I find keeping towels dry is the best thing. After I use a towel, I hang it to dry on my shower curtain bar. I'll wash them with regular detergent, whatever I have on hand. If it's nice out I hang them outdoors. If not, I put them in the dryer immediately. Again, dryness keeps towels from smelling.

Vinegar will help. I put it in the softener dispenser of my machine. Just plain white vinegar. Putting it in your softener dispenser puts the vinegar in your rinse cycle

This post was edited by chessey24 on Mon, May 20, 13 at 13:00

Don't put the vinegar in the wash cycle, put it in the final rinse. The vinegar helps remove soap residue and is very good at neutralizing odors.

I have always had a problem with smelly towels since getting my front loader. I never had a problem with the top loaders that I used to have. I have found, with the front loader, that washing a load of clothes with clorox in the wash (just occasionally) and then leaving the door open when not in use will prevent the smelly towels. So, I've just been washing my sheets with clorox and that seems to take care of it.

When it is not in use, the front loader machine should sit with the door open. Also, you should run a hot water load every now and then to help prevent smells, so I always use hot water for the towels. You might try cleaning off the gasket around the door in case some mold has formed there from keeping the door closed between uses.

I have used vinegar in the rinse cycle for years, but recently have used Baking Soda/Washing Soda in the wash cycle. As we have gotten "older" some medications (I think) have made body oders 'different', and the soda has really improved that situation.

I had that problem once.... a very generous dose of Baking Soda and a long very hot wash took care of it. I think it was because of having thick towels and a hot summer with a lot of humidity.

Vinegar didn't work in my case because the washer needed a washer cleaner. I use Tide or Affresh. I also use fabric softener.( I like vinegar for cleaning the coffee pot though.)

I usually have that problem with washcloths. Sometimes I think it's the material they are made from. Some stink, some don't. I can hardly stand to wash my face with them. In fact I end up tossing the worst offenders into the rag bag.

Our local ABC affiliate just aired a segment on the same thing - here's the print version.

"May 05, 2013 (WPVI) -- Do you have dish cloths that end up with a musty smell? Or did your kids leave wet towels in the hamper? Well if they did your towels can get mildew and bacteria on them. But it's easy to get rid of.. I'll show you.

This is a two part process and you'll want to be sure and do both to get rid of all of the smell. The solution - a pair of my favorites: Baking soda and white vinegar.

The first thing you want to do is to wash the towels in hot water adding 2 cups of white vinegar to the wash cycle.

The vinegar does two things, one it kills the bacteria and second it strips away detergent and fabric softener build-up from the towels.

Next, run the towels through a second hot wash cycle. This time add a cup of baking soda to the wash cycle.

The baking soda absorbs odors and softens the fabric so that the towels come out fluffy and soft and odor free!!

An easy solution to a stinky problem! I'm Mrs. Fixit and it's just that simple!

(Copyright ©2013 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) "

I use bleach for my whites and when finished leave the top lid open, never any problems with an odor. It is recommended to run a hot water cycle with bleach or the stuff you can buy to keep my new washer fresh, well It will be two years old I think or maybe 3 this fall. I always have left my lid open after using the washer, never have had a problem.

Sue

Are you cleaning your washer regularly? What temperature is your wash when you say "hot". Is this a high efficiency top loader or a conventional top loader? How old is the machine? Do you let the laundry sit in the machine for a while before removing it? It might not be one issue, it could be many contributing factors. Are your clothes getting rinsed out properly?

The terms "hot", "warm" and "cold" are ambiguous terms. Just setting it to the hot cycle occasionally could cause you trouble. You need truly hot water, from 160°-200° to have a hot wash. However with the dumbed down machines out there now, and people worrying about someone might burn themself, "hot" can be translated to not much above body temperature, if that and that's a recipe for trouble. Also remember you lose heat going from your water heater to the washer through the pipes and you lose more heat in the machine since the machine is room temp and if you're using a low water unit (HE) you don't have much water to warm the unit up. Although the issue of warmth and bacteria is well known, ironically, cold washing causes a lot of issues too.

Bacteria, mold and mildew are the biggest problems with smell in laundry. Moderate temperatures contribute to mold, mildew and bacterial growth. So you need to kill that off.

Even proper rinsing, or I should say, *thorough* rinsing can make a difference. Often with towels I'll run an extra rinse cycle, especially if they're extra dirty and/or I needed to use more additives. Make sure the chemicals are out of there.

As Jannie said, wet or damp towels start the process before it gets into the laundry so if you avoid that to start, you're ahead of the game. It's best to get them out of the bathroom ASAP. The bathroom is a warm, moist room. Get them where they can dry out and don't leave them in a lump or tightly folded.

Often overlooked is proper detergent dosing. Too little or too much can cause trouble. Plus so many want the stench of "August midnight" or February "fresh" or "sweaty old woman"... (shudder) so the chemical stench can cover the odors in the clothes that aren't being washed out of them. Detergent and fabric softener can build up a sludge in a machine if not dosed properly and if the machine isn't cleaned.

Cleaning a machine is pretty simple. Run the hottest water you can. Hopefully you don't have ATC on your machine. If you do, just use a hose and fill your machine with HOT water. Turn up your water heater a bit if necessary for the task, then run a load with a cup or so of an enzyme dishwasher detergent, then a wash with bleach. I like to start the machine going so it splashes around with the additives and then stop it for a while (5, 10, maybe 15 minutes) to let it work on it a bit to dissolve, then let it finish up. That should go a long way to kill off the stuff and help melt out the buildup of sludge. A bleach load with towels (older ones preferably since it could get some junk on there) next is a good thing also. The towels or old rags can help to dislodge some things. Always leave the top open on your washer to allow it to dry out and if it's in a confined space a fan to move some air wouldn't hurt. If you have a compartment for the detergent and things that you can open up, leave that open too. The unit needs to dry out or you'll have more problems. The moist air will contribute to growth of undesirables. Take a good whiff in the tub and see if you smell anything. You might be surprised what you see if you pull the top off the machine and look inside the outer tub as that's where the crud usually builds up.

Be careful what you mix in your laundry but the following additives, properly used, can help with laundry odors: Baking soda, borax, bleach, sometimes an oxygen cleaner, vinegar, ammonia, even common cleaners like Mr. Clean, Pine Sol, Simple Green or the like. Lysol disinfectant, not talking about just the cleaner but the disinfectant. Hydrogen peroxide is a good bleach substitute. Using a detergent with enzymes or an additive with enzymes is helpful for cleaning the machine and getting laundry clean. I just buy cheap dishwasher detergent with enzymes in it. Keep in mind though that bleach will kill the enzymes so don't mix them.

Baking soda and washing soda are not the same thing and are often confused. Washing soda is in most powdered detergents, not as often with baking soda. You've likely heard about using baking soda for odor control so I won't go into that further.

A good long shot in the dryer on the hottest setting also can help kill off grindles in the laundry but some dryers don't get too hot these days either so it depends on your situation.

There can be an issue with the water. Although you have a softener, have you tested water softness? You might even try using some powdered water softener like Calgon or something like STPP. Borax also will help soften the water too. Another thing that happens is if other chemicals get in there, certain deodorants, even some peoples' sweat can compound the issue but that's very rare. If you do the other things, this isn't likely to be an issue.

For dealing with what you have, you could hang them in the sun. That goes a long way toward airing them out and sun bleaching the stuff but you still need to deal with the issues of cleaning the washer and the like. You could even give them a soak in something first, rinse, spin and hang them out but if all goes well you shouldn't *need* to hang them outside if you don't want to. Maintenance, or lack thereof, is the primary cause of these problems. After over 33 years with my machine the number of sour smelling loads I've had could be counted on one hand with fingers leftover.

