in my dish cloths and towels as well and now that I bought a second set of face cloths to replace the new stinky ones they are starting to smell too. WTH? I dont notice a smell on our actual clothes, ie. shirts and pants but Im starting to think thats because our clothes dont get wet and stay wet like a dish cloth or a facecloth. Please tell me someone knows why this is happening. It is the most disgusting thing to wash your face with a cloth that makes your face smell like a$$ after using one of these cloths and to have your clean dishes be dried off with the smell of feet. I cant take it anymore. Its made me parranoid to use any facecloth without taking a whiff first. I need help, could it be my washing machine? My water in the house? What is cauing this?
Please help and thank you for any advice
Run vineagar thru the washing machine and add some bleach to the towel load and it should take care of the problem. Possibly change laundry soap
I have noticed that this happens with all my MIL towels.
A few tips:
Let them dry fully between uses.
Wash them in HOT water. (add vinegar to get rid of current smell!)
Dry them immedietly and fully!
KEEP YOUR WASHER OPEN WHEN YOUR NOT USING IT!! It needs to fully dry between washing.
One more thing I thought I would add, in addition to the great tips already posted, regarding front loading washers (if that is what you have). If you have not yet done it, open up the front panel (look up instructions online if you need to) and check out your drain filter basket. Small items can actually get "rinsed out" and into the drain system and eventually clog the drain so that your machine doesn't drain properly. Eventually, you will get a drain code error... but for awhile before you do, it drains much more slowly and I think it contributes to the odor. I have emptied mine twice. You would not BELIEVE the items that we found in that filter basket: hair clips, pocket knife, much money in coins, paper clips, pencils, keys, pretty much anything that could be left in a boy's pockets from school, part of a swimsuit even!
And I do use the vinegar rinse with my towels and dry on HIGH heat until fully and completely dry. After use, hang up so that it air dries between uses/washes.
The smell occurs when you don't allow them to fully dry inbetween uses. One reason to have a few different cloths you cycle through on a given day and to take the "high use" ones (aka kitchen cloths) out to the laundry each day (or at least every other day). Also, if you can get nice sunlight on your bathroom cloths during the day should help.
I agree with the post that vinegar in your rinse cycle and cutting loads will help tremendously!
hot water soak then rinse several times to get out any detergent buildup. Don't crumple up your towels and let them mildew, let them air dry or immediately put them in the wash. My mom would always let them start to mildew and she then would get upset when I would rewash the towels after she just did them.
Do you have a front load washer? I noticed that in my house loads of towels weren't smelling great out of the washer, especially if left in there for any amount of time. I checked Thirftyfun.com (another forum type website I liked) and someone said it may be that the towels, although they fit are too heavy for the load and not getting rinsed properly. So I cut the loads in half and no longer have stinky towels. Here's the thread...maybe one of those suggestions will work for you.http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000711.tip.html
Updated
Do you have a front load washer? I noticed that in my house loads of towels weren't smelling great out of the washer, especially if left in there for any amount of time. I checked Thirftyfun.com (another forum type website I liked) and someone said it may be that the towels, although they fit are too heavy for the load and not getting rinsed properly. So I cut the loads in half and no longer have stinky towels. Here's the thread...maybe one of those suggestions will work for you.http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000711.tip.html
If you are on a well, I would have the water tested. Fecal chloroform bacteria can cause quite a smell and be unsafe for consumption. Also, if you are on a septic system, it's possible you have a leak which would be causing contamination of your well.
If you are on city water, contact your city to have the water tested.
Hope this helps.
I have 2 thoughts for you:
1. Your water heater. Google water heater anode rod. You can get a rotten egg smell from that.
2. Take all of those smelly towels, dish clothes etc and wash using Borax. It has worked for me.
Good luck!
Could be your water source, you might want to call you local utilities district and ask them if there is a high sulphuric count in your local water OR some other type of mineral that is causing the aroma. If you are only noticing it on wash cloths and towels and not your clothes, my guess would be that they are lying around long enough to become "dank" before you wash them, in which case a good vinegar rinse will help. Always wring out wet cloths and hang wet towels to dry before putting them in a hamper.
I find that I have to toss my dish and facecloths in the wash after one day---especially in the warm weather. And then I bleach the heck out of them. And when I put them in the hamper, I make sure to hang them over the edge to dry or the smell gets funkier and infects everything in the basket.
yes need to clean washer and dryer maybe vinegar in washer
always leave washer open when done to dry and air out
There are many reasons for this...some are easy fixes...others are not.
1. if you have well water - it's possible it's low and you are getting the muck...
2. if you have public water - it's possible the filtration system is messed up and they need to be alerted.
If it's NOT ON your clothes and ONLY on your washcloths then it's possible the washcloth or towel is not hung up properly to dry and the mold spores are growing on it.
you might have too much humidity in your home - which will cause mold to grow faster...purchase a hydrometer - you can get one at Sears and your humidity in your home should be about 38%..if it's higher than that - you are getting WAY to much moisture in your air and mold can and will grow.
Ensure ANY wet towels are hung on a rack that allows air to go through and around it...
GOOD LUCK!!
I think if it was the water, you'd be noticing it in the clothes.
The only time this has happened to me is if I folded & put away the towels before they are completely dry. Could that be it?
I have the same experience. I wonder what other moms have to say.
Are you hanging/spreading them to dry between uses, or do they sit in a wet lump? If they're sitting around wet, this may be the culprit.
