An unpleasant smell from towels is a familiar problem for those who have a damp apartment, a dirty washing machine, do not follow the washing rules, or do not dry the washed laundry correctly. It is imperative to identify the exact cause of the irritating aromas in order to properly eliminate it and prevent repeated mistakes.
Causes of bad-smelling towels
The smell of mold, mustiness, or food waste from items washed in a washing machine appears due to various bacteria parasitizing on the fabrics. Their spread is facilitated by:
- long-term use of towels;
- use of low-quality powder or insufficient amount of it when washing;
- drying in a damp, poorly ventilated bathroom;
- drying the towel in a crumpled state, among unhung laundry;
- clogged filter in the washing machine;
- washing at low temperature;
- high humidity in the house and, accordingly, in places where clean laundry is located.
Folk methods of combating unpleasant odors
The most common assistant in household use is vinegar. Acid destroys bacteria. Therefore, bad-smelling items should be left to soak for an hour in a solution of water and vinegar before washing in the machine. Pour 250 ml of vinegar into 10 liters of water. If you add citric acid to the conditioner compartment during washing, you can also clean the washing machine.
Soda, slaked with vinegar, also removes foreign odors from laundry.In addition, due to the reaction, the smell of vinegar is neutralized. It is worth pouring a tablespoon of soda into the powder tray and turning on the washing machine. When you start rinsing, you need to add a glass of vinegar and water solution to the conditioner compartment.
If small kitchen napkins emit odors, then before putting them in the wash, you should place them in the microwave for half a minute. Then you can start washing the towels. Bacteria that cause odor are killed at high temperatures. The same rule works when washing in a washing machine at maximum degrees. The unpleasant aroma will not disappear if the washing temperature is 40 degrees.
Adding a double dose of detergent to your wash also helps. The main thing is that you don’t need to use scented conditioners if your laundry has an unpleasant odor. This will only make the situation worse.
Chlorine-containing products can also freshen towels. It is necessary to first soak them in water with “Whiteness” diluted in it. This option is only suitable for light-colored fabrics.
Soaking towels in hot water and Oxiclean detergent also works. To do this you will need two thirds of a glass of powder. It is filled with hot water. Put on rubber gloves and stir the contents of the basin well. Then you should completely immerse towels that have an unpleasant odor there and leave them to soak for two days. After the specified time has passed, you need to take out the products, wring them out and spin them in the washing machine, setting the water temperature to high. You can add Oxiclean to your wash.Then you will need to immediately dry the laundry in fresh air.
Adding ammonia while rinsing clothes helps remove unpleasant odors. You will need to pour a cup of ammonia into the rinsing compartment.
Never mix ammonia and bleach. This compound forms poisonous chlorine gas. Excessive use of strong cleaning agents is dangerous for the washing machine, so they must be used in precise proportions.
Prevention of unpleasant odors
It is necessary to wash with a high-quality detergent in the quantities indicated on its packaging, taking into account the temperature and hardness of the water. If you do not attach importance to this and overdo it with powder or conditioner, then unwashed particles of the detergents used may well remain in the fluffy terry towel. They cause unpleasant odors.
It is best to wash towels at high water temperatures. This method kills all germs and the laundry removed from the washing machine smells clean.
Kitchen napkins that are in use should be washed once a week. Terry products used after training require more frequent washing.
Do not allow a damp towel to be crumpled or hung. This is guaranteed to make the product smell unpleasant, as all conditions will be created for the growth of bacteria and the appearance of a damp smell. It is necessary to always hang wet fabric items in the fresh air, on a heated towel rail or in a room with good air circulation.
Use an automatic laundry dryer, which will thoroughly dry all types of items and prevent foreign odors from appearing on them.In addition, such a unit will save housewives from annoying ironing.
Rules for drying towels:
- after each use, the fabric product should be dried immediately;
- if there is high humidity in the apartment rooms, it is necessary to hang wet fabric items outside in sunny and windy weather;
- you need to straighten the wet towel well on a rope and dry it for no more than a day;
- It is better not to dry fabric products on radiators, as they make the products rough and the unpleasant odor does not disappear.
Dryness in the closet where linen and towels are stored, among other things, is the key to the absence of unpleasant odors that spoil the mood of the hostess. Additionally you can put there:
- scented toilet soap;
- dry aromatic herbs sewn into a fabric bag;
- dried citrus peels;
- cinnamon sticks;
- empty perfume bottles;
- open jars of coffee beans;
- flavored sticks;
- car scent;
- home fragrances in the form of sachets, bags, rectangles.
The closet needs to be ventilated once a week. The ideal option would be perforated shelves for linen, through which air will flow freely. Another rule is that the closet should not be filled to capacity. There shouldn't be anything superfluous there. Then there will be less foreign odors.
Washing machine as a source of stench
The washing machine also requires maintenance. Otherwise, it will be the same distributor of unpleasant odors that will permeate clean linen. After each wash, the water should completely drain from the machine drum. If this does not happen, then mold will most likely form there.The rubber gasket around the washing machine door should also remain dry and clean. It should be cleaned periodically with soapy water, wiping all folds well. After each wash, the machine door must be opened for ventilation, as well as the room itself where the unit itself is located.
The powder tray should be washed to remove any remaining detergent. It needs to be dried by pushing it out.
Once every 3 months, an empty washing machine must be run at maximum temperature with citric acid or vinegar. This is how the filters of the device are cleaned.
