A few weeks ago, a reader emailed me a question about smelly towels when I asked what topics you’d like to see covered in the new year.
Here’s what she had to say:
STINKY DISHCLOTHES…any suggestions on what I can substitute for those things? I use them to wipe countertops and cooktops and by the end of the day they stink horribly!
I wash them almost every day but the odor always returns…any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you…Fran
I gave her a few tips for getting rid of stinky towel smells and then realized that if she struggled with this, she definitely wasn’t alone.
Although she was asking specifically how to make dishcloths not smell, this affordable tip is perfect for any towels that have a musty odor or smell mildewy.
I also use it when I’m washing the dog blankets or beds.
Are you ready for the cheapest, easiest, laundry tip ever?
White distilled vinegar instead of fabric softener will work miracles on smells!
I learned this tip when I was desperate to get the lingering smell out of towels that were left in the washing machine too long.
No matter how many times I washed them, they kept smelling like mildew.
I HATE the smell of vinegar, so I was pretty skeptical that adding something so stinky to the washer would both get rid of the original smell and NOT come out of the dryer with a new smell.
But it works and is the best way to cure stinky towels! No dryer sheets are needed either.
I started buying jumbo bottles of vinegar at Target for $3 and stopped buying any fabric softener. In fact, fabric softener can also ruin the absorbency of towels, so it’s generally not recommended by towel manufacturers.
How to Use Vinegar in Washing Machine
When we had a top loader, I just poured about 1/2 cup of vinegar right on top of the towels in the washing machine. For extra smelly loads, I used a bit more.
Our front loader has a fabric softener dispenser, and I just fill it to the max line with the vinegar and so far everything has come out perfectly. It dispenses at the perfect time in the wash cycle.
To make it easier to store the vinegar in our laundry room, I recently picked up a cheap glass pitcher with a lid.
It’s more attractive, but the biggest thing for me is that it fits in the cabinet. The large vinegar bottles are too tall and I have to keep them in the cleaning closet. PS: Even though it’s cheap, the glass is thick and heavy, especially when full. If you have problems with wrist strength, this may not be the best option.
Some people also use a cup of baking soda, but I’ve never found this necessary.
Just the vinegar and your regular laundry soap will work wonders.
Safety Note:
Do NOT use bleach and vinegar in the same load. This can cause a chemical reaction that could be harmful to yourself and your clothes!
I did share a couple of other simple tips with Fran that may help you as well.
First, make sure to swap wet towels out of the washing machine as soon as possible after the load ends to avoid mildew growth, especially if you have a front load washer. The faster you’re able to dry towels, the easier it is to avoid a sour smell. While it’s counterintuitive, we also make sure we don’t use too much detergent and skip softeners to avoid fabric softener residue that lingers in fabric. The vinegar does a great job of leaving us with fluffy towels, especially if you also use dryer balls. If you miss the fragrance from fabric softener, just add a couple of drops of essential oil on the dryer balls.
For the kitchen, we switched to using antibacterial wipes on the counters vs dishcloths. I’m not totally thrilled disposing of the plastic containers they come in all the time so I try to get the ones that come with the most wipes per container.
While doing a bit of research, I found some reusable no odor scrubbers that dry before bacteria can form, along with a Swedish mildew resistant dishcloth. They have really good reviews so I think I’m going to try them out. If you’ve used them, let me know if you love or hate them in the comments below!
The other tip is to make sure all bath towels and cloths are hung in way they can dry quickly vs leaving them bunched up.
My washcloths in the bathroom are hung over the faucet to dry BEFORE they go into the dirty clothes hamper.
Just making that change and washing towels with vinegar keeps our laundry smelling fresh. The mildew smell on your towels will be a thing of the past.
I was thrilled when Fran checked back in with me to let me know how the tip worked. Here’s what she had to say.
I wanted to report back to you on the vinegar in the laundry…absolutely NO odor in the towels or wash clothes…in fact…the scent is way more fresh than just laundry detergent! No vinegar scent either…thank you so much for your help!
I’d love to hear if you have any other tips and tricks for how to make towels smell fresh!
Next up, head over to see what our laundry room used to look like in our DIY Laundry Room Makeover post, or see another favorite cleaning hack – how to clean your oven glass!
