New towels are also often coated in fabric softeners so they're nice and plush for shoppers—but these ingredients actually prevent towels from soaking up water. To get rid of that buildup, add a 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle during the initial wash.
1. Wash your towels with hot water and 1 cup of white vinegar, (don't use any detergents or fabric softeners). 2. Run the towels through a second wash with 1/2 cup baking soda and hot water, (again, no detergent or fabric softener).
White vinegar is an acid that kills mildew, mold and other bacteria. It also strips away any build-up left on towels from soaps and from using too much detergent. The baking soda is an extra step to neutralize any leftover smell from the vinegar.
So when you notice a musty or sour smell in your towels or they lose softness and absorbency, Forté recommends adding one cup of distilled white vinegar during the final rinse (for a standard top-load washer that fills with water) to remove the odor.
Wash towels frequently.
Now that you know why towels should be washed every three to four uses, stick to a regular bathroom linen washing schedule. If your towels start to feel stiff or less absorbent, add borax to your machine (or vinegar) every few washes to refresh them and remove detergent residue.
For best results, add vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent has done its job in the wash cycle.
Simply add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser or to a fabric softener ball. The white vinegar will act as a fabric softener AND it will keep your washing machine smelling fresh and clean!
If you've found that regular laundry detergent isn't doing the trick when it comes to cleaning your clothes, we have a solution: white vinegar. The product can brighten clothes, remove stains, eliminate odors, and even act as a natural fabric softener.
High-end hotels prefer to use Egyptian cotton, which is softer, fluffier, and cozier than regular cotton. Such that, even Mizu Towels use this fabric to make their luxury towels. Although it is lighter than Egyptian cotton, some hotels also use Turkish cotton in their towels.
Instead, soften your towels by using one cup of white vinegar about every six weeks; this will remove the soapy residue that makes towels feel rough, bringing back softness while restoring them to full absorbency. Simply run the towels through a regular washing cycle, then redo them using vinegar instead of soap.
Add Distilled White Vinegar and Wash as Usual
Do not add any detergent or fabric softener. Instead, add two cups of distilled white vinegar to the washer drum. The vinegar will help strip away the residue left in the towels that is causing them to feel stiff.
Use hot water each time you wash towels. Use a heavy-duty detergent (Tide and Persil are leading brands with enough enzymes to effectively remove body soil) that cleans well. Keep your washer clean. Be sure the towels are thoroughly dry before folding and storing.
Do you need to rinse after washing with vinegar? If you have used vinegar in your washing machine to clean or to do laundry, then you do not need to run a rinse cycle afterward as a standard laundry cycle runs a plain water cycle towards the end anyway to remove any residue left behind.
The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar can dissolve residues (alkalies) left in fabrics by soaps and detergents. Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser, or add the vinegar manually at the beginning of the rinse cycle.
If a towel continues to have a smell, it means that bacteria are still in your machine or on your towel.
Mildew or odor-causing bacteria are in the towels. It's possible the washer has some residual water that allows these “critters” a warm place to live and grow. Each time you use the washer some of this residue is mixed with the water and contaminates the towels.
If your towels have a musty odor even after they've been washed, it's time to take some additional cleaning steps. Smelly towels can be harboring mildew and other pathogens that could have adverse affects on one's health.