Does your Tide HE happen to be the liquid formula?
If so, there's your answer. Switch to a powder detergent.
But first just try washing your towels in hot water WITHOUT any detergent at all. I'm willing to bet you'll get plenty of suds. Use white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser too.
It may take several washing like this to rid your towels of the built up liquid detergent, but it will gradually happen and your towels will be fresh smelling once again.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.
Janet

I agree 100% with Janet's suggestion. One other thing -- once the suds from all the detergent buildup start to go away after water-only washings, try running them through one last time with baking soda to help deodorize them.

Let us know how it turns out.

Whirlpool's newest Duet washers are going to have a "max rinse" option to use more water. I think you can choose either no extra rinse, extra rinse or max rinse. I'm glad they FINALLY added this feature for those of us who want our clothes rinsed really well.

I bought a huge bag of baking soda at Sam's tonight I have everything going through with that now and vinegar in the fabric softner slot on hot water and I turned up my hot water heater for the event no detergent in there for it I am seeing no suds. I have only used powder detergent since day one. I hate liquid detergent. Ugh. This seems to be a problem with my hand towels that I use in my half bath and my wash cloths. I am wondering if it is because they remain a bit damp from time to time or are the ones that are often somewhat saturated with water and are wet in the hamper?

I am also reading that some people use cascade complete to clean their washer? I have it in the tabs with dawn can I throw a couple of those in an empty wash cycle or will I create more issues. I ordered whirlout today from amazon to clean it with. I have a jet tub so if it does not work for the washer I can use it on that thing. ??? I ordered 2 bottles for free shipping.
Thanks for suggestions thus far! Fingers crossed!!!

I suspect that the problem lies not with your washer, but with damp towels hanging in the bathroom that never dry out. If towels are folded and hung over a towel bar, and you live in a climate with fairly high humidity, or you have a bathroom without windows and good air circulation, musty-smelling towels are almost a certainty.

Try changing towels more often, and hanging them between uses so that they can dry thoroughly. If your bathroom doesn't have a window, leave the exhaust fan running for at least 30 minutes after a shower or bath to remove as much damp and moisture as possible.

As for the towels that already have a musty smell, try hanging them in the sunshine to dry. Sun and fresh air should help to alleviate the problem.

^^^I put fresh hand towels in the bathrooms daily sometimes twice or more daily. It just depends on if we are home all day or not. (germ freak)I have half considered paper towels. Sometimes I find that my little one gets the entire towel completely wet and that may do it so I take it into the laundry straight away and hang it over the hamper to dry before I launder it. We often just leave the fans run in the baths all the time must to the dismay of my husband. We all hang wet washcloths in the shower as well over the metal soap and shampoo racks to dry and I collect them at night or the next morning when I gather laundry from the hampers. I am just like GRRRRR on this!!! They seem to smell freh now but when they are went again is when I will know!

I DO think my washer needs a good cleaning inside. I wipe the doors and what you can see often but it;s what you cannot see that I am worried about!

I had the smell problem with my Duet washer but not with the clothes. The problem according to Whirlpool is the low water usage lets crud accumulate on the front and back of the rubber seal and on the exterior of the drum which you can't reach. I was able to solve part of the problem by easily pulling the gray seal away from the drum side (not the door side) and you can see the accumulation of scum on the tub. I took a rag and cleaned around the entire tub as much as I could and then I went behind the entire seal which has grooves and got more junk out.There is now a product called Affresh (tablets) made to solve this problem-it is sold on the Whirlpool site under parts and accessories and in stores that sell appliances including the big home building suppy stores. Affresh has it's own website that explains the problem. Part of the odor comes from mildew which occurs because of the tight seal so you need to leave your washer door ajar for a day or so until the interior dries out completely or you will get mildew buildup. I have done all of the above for a year or more and it works.I used the Heavy Duty cycle with Affresh but the Sanitary cycle might be better (I don't have the Clean Washer cycle). I no longer have to clean the seal and the tub.