Miriam Kearney says
I read the article just because I wanted to see what you recommended even though I don’t have this problem BECAUSE I switched from fabric softener to vinegar in the final rinse a few years ago. I use white cotton bar towels and a few microfibre cloths for wiping mucky stuff for just about everything in the kitchen. I no longer have paper towels in my house. I do put them through a pre-soak with an enzyme cleaner before I wash them (about every 2 weeks, I have a lot of them). I even drain my bacon on them.
Melissa George says
Wow! I’m impressed that the vinegar and enzyme combo even handles the bacon – that’s awesome!
Jengie says
I also use vinegar in the “drying agent” compartment of the dishwasher and it has almost eliminated the spots on my dishes!
Melissa George says
That’s a great tip too! My mom started doing the same and it works well for her too. It didn’t work as well in our dishwasher, BUT it’s a lemon of a machine to start with and we’re just pushing it along since it matches the rest of the appliances. 🙂
Dian Owens says
I too switched to the white vinegar rinse for laundry about six months ago and love the results!
I’ve used the Swedish dish cloths for two months. They are absorbent, lint free and streak free. They hold Dawn dish soap well until I squeeze and rinse them out. Instructions say to sterilize them with 200°F water. They air dry quickly.
Melissa George says
THANK YOU! I’ve had the cloths in my Amazon cart hoping someone had tried them. I’ll order them this weekend!
Ronnie says
Did I miss something? in the stinky towel remedy did you use laundry detergent or just the vinegar?
Melissa George says
Hi Ronnie,
You DO still use normal detergent, just use Vinegar in place of the fabric softener and everything else is as normal.
annie says
I’ve been using white vinegar instead of fabric softener for a little over 3 years, any brand of fabric softener left a gummy residue in the dispenser cup in my washer. I use the vinegar for everything from towels, underwear to clothing. I buy gallon jugs of white LAUNDRY vinegar at my local grocery store.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I could pass this stinky laundry tip to my daughter-in-law? Anonymously, of course!
Brenda says
I will try the vinegar. I don’t use softener. My husband is European and for reasons I do not understand he prefers his towels and clothes air dried without softener. I’ll admit I do dry some of my clothes but use drier balls. Can the vinegar be used on dark clothes without damaging or discoloring them?
Melissa George says
It’s so fascinating how attached we get to methods used where we grew up! I hope vinegar ends up being the perfect compromise. I’ve never had any issues with it on dark colors, but to double-check I did some research and it turns out that it actually helps preserve black and colored clothing by removing the residue left by detergent that can dull things. I’m so glad you asked!
Joycegina says
I have used vinegar for stinky towels with much success. It seems people use it for all loads of laundry so I will have to try that. I stopped using liquid fabric softener a few years ago. And instead of dryer sheets, which also coat the towels, I use wool dryer balls. They fluff up towels and help reduce the drying time.
Melissa George says
Yes! I love dryer balls too. I’ve used the vinegar on clothes with good success too, but usually just when we’ve forgotten a load in the washer and it gets stinky. The only reason I didn’t run it with every load was laziness since I just had the jumbo bottle of vinegar to deal with. Now that I picked up the glass canister, I plan to put it in all our loads. And I love the dryer balls too!
Jennifer says
This is a great tip! Although I’m wondering if there are any concerns about vinegar use (consistent, long-term use) ultimately being hard on the washer’s components, like the rubber seals, etc…?
Melissa George says
Good question! From what I’ve read the possibility depends on the exact components of the rubber. It’s totally safe for natural rubber and several of the synthetics. In a test environment, the vinegar sitting directly on certain synthetic rubbers for long periods can cause some pitting. That’s unlikely to happen in a washer scenario where it’s both diluted and rinsed. As with all things, there are trade-offs and risks – the studies on fabric softener’s effect on people and clothing are scarier than any evidence I’ve seen on vinegar, but it’s definitely good to be aware and make your own decisions on what you think it best!
Lyn Tavares says
Is it necessary to use hot water? I normally use the cold water cycle.
Melissa George says
No, while hot water is most effective at killing germs, the vinegar does also have benefits with a cold cycle.