BTW, many people avoid bleach thinking it'll discolor things. Not necessarily true. For sanitizing, you don't need that much. Oh and if you do a bleach cleanout, especially with a healthy dose of bleach I'd suggest not putting real color sensitive things in on the next load. Or at least running a water only load in between. And no, this is not contradictory if read and understood.

Yeah, it got long, but lots of info to cover. Good luck with your problem.

Knew I had to forget something. One other possibility: Overloading the machine. Maybe they're just not getting washed clean.

I've had that problem for years. I am not bothered by it lately, I use vinegar in the rinse instead of fabric softener. I also have been using surf liquid detergent, love the scent.

I have only had one particular set of towels and hand towels do this.. I really do think it was whatever they were made of. No problems with any others at all....

One of the problem is that not many people realized that you need to air dry the tub after washing your clothes. The moisture traps inside the tub and in the spaces between the tup and the metal box (outer layer of the washer). Which in turn, mildew and whatever can grow in there without you notice it until you begin the next laundry.

What you may want to do before relaundry the towels is set in a light wash cycle but don't put detergent. Just fill the tub with water and add a cup, more or less, of bleach. It will kills whatever grew inside. Then, wash the towels.

What all of us should do is to leave the lid open after the wash for an hour or two so it'd have a chance to dry out faster. I usually leave it open over night just to make sure.

I recently had my 12 yrs old washer serviced and the serviceman compliment me of how clean the tub is inside and out. He took out the front side of the washer and showed to me the internal parts of the tub. So, I told him what I've been doing and he agreed that many people are not awared of this little trick.

When I get smelly towels, and sometimes DH's T-shirts in the summer, I add 20 Mule Team Borax to the wash. No more smell.

Oops! It's a front loader, not top as I said in my original post.
I all ways leave the door open and pull out the soap dispenser.
I think, that since this just started I have figured out what the problem is. ME!
I got a new bottle of soap (same as all ways used, All Free and Clear) and the dispenser button is a lot tighter than the old bottle. I'm having some physical problems and having trouble pushing the button to get the soap into the container. So, I'm getting too much soap into the little cup I fill. Part of the solution for me will be to NOT use all the soap that I get into the cup, clean out my washer, run some vinegar thru it as suggested and maybe a cycle with bleach too. And rewash all my towels!
Couldn't figure out what had happened, as I've had this washer for 4 years and never a problem.
Appreciate all the good advice and without it I wouldn't have figured this out on my own. Tomorrow I will start the cure.
Thank you so much for all the great ideas and advice. And helping me figure out what I was doing wrong.

Congratulations on figuring it out! Good for you!

kathy you wern't in any of the recent water main breaks, were you? i figure if you're supposed to boil the water can you imagine doing laundry in it?

No water mains here. We have a well and septic system.

I have had my front loader for over 7 years and always leave the door open after using it. I have never cleaned the washer and never have any problems with smells. I remove the clothes as soon as the cycle stops. The door only needs to be left open a couple of inches.

Yikes! If it's not too late for this warning...

NEVER, EVER mix vinegar with bleach and bleach with ammonia. These combinations are deadly when inhale it. The vapor is invisible. What you don't see, you wouldn't know until it's too late.

Don't store these in the same place. Spills happen and these chemicals get mixed. Naturally, you run to to clean it up. This is how people had been killed. Store these in different places far far apart.

Kathy, hope you haven't done so, and you're alright.

I think she was clear she was talking separate cycles ntt_hou. But I will say ammonia and bleach *does* get the snakes out from nesting under the steps! They do *not* like that! And were quite ornery, but they packed their bags and never came back.

Whew! Glad I don't have to "get the snakes out"!
Yes, I did do seperate loads. One for bleach and one for vinegar.
All is well with my washer now.
Thanks everyone who chimed in.
All ways appreciated.