I wash my face and get hold of a just-washed fresh towel, …and YuCk! …the SMeLL! Do your freshly washed towels smell bad? …sometimes, just after one or two use?! Did You Know? Most of the time, stinky towels aren't a result of failing to wash your towels enough(!) …Find out what’s causing your towels to smell, and how you can easily get rid of it. Why my towels are smelly? You’re using too much detergent when washing! The recommended amount of detergent on the bottle, is almost always, way more than you need. Too much detergent + fabric softener = the rinse cycle of your washing machine is not long enough to get all the soap out. So while your towel may smell fresh after it’s washed and dried; once it gets wet again, and is left in the dark bathroom, mold begins to grow. Over time, with many washes, soap residue and fabric softener residue can accumulate within the fibers of the towels, and this won’t allow your towel to absorb as much water, and start to smell. Moreover, towels wont soak as effectively as they should! How to get rid of the smell? Wash the towels with hot water, NO detergent and a cup or 2 of white vinegar; this will get the soap out! Wash a 2nd time with hot water and half cup baking soda – NO detergent or softener! Baking soda will make your towels fluffy and more absorbent too! …and next cycle on, use less detergent on your towels! More possible reasons why the towels are smelling! CAUSE: Towels aren't completely dry when they’re folded. Solution: Make sure they’re totally dry before putting them away. CAUSE: The washing machine is smelly! Solution: Leave the washer door open after every load to let it dry or just run an empty hot-water cycle with white vinegar CAUSE: You’re waiting too long to remove your towels from the washing machine. Solution: Unload the machine immediately when done; the towels can get sour very quickly when wet. CAUSE: The towels aren't drying quickly enough like if they are hung on the hook for a long time while they are wet. Solution: Hang wet towels on towel bars or spread across two hooks until they’re dry. Shawana A. Aziz