Warm, damp towels are an ideal environment for microbial growth, including bacteria, mold and yeast. Dr. Mehmet Oz and NSF International, an independent organization that checks product safety, tested 31 towels that had been used for either one, seven or 14 days.
Mildew can be formed on towels within 24 to 48 hours of moisture exposure. It may continue to grow if you don't dry your towels out properly.
Put your towels in the washing machine with your regular detergent and a warm or hot-water wash setting. For mild mustiness you can add a cup of vinegar to the washing machine for the final rinse cycle. For more extreme mustiness or visible mildew, try adding the vinegar earlier for an initial soak.
As mentioned above, you don't necessarily need to throw out every clothing item affected by mold. However, you need to clean the moldy clothing as quickly and effectively as possible. The longer mold stays on your clothes, the harder it is to remove.
1. Double Detergent Deep Clean. Depending on how much mildew and bacteria are present on your towels, two simple towel-only loads with your regular detergent may be the solution to your problem. All you have to do is run two cycles one after the other using a moderate amount of detergent.
Mold generally looks slimy or fuzzy, tends to have a raised texture, and can come in a rainbow of colors, including deep green and black. Mildew is powdery, looks white or gray, always appears flat, and grows on surfaces.
Mildew is a surface fungi identified as a patch of gray or white fungus lying on the surface of a moist area. Mildew is easily treated with a store-bought cleaner and a scrubbing brush. Mold, on the other hand, can have colors that range from black to green and is often the result of a much larger infestation.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid leaving clothes in the washer for more than 8 to 12 hours. However, Murphy says there's more to think about than just timing to prevent your clothes from smelling and mildewing, especially if you're prone to letting your laundry sit for hours at a time.
In fact, bacteria and mold have been found to accumulate on towels that users do not wash frequently enough—even if it's just been a couple of days! You might be surprised at how quickly this can happen. Bathrooms are warm and moist environments, which is exactly the type of environment these organisms thrive in.
Mold is typically green, black, or white, and can look thick and fluffy.
If the mildew is very bad, consider doing a Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach soak: use ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach per gallon of cool water; soak 5 minutes, then wash in hot water with detergent + ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
Ultimately, though, when a towel's threads begin to pull—or you notice a lingering odor, despite a careful wash—it's time to toss it; you can expect body and hand towels to last between two to five years depending on their quality. Wash cloths, on the other hand, should be replaced every one or two years, notes Winch.
Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects, or none at all. Some people are sensitive to molds. For these people, exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin.
You can try washing them again, but once mildew smells penetrate the fabric, it usually takes more than a regular wash cycle to remove them. This is a serious problem since mildew smells aren't only unpleasant, they wreak havoc on your sinuses and allergies.
What Happens to Mold When It Dries Out? Dried mold will become temporarily inactive like a colony in hibernation. They can remain dormant for years and won't easily go away. But once the airborne spores land on damp surfaces, they will grow and spread more rapidly.
However, mold is a sneaky issue, and it often remains behind after the visual element is gone. The surface mold we see is just a cluster of smaller particles called mold spores. When you scrub the surface, it may break up this cluster, but the spores remain behind – or worse yet – disperse into the air.
Superficial fungal infections can be caused by an overgrowth of existing fungi or can be the result of contact with an infected person or contaminated surfaces and objects. Fungal infections can be easily spread through bed sheets, towels, and clothing.
Wash cloths should be washed a lot more frequently. Reynolds says they are heavily soiled when they're used with dead skin cells and makeup. Because they're wet and not just damp like a bath towel, they take longer to dry meaning more bacteria and mold can grow on the surface.
The fungus can live on towels, clothes, sheets and household surfaces for months.
Mold exists everywhere — in the air, in the dirt, in our homes and yes, in our washing machines. Mold spores travel great distances, hitchhiking on a breeze or a soft cashmere sweater. When they settle on something damp, they start to grow. It's nearly impossible to get rid of mold.
Nothing smells worse than musty, damp laundry. But OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ Powder or Liquid can help you get musty smells out of clothes, towels and other fabric.
Mold and mildew smell stale and pungent, similar to the smell of rotting wood. It's most common smelled in either places where mold spores can colonize undisturbed like basements and closets, or in places where there is plenty of moisture like bathrooms.
Mildew refers to certain kinds of mold or fungus. The term mildew is often used generically to refer to mold growth, usually with a flat growth habit. Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae.
However, it is quite risky living in a home with visible mold since you are exposed to mold spores that can become airborne when blown around by the gush of wind from your windows or HVAC systems. If mold is left unattended, it can spread to other areas of your home causing serious health problems.
Dissolve 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda) in 1 gallon of warm water. Lightly apply to the affected area and scrub with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse with clean water and buff dry. Another option for cleaning mildew is a solution of 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 baking soda and 1 gallon of water.