Transitioning To A Toxic Free Home
Over the past year, I have put a HUGE focus on living a toxic-free life! Wow, who knew there were so many toxins out there!
I’ve even written a book about the topic, and I just can’t wait to tell you about it!
Have you seen my book Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness — Health Remedies & Green Cleaning Solutions Without Toxins or Chemicals? This practical guide gives you in-depth solutions on how to protect yourself and your loved ones for generations to come.
I’m going to dive into this book in just a moment, but first, let’s dive into getting rid of those smelly towels, shall we?
Someone Please Help Me Get Rid of These Sour Towels!
Okay, so this has been a HUGE problem in my household. A bit embarrassing yes, but we have STINKY TOWELS!!
Alright, who is with me here? There is nothing more frustrating than to get out of the bath feeling fresh only to dry off with a towel that stinks and sticks with you for hours.
So as always I set out to find a solution to my problem. I mean last year I discovered how to get rid of a bad smelling high-efficiency washer machine forever, and I still use that tip to this day!
My Attempts To Get Rid of Sour Towels
So the experimenting began. Last week I began to test and let me tell you…if there was a camera in my laundry room, you would all be getting a laugh right now.
Let me start by saying that my first instinct was to add vinegar. Vinegar kills odors in washer machines and I am sure they could help freshen my towels.
- Round 1: So the first load I used vinegar on a hot cycle. Bing….laundry done, opened my front loader and whoa…still smells! I didn’t even have to get them out.
- Round 2: Next I decided to add vinegar, baking soda, and a little laundry soap. HUGE mistake! DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!! Oh my gosh you guys…I felt like I just watched an episode of the Brady Bunch…remember when Bobby put too much detergent in the washer machine and there were bubbles everywhere? Yep, that was my laundry room…so not a good idea! So now you know, combining baking soda and vinegar has the same chemical reaction as it does in baking. It fizzes up and makes a huge mess. Alright, scratch that idea!
- Round 3: Finally I decided to scratch everything BUT the baking soda! No soap, no vinegar, just plain baking soda and guess what…IT WORKED!!!
So here is what you need to do!
How To Get Rid of Sour Towels The Toxic Free Way
Put your towels into your washer machine. Mine is a high efficiency (HE) front loader washer machine but you can also do this with a standard washer machine too.
Add 1/2 cup baking soda right over the towels. Don’t worry about using the dispenser, just pour it right over the towels. If you have a standard washer machine, use 1 cup of baking soda and add it to the towels and then fill with water. DO NOT ADD SOAP OR VINEGAR, ADD NOTHING BUT BAKING SODA!
Run a full cycle using hot water for the wash and rinse cycle. You will be absolutely amazed on how fresh the towels smell.
Dry fully and then fold and use!
For Really Stubborn Smelling Towels!
If you have some towels that are really stubborn and still have a smell, then I highly recommend these 4 essential oils!
Lemon Essential Oil ~ You Can Buy Here
Lavender Essential Oil ~ You Can Buy Here
Coriander Seed Essential Oil ~ You Can Buy Here
Tea Tree Essential Oil ~ You Can Buy Here
Simply choose which essential oil you would like to use or you could use a combination of these essential oils and add 3-5 drops to the baking soda before you add to the wash and shake well to combine the essential oil with the baking soda. Add to wash and proceed as normal.
Why Towels Start To Smell
There are several reasons towels start to smell.
- They don’t fully dry out and become mildewy
- There is too much moisture in the air which again can keep the towels from fully drying
- Your kids leave them on the floor, again not allowing them to dry fully (uh can you tell that this is my issue) 😉
- You are using too much soap or fabric softener. This one is huge! Many of us use too much and the towels will have a build up of detergent or fabric softener.
Over the last year, I have been working on making my household more “green”! I can not believe how much money I am saving and how with little changes here and there, my house is truly becoming less toxic-free!
My New Book ~ Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness
Did you like this natural solution? Then you’ll love my new book! I’ve written a book that that can help you and your family to transition into a Toxic-Free life!
Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness is dedicated to giving you the information you need to remove toxins from your home and supply you with natural remedies to protect your health. This practical guide gives you in-depth solutions on how to protect yourself and your loved ones for generations to come.
You can Click here to view more details about this amazing book and to learn about the incredible gift bundle included with a book purchase.
This book has over 140 great recipes that are super easy to make with everyday ingredients! Here is a sample of a few solutions featured in this book!
Toxic-Free No-Wick Candle
All Natural Deodorant
Grease-Free Lotion
No fancy ingredients…just everyday, easy to find ingredients. This book is a must have for EVERY household! Learn more details here.
I’m so glad to find your site. Was ready to throw out all my bath towels and get new ones. I quit smoking, WOW, just realized it has been three years ago March 2015, and I can smell everything————-good and BAD. I make my own laundry detergent and did not even think of baking soda.You know, right under your nose? Well, guess I don’t have an excuse now. THANK YOU.
I have a condition called burning mouth syndrome which means that different scents cause my lips to burn. I use a minimum amount of the All brand of detergent that is no perfume or dyes. I’m interested to know how you make your detergent.
I have always had success de-stinking my towels by hanging them outside to dry on my clothes line on a hot sunny day. I think it’s the UV rays, kills the stink. Works for me
Not for me. They smell great until they get used and once damp start to stink immediately.
I just trid the baking soda only and it worked!! I did not say anything to my family and they notice the difference!! Going to try the safety pins and wash cloth tip next for the dryer. Thanks!
Read with interest your article on getting the sour smell out of towels. I’m giving that a try now with baking soda and a few drops of lemon essential oil added to the towels. Assuming this works to take the smell out, do I always wash the towels with baking soda or is that a one-time thing?
I always use baking soda or just plain vinegar to wash my towels and they smell great and come out super clean.
I have a shirt that for whatever reason has a bad smell, I call it smelly like a wet rag. I mixed about 4 drops each of Lemon and Purification essential oil with baking soda. I sprinkled that over my shirt and let it soak for a couple hours.Before throwing it in the washing machine, I thought to myself, “that smells so good, once washed and dried it will smell good once again”. But to my disappointment, it was still very smelly. I think I’ll just throw it out… 🙁
Add some peppermint oil and it will help take the smell away. Love to put it on the bed sheets!
The only way to really wash a load of laundry with HOT water is to turn off the faucet to the cold water where the washing machine is hooked up. The newer washing machines have temperature sensors in them and when you dial in “hot”, it mixes cold AND hot to achieve a preset temperature which the manufacturer considers “hot”. (not really hot, just warm) Just don’t forget to turn the cold faucet back on !!
Thank you for the advice on how to remove the sour smell from my towels. I do have the nice, heavy Egyptian towels. They are a problem to dry between uses however. I may have to start throwing them in the dryer every morning just to get them back to DRY for the next use.
I haven’t been able to find the cleansing blend essential oil on the link provided or by searching. Is it called by another name or do I need to make the mix myself?
Oh wow! Thank you for such great tips!
I read that using vinager in your washer will eat away all the rubber washers and hoses in your machine. That info came from a repair man.
How do I do this to my towels when my washer is a cold fill only. Will it still work if I put it on a hot wash?
Its really odd that so many have had bad experiences with baking soda and vinegar. I use these things together in my washer quite often with no over bubbling…the water dilutes everything too quickly to cause an issue and whatever smelly clothes qent into the wash they come out smelling just fine.
I use grated soap, whatever scent I’m in love with in the moment, in the washing machine detergent recipe I found online, plus an extra whole cup of baking soda and half a cup of hydrogen peroxide in the towels and whites, only because I have serious health issues.
The other thing that I’d recommend is to completely remove the washer’s detergent and softener compartment and throw it in the dishwasher, after a good scrubbing with some baking soda. Hopefully no one will hurl… It CAN be truly disgusting!!
I removed my son’s and showed it to him and he almost fell off his chair at his comp. Mold, mildew, calcium deposits, just Eewww!!! I have it a good scrubbing and put it to wash. Ran a cycle of baking soda and hot water in the machine. End of stinky smells!!
Until Christmas…