My boyfriend always complains that the clean laundry, mostly the towels, have a moldy or old smell to them. Once the towels are used every day to dry our hands and are a little damp he says they seem to smell like they have sat in the washer for a few days until they were put in the dryer.

Is your washer pumping out properly? Admittedly if I don't put the washed stuff straight into the dryer it does start to smell after a day I've gotten into the habbit of if I forget I've done a wash and leave it over night I re wash it because I hate the fousty smell that occurs.

I agree and towels are especially bad, the material is thicker and harder to dry.. Try re-washing it a couple times and see if it helps. Also, make sure they dry all the way in the dryer. If there are too many towels in there they won't dry completely and could mildew...

Use a good quality detergent, I like the Tide with Fabrez.

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Originally Posted by Matt3046

Use a good quality detergent, I like the Tide with Fabrez.

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Detergent will only mask the smell until the towels are used and made wet they just need a dam good washing and a thorough drying.

Although the tide with fabreeze does smell lovely... :p

This used to happen to me frequently while in college, because I lived with slobs. It is MOLD. Not the killer kind, but mold nonetheless. You'll need to wash them in the hottest water setting WITH BLEACH OR BLEACH ALTERNATIVE. Then you IMMEDIATELY need to put them in the dryer on the hottest setting. Yes, they'll shrink a bit but they sure smell good. If they're older towels, make a trip to pick up some more, only after you try my solution. If it works, you're in the clear. If not, the mold is too entrenched in the material and it's pointless to try.

Try adding white vinegar to your wash. The smell will fade as they dry and it's also a natural fabric softner.

Your washer may be moldy from too much detergent use. You might have to purchase a washer cleaner. I purchased one called PureWasher. I followed the directions religiously several times in a row (just to be sure I got it all) but found that I have to do again every few months. I have cut back how much detergent I use but I still end up with a smell eventually.
http://www.smellywasher.com/

I have the same problem and I agree that nothing got rid of it until I used bleach.I find it is at its worst in the summer months.

Try washing on hot and then warm rinse. And don't leave them in the washer very long after they are done washing.

I've heard by putting baking soda in the cycle and then some vinegar in the rinse cycle is a solution to the smelly washer. It's a good idea to run bleach through the washer every now and again especially if the usual wash is at a low temperature - it seems low temperature washes are more susceptible to smells.


Smelly washing machine solutions and causes

I wish I had the answer! I have used Tide washer cleaner, bleach, the best detergents, fabric softeners, OdoBan, and now am up in arms! At this point, I guess I'm ready to get a new washer and dryer, which is very discouraging, since I bought the top of the line HE front loaders several years ago. Needless to say, for some reason, though I was told the opposite... I have really experienced this problem when I switched from hard water to soft water. I am told soft water cleans much better and so on, but I am having the opposite effect. Even my dishwater detergent doesn't stay sudsy - when they say that soft water makes soap last longer and work better (?? ). Go figure. If anyone has a SURE FIRE answer to this problem, please let me know! Thank you.

My towels smell clean until they get wet. I have a front loading washer and dryer. I have used a washing machine cleaner from Tide and I always leave the door open when not in use. I remove laundry immediately and place in the dryer and the loads are not huge. Dish clothes and towels smell great and are dry when taken out of the dryer. After they get wet the get a very sour smell to them even when they are hung up to dry. I can only use them one or two times before having to rewash. I hang them to dry before putting them in the laundry hamper. I seem to have done all of the above suggest except putting bleach in because of the colors and yet still the smell. Any ideas? Thank you.

Have you tried the white vinegar trick? Any time I leave clothes in the washer they turn sour, and simply rewashing will not take the smell out - if you add white vinegar along with your detergent, it takes the smell out. Make sure to still put the laundry directly into the dryer - not sure why it works, but it does!