User ReviewedHow to Remove Mildew Smell from Towels Three Methods:Washing Towels With Vinegar and Baking SodaSoaking Towels in Detergent and Hot WaterCleaning Mildew From the Washing MachineCommunity Q&A Wet and used towels lying around can give off a nauseating smell. Often, the smell is caused by mildew that sets in after use, and is tough to eliminate. Washing your towels twice on normal settings may get rid of the nasty odors, but if normal washes aren’t enough to combat the mildew smell, there are a few other easy washing options you could try using household cleaners.Place your smelly towels in the washing machine and start the wash cycle using the hottest water setting available. Add in about one cup of white vinegar and one cup of baking soda. For now, leave out detergent or fabric softener. You can also try washing your towels with just vinegar or just baking soda if you do not have one of these ingredients. Soak the towels in the machine. Add vinegar and detergent.

Next, you will need to run the wash cycle again, but this time add a cup of vinegar and your usual laundry detergent. Use the same amount that you would usually use for a load and allow the cycle to run through as usual, except with an extra spin cycle. You can either select “extra spin cycle” if your machine has this feature or restart the spin cycle after the first one finishes. Put the towels into the dryer immediately. Add 2/3 of a cup of Oxiclean to a large bucket. If washing your towels with vinegar and baking soda does not work, then you can also try soaking your towels in Oxiclean and hot water. To get started, add 2/3 of a cup of Oxiclean to a large bucket. Wear gloves to protect your hands as well. Pour in some hot water. Start adding towels to the bucket. After you have filled the bucket about halfway with hot water, start adding your towels to the bucket. Make sure that each of the towels is fully immersed in the water. Leave the towels in the bucket and let them soak for about 48 hours.

Wash the towels in your washing machine. After you have finished soaking the towels, take them out of the tub and wring them out. Then put them right into the washing machine and run them on the hottest setting with detergent and fabric softener.Coach Ipad Cover Purple You can also add Oxiclean to the washing machine when you wash your towels.How To Clean Plastic Tub EnclosureAfter the wash cycle has finished, put the towels into the dryer right away. Black White Valances WindowsDry them on high heat until they are completely dry. Your towels should be like new after this treatment. If your towels still smell like mildew after this treatment, then you may need to replace them. Check your washing machine for defects.

If your towels smell like mildew, sometimes the washing machine could be a part of the problem. Since the gasket is the rubber seal inside the washer that prevents water from leaking out when a load is washing, cleaning the gasket is very important to eliminating mildew smells coming from the washer. Wipe down the gasket with a rag dunked in soapy water, or sprayed with a mild mildew cleanser. You could also use a cleaning solution of 50% water 50% bleach. Consider using an old toothbrush to get hard to reach places of the gasket. Make sure to get all areas of the gasket. You may need to pull back sections of the gasket to get into small rubber folds. Clean the detergent dispensers. Take out the detergent dispensers from the machine and scrub them with a soapy water mixture consisting of a small amount of dishwashing soap, and water. Leftover soap residue or stagnant water on the detergent dispensers can make this area of your wash machine smell bad too. If the dispensers cannot be removed from the machine, do your best to clean inside the dispensers with a rag or pipe cleaners.

Run a cleaning cycle. Make sure that your washing machine is empty and then run a wash cycle using the longest, hottest temperature setting. If the mildew smell remains, try running another cycle. It might take a few cycles to remove the mildew smell.[6] Consider adding one of the following straight into the washing basin of the machine:[7] 1 cup of bleach. 1 cup of baking soda. 1/2 cup of powdered enzymatic dishwasher detergent 1/2 cup of a commercial washer cleaner 1 cup of vinegarIf none of these methods help with getting rid of the mildew smell, you may need to call a professional to come look at your washing machine. There may be mold growth behind the drum of the machine, or perhaps a blocked drain or filter. A certified repair professional can assist you with diagnosing what is wrong with your machine, and may be able to dismantle the machine to find the source of the smell if need be.Once you figure out if where the mildew smell is coming from, take some preventative measures to ensure that mold doesn't accumulate again.

You might want to consider: Airing out the washing machine. Leave the washing machine door open between washing uses. However, be aware that pets and young children could become trapped in the machine.Use detergents that create a small amount of suds, and are specifically made for highly efficient machines. Powder detergents usually tend to be less sudsy than liquid detergents. Also, don't exceed the recommended amount of detergent. Sometimes, even less detergent works better for cleaning your clothes.Fabric softeners that come in liquid form tend to leave a residue that supports mold growth. Instead of using liquid fabric softener, consider using dryer sheets or dryer balls to give your clothes a softer feel.Use a rag to wipe everywhere surround the gasket, and inside the grooves of the rubber gasket. Ideally, you should try to wipe the gasket after every washing cycle. If you’re not going to wipe and clean the gasket after every wash, you should try to regularly wipe the gasket every week or so to remove trapped mold.