^^^^Interesting...My husband and I have noticed that the rubber seal of our machine has started to smell well rubbery. Almost like it has started to "break down" ? Not like the towels smell but just like old rubber? I wonder if this has to do with it? The machine is about 6-7 years old now. Anyone know the life expectancy of these tings? I hope a good 10-12 yrs?

wa8b, I live in a climate with fairly high humidity (particularly in the summertime) and none of our bathrooms have windows. However, we have never had a problem with towels smelling musty in the 20+ years we've lived here. I do not have a frontloader, but an HE TL (Maytag Bravos).

When I wash white towels, I use Tide HE w/bleach, a small amount of LCB, an equal amount of baking soda in the drum to double the LCB's whitening power (it's also a good deodorizer), and I only use vinegar in the FS dispenser.

My DD's towels/washcloths are all red, her bathmat is red, and our beach towels (which we use on beach vacations and the DC use at the local pool all summer) are brightly-colored, so I do not use any LCB on them at all. I just use detergent and vinegar in the final rinse. No odors at all.

If I cannot dry them outside, I dry them on HI heat.

summiebee, it may help to dry your towels outside, at least a few loads. If you don't have an outdoor clothes dryer, you can clip them to plastic hangers and hang from tree limbs, a swing set, etc. (A friend has a clothesline in her garage and keeps the door and windows open while laundry is drying.) This can also help to kill musty odors.

If you wish to soften and fluff them when they have dried outside, you can put them in the dryer for a few (5-10) minutes.

summiebee,

Try using a little clorox bleach. If the towels are colored, an once or two in the bleach dispense probably won't effect the color, yet will kill the stuff causing the odor.

Joe

I've had this happen before. I washed the offending towels using the Sanitize cycle with a little bleach. Problem gone.

I think what happens is that once the offending matter (mildew) gets into the fabric, regular washing will not get rid of it. Exposure to more damp (hanging in the bath) just lets it restart.

Bleach is often labeled 'evil' these days, but it sure does a great job killing mildew -- as well as E Coli bacteria, MRSA, and other horrendous enemies.

My MIL has taught me how to remove this kind of smell in towel by:
1. Rinse it with water for at least three times.
2. Dissolve a detergent powder in a basin (depends on how big your towel)
3. Handwash it or scrub to remove dirt.
4. If its rainy season in your area let it stay under the rain for the whole day. Also if you have a strong sunlight its the best smell remover After handwashing it or scrubbing let dry under the sun. When it gets dry. Rinse it again and gently handwash it with your favorite detergent bar. On your last rinse put a fabric conditioner and leave it for an hour.

Its really requires a lot of work to remove the bad odor in your towel. Patience is a virtue my dear. I hope these helps you. Thanks.

gardenlover, you made a lot of great points. The only one I disagree with is the one about using fabric softener (assuming that's what you meant by 'fabric conditioner') on towels. Fabric softener coats towels, thus greatly reducing their absorbency.

Well I was able to remove the smell by adding 1/8 c of chlorine bleach to each load with powdered detergent in extra hot water (turned up hot water heater) and an extra rinse. We have used a baking soda and vinegar in witht he wash since and the smell has not returned. I also used whirl out twice on the machine. It freshened up the machine but I was not overly impressed. I took a magic eraser to the grey rubber seal and got more build-up off of it.
Thanks for all of your suggestions! A combination of all of them really helped! I plan to continue to use Baking Soda and Vinegar in the towels. They really do smell much fresher and cleaner!
Thanks to all!

Glad to know your problem is solved, summiebee! :-)

You know what I do to clean the rubber seal? I get a clean rag and put it in a bowl of water and microwave the water for three minutes or so, put on a pair of rubber gloves because the water will be HOT, then just ring out the super hot rag and clean the seal and in the grooves. I don't have to do this very often but I do it on occasion. Doesn't take long.

Mark,
I will try that tomorrow! Thanks!

I have the Miele Washer and Dryer, the one that heats the water to 205 degrees. I do not have a window in my bathroom. I use only Charlie's soap and dry my towels in the dryer, I have NEVER had an odor in my machine or my towels or any of my clothing. I only use the hi temp for my white towels or clothes and they come out dazzling white. We have a farm so you can imagine how filthy our clothes can get and also live in a high humidity clim. If you have to use all those products to get your clothes clean, there is something causing this but what I don't know. Maybe mildew? who knows, but I have never had that problem. We only just recently put up an outdoor clothes line, but I do this for the sunshine smell of my youth, lol, not for any odor reason. Good luck.

If the OP's machine has a sanitary cycle, that would be the obvious answer. In my experience at least, a sanitary cycle is a "silver bullet" against bad smells, and can be used on colored items as well as white (oxygen bleach may be necessary for whitening). I guess the assumption is that the OP's machine doesn't have a sanitary cycle, and, after all, when people post here with problems, "get a new machine" usually isn't the answer they're looking for :-)

well maybe not, I don't expect the mfgs. of all the machines all have high temps, but I would be willing to bet that they don't think that your towels should stink after washing in their machines either.I wanted to avoid all that in the first place, so that is why I replaced my Asko's with the Mieles as it is my opinion that they are the best made in the world, maybe not the ones coming into this country now, but mine was German Made. The asko had service problems, but it sure cleaned your clothes. From what i understand they still do have a high temp cycle.

I have a Samsung; I dry the rubber gasket, door, and tub after I'm done with the last load on wash days. I also dry the soap dispenser. I then leave the washer door open.

It may not look orderly, but if given the choice of a more orderly looking laundry room or mildew growing in my washer, I'll take the less orderly looking laundry room.

I've never had to clean the inside of my Miele or leave the door open, NEVER once has it ever smelled bad or had anything GROWING in it either. I simply do not understand why all the different products are having to be used to get good results from a washing machine. Like I said I simply use Charlie's soap. I have used other products with just as good results, but everything else makes me itch so I must be allergic to them. I don't even have to use any kind of bleach to get my whites blindingly clean. I guess you could chalk it up to the Miele's high temps which I only use on our farm clothes and our whites.It's sad that this option is not available on them anymore.

Hey pkspigs, I finally found someone who has no problems!!
My God, it is a miracle.
I only have LG FL and small euro Fl and I never EVER had any mildew.I use Persil and Roma.CS didn't work for me.Sanitary and boil out cycles
guarantee my drums spotless and free of any smells.
In over 30 years usind FLs, I never had any smells or mildew.
I tried to be cheap,used all sorts of detergents ,ading borax,soda but Persil is the life saver for me.Don't use bleach due to allergies to it.
I think the secret is in the HOT water and proper rinsing.All the aditives just build up in the laundry and over time people have smell and gunk in the machines.
The only maitenance on my machines is to dust them and clean bottom filters.

hi czechchick2,

I have and old TL and have recently discovered Roma--I do like it, but was concerned that I'd have to give it up if and when I get a new FL machine.

How much Roma do you use in your small European FL? Ever have sudsing problems with it?

Cryptandrus, I use Roma for about two months now and I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 w/Persil I like so much and my laundry is smelling good and is spotless. But I use sanitary and boil out cycles mostly.
In the little washer I use 1/3 dry measuring cup( it is 1.75cf).IN LG (4.00)washer I use 2 of those. I always use extra rinses. I don't have sudsing problem, but I have hard water so you might try smaller amount first just in case.
I used straight Roma w/ same great results. And hell it is so cheap!!!!

Thanks, czechchick2, for your Roma tips.
Just so I understand: the 1/3 cup contains the half Persil half Roma mix, right? So it's 1/3 cup TOTAL in your little Euro machine and 2/3 cup TOTAL in your large FL?

I don't understand why there aren't *any* dosing instructions at all on the Roma package... not even in Spanish.

It is CRAZY cheap especially for what a great job it does getting everything clean. I know it has phosphates in it, so I don't use it for everything... just the tough loads.

Thanks for your help!

add me to the list of 'no smells in washer, no smells in cloths'; like white towels, sheets and table linens; use only Persil and hi temp cycle for them (205deg, have the last model of miele that was 220v); whiter than i have ever seen and no smell, no open doors, no cleaning and drying of drum or gasket; just wash the clothes and into the dryer
I think it is the high temp; not sure if I went to the next lower temp (i think 85c) it would make a difference, but haven't tried; been doing things this way for 3 yrs, no problem from day 1

Cryptandrus.yeah the 1/3 dry measuring cup is total of those two detergents. For the large machine I use use 2/3 max.-only only for full load. I try to wash less than full load (1/2 cup),it rinses better.
Now I got "my mix " of detergents and it works good.See the post "low suds-personal mix". I won't be be buying any detergents anytime soon.

Thanks, czechchick, for the clarification on the amounts.

My step daughter hung clean towels out and when I wiped my face on one, it stunk of mildew. They throw wet towels in a hamper or washer and they mildew. Not sure you can get that out. That is one of the first things I learn as a homemaker, hang wet clothes.

Hi...OP here...:) I think the trick for me was to add some bleach (just a little maybe a 1/4 cup) to the wash to get rid of it and then I have been washing all of the towels on hot water and adding baking soda to the powder detergent. NO LIQUID. It has kept it away. No softner EVER for us. They have stayed smelling fresh. We had NO fading of the towels at all with that small amt. of bleach. HTH.

What workes for me is White Vinegar in the fabric softner dispenser, and always use the Extra rinse in every load, works every time

Mr See

I have the same problem with musty smelling toweme. I love all of your input. Please please tell me how many towels you put into your washer. My old machine that lasted 30 years a top loader used to hold about 8 bath towels. Never a problem. But now I try just just washing 2 and I’m still disappointed. Thank you

What washer do you have? Musty smelling towels is a sure sign of detergent residue build up.

Start by rewashing all your towels with no detergent on the hottest cycle with an extra rinse added. If your washer has a towels cycle, use that.

I had great success using Tide powder on my towels. It rinses thoroughly and my towels smell clean. I always add an extra rinse.

Another cause (happened to me) of musty towels is not getting them thoroughly dried after the towel is used. (Teenagers/ sports/ multiple showers daily/ humid climate) Hang 'em up to dry thoroughly before tossing in the hamper. (May or may not be the cause in your case.) A bit of chlorine bleach to rescue the stinky ones and then due diligence in preventing it from happening again.

@littlegreeny I have a Whirllpool Duet. It was fine when my machine was new but now my towels come out musty. They are always dried completely. Either there is too much detergent, not enough detergent, I put in too many or they aren’t rinsing properly. I’m going to try the vinegar in the detergent receptacle first with just 4 towels And No fabric softener. Let’s see how that goes. How many towels do you all put in your front loaders?

Filling the machine loosely with towels is fine. They shouldn't be packed in tight.

What detergent do you use?

I have a 9 year old Duet. I wash towels on Hot (Whites) or Sanitary. I always use an extra rinse. I have no musty towels or washer smells. I loosely put towels, wash cloths, and hand towels in the machine and leave the ability to put a fist at the top of the load just where it touches my hand.

I have an older Duet WFW9750. I always wash my towels using the Whites cycle on hot and with the extra rinse. Generally the light soil level is enough. I usually wash 10 towels per load. No odors here, even with wash cloths. However, I will say that when I attempt to wash the same load using the same setting but using warm water, my towels do not smell nearly as clean. Also, the Normal cycle is a no go for towels!

As always, I highly recommend washing your towels as we all have suggested, but also adding 1 cup of ammonia to the dispenser after the machine is done filling, approx 5 minutes. It should remove any body oils or other residue in the towels. Just be sure you are not using chlorine bleach in the same cycle! Keep us updated!