Tell me again how to get the stink out of colored towels?

[sensi-temp]

Stinky towels

I have a set the three dishrags I bought at Meijer (like Wallmart but a chain out of Michigan). All their towels are made in foreign countries, when I used & washed them, they all changed color, don't remember the origional colors. If I don't hang them up to dry after I use them, they smell musty. They've been washed a lot in hot water & powdered Cheer, still smell when used. I have other dishrags that are Cannon & made in USA, they don't smell or changed color even if bleached. I have a Frigidaire 1-18 so it's not the washer.

 

[whirlcool]

Well, what have you tried and how has it worked?

 

[richardc1983]

I always wash my towels at 60c now after having the same problems as you. Any lower temp than this does not kill the bacteria and the smells return. Washing at 60c gets rid of the odours.

 

[MrX]

I've only ever had this problem with cheaper liquid detergents.
Try powder (good quality stuff) bleach shouldn't be necessary.

Persil & Ariel colour do excellent jobs on towels!!

 

[launderess]

It's Not Hot Water Per Se, Nor The Lack Of It

But one needs something to help "sanitise" one's washing to deal with any bacteria/odors.

Problem with most liquid laundry products is they do not contain bleach, and using hot to boiling wash water can cause excess froth.

On the UK/EU side of the pond a good detergent with a built in bleaching system, or added on it's own should solve the problem. Both sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate both release oxygen in wash water, which in turn helps deal with "germs" and odors. Activated oxygen bleaching sytems go one better in that the peracetic acids formed are a stronger bleach and disenfectant than plain hydrogen peroxide at wash temps <120F.

If the whiff is due to mould or mildew, even the hottest water alone may not due as such things form spores to deal with inhospitable conditions, and quickly come back to life once things are good.

For the above you need something that kills mildew/mould. Some chlorine bleaches, oxygen bleaches, peroxide, quats, UV light, etc.

If the towels are coloured, washing at temps >140 with oxygen bleach can cause fading.

Personally have found that once an item has been subjected to any of the above, and still has a whiff about it, then into the rubbish it goes (yes, sad and wasteful, but consider time and product cost in trying to rid them of the whiff instead), and purchase new.

IMHO much like knickers, drawers and bed linen, the only satisfactory colour is white, in either pure cotton or linen. Such items can be washed the daylights out of if required, and if well made, not suffer badly.

 

[sudsmaster]

I also suggest using Borax. Not only does it remove odors, but it helps to kill fungus/mold.

You might also try cutting back on the fabric softener. A build-up of softener can lend an off-odor to freshly laundered fabrics.

In addition, maybe the problem is lurking in your linen closet? Is it next to the furnace chimney?