So you had a bath with your favorite shower gel and now it’s time for drying up. Oops! You found your towel stinky. That’s something you would never like to dry off your freshly bathed body with, right? Does it happen quite often?
Well, don’t give up hope so early because every problem has a solution. In this post, we will give you the best ideas to get rid of towel smell so that you never need to take a halt before you start drying yourself after a relaxing shower session.
The best way to get rid of smelly towels
To get rid of the musty smell of your towel, you need to know a handful of easy tricks. Usually the mildew growth causes the smell. So when it comes to freshening up your smelly towel, you need to keep in mind that your battle is not with the smell, but it’s with the mildew and other residues that cause the smell.
Another cause that makes your towel smell nasty is the body soils left on it. It can happen either from the use or because of the less performing detergents.
Although, we prefer the use of detergents because of their quick-cleaning attribute, this can harm the fabric of the towel. Besides, the harmful chemicals of the detergents are not at all eco-friendly. So, what you need to do? Here comes the alternative.
The vinegar technique
One of the best ways to get rid of the smell of towels is using the vinegar method. It’s a common household cleaning solution which is chemically known as acetic acid. The method of cleaning with this powerful substance is not a new practice.
Since eras, it’s helping people in wrapping up their cleaning chores effortlessly. All you need to do is to take half a cup of vinegar and one-fourth of detergent. Now, mix them well and apply them to the clothes to be cleaned.
Vinegar alters the optimized pH level of the detergent making it completely risk-free. Remember, you need to soak your stinky towel in the solution and leave it for thirty minutes. It will help loosen body soils.
Acetic acid breaks up the mineral deposits and drags the dirt and smell out of the towel. Once done, you need to rinse the towel thoroughly. To witness the result, you need to machine dry or air-dry your towels, whatever the manufacturer care label instructions say. Allow them to dry completely and your job is done!
Freshen your towels with baking soda
The case of musty towel and unsanitary mop head is almost the same. When you don’t get them dried properly, they create a moist, warm environment which is liked a lot by the germs. It indicates that your towel has turned into the territory of bacteria; they are breeding and growing on your towel happily.
Indeed, if you hang a towel and let it air dry, it helps you in preventing the odors. But, if you have younger children in your family, hardly you can hang up every towel properly. In this scenario, it’s vital to know, how to remove the nasty smell from the towels.
Add half a cup of baking soda to the washer. Wash the towel thoroughly and let them dry. Once dried properly, you will get your towels free from the bad odor.
Replacing your bath towel
Even there is always an option of getting rid of stinky towels by cleaning them deeply; still you can replace them periodically to avoid any potential health hazard. In fact, it’s the best way to say goodbye to towel smell. Quick-dry towels can be better defined as the best quality bathroom towels, which dry at least three times faster than an average towel.
Besides, they are efficient in preventing bacteria accumulation. Moreover, they indicate you if they detect any impurities and allow you to know if you need to wash your towel. So, keeping some pieces of this smart towel handy is never a deal of loss.
The best approach to steer clear of smelly towels
- Never miss out on drying the towels completely before you storing or placing them for your next use.
- Be selective with the amount of detergent to be used for cleaning them. The extra or excessive detergent will leave behind a residue that is not at all suggested.
- Avoid the usage of fabric softeners. Leftovers of fabric softeners play a direct role in turning your towel less absorbent. Softening could rather be done with white vinegar as it helps to put a stop to buildup and abolish static.
Pet urine on towels
Pets every so often might accidentally increase your job by urinating on towels. If you have a cat home, the challenge is even bigger as they are prone to it and their urine odor is quite hard to get rid of if dried.
Dog as a pet is very common and so are the chances of towels getting urinated by them. It’s highly suggested to take action against such towels immediately once you recognize them. Drying off might increase your efforts towards achieving stink-free towel.
The procedure
Putting down urine-stained towels directly into the washing machine isn’t a wise idea at all. If you do so, the smell can contaminate other clothes you put together too. Pre-treatment is a great way to fight urine odor. Here’s what to do!
Start with rinsing the spot with cool water. Avoid scrubbing the strain as it will drive it much deeper into the fabric. Remove the maximum possible urine by soaking and drying up the spot with paper towels.
Move on to the cleaning session now by rinsing the towel into a sink of water. Use half cup oxy-bleach in the water and let your towel soak for at least an hour. Once done, wash thoroughly and you will get back your normal, fresh-smelling towel back.
How Often Should You Clean the Towels?
Cleaning towels can be better defined as one of the most vital shower or kitchen cleaning rituals. It makes you feel fresh and rejuvenated. As said before, since bath towels host a number of microorganisms, it’s imperative to clean them comprehensively.
Be it a bath towel or a kitchen towel, they typically observe plenty of water, which makes them remain dump for hours. Naturally, it becomes the absolute breeding ground for germs and bacteria.
It’s our bath towel that makes our body free of residues by wiping them off from time to time. Moreover, dead cells make up the top twenty layers of our skin. While taking shower, some of them get scrubbed off and remains in the towel itself.
On the other hand, the towels you use in the kitchen suffer greatly from dirt and debris accumulation. If you overlook the necessity of cleaning them periodically, it may result in serious health hazards.
But how often should you clean your towels? Well, if you go by the recommendations of health advisors across the globe, you need to clean the towels every day, in fact, after every use. Only washing is not going to help, you need to keep the air drying factor in mind as well.
Facts That Makes Frequent Washing Vital – At a Glance
There are a few factors that make frequent cleaning of towels even more essential. They include the following.
- If the towel absorbs any body fluid.
- Gym towels that sop up excessive sweat.
- Towels left in a bathroom for long hours.
- If an eczema patient is using the towel.
Hope the provided info looks useful! Don’t hesitate to apply these easy tricks to keep your towels free from harmful germs and nasty smell. Go healthy, promote hygienic habits!