I noticed I have stinky towels.
They smell a bit off.
I ran a google search on how to get that funky smell out of towels and waded through a lot of try this, no try this, that won't work, you must do this type stuff....
Here's what I came up with:
Once a Month Towel Stink-Be-Gone:
Step One: Wash your towels with your favorite detergent and one cup of vinegar for the rinse cycle.
NO fabric softener. {don't worry- the vinegar will keep them soft- trust me on this.}
Water setting: warm. (my warm temp is like hot water!)
*FYI: I've taken to putting vinegar in my wash all the time.
Step Two: Wash your towels a second time with an half cup of baking soda (replacing detergent with baking soda).
Step Three: Toss your wet towels in the dryer with 3 brand new (or really, really clean) tennis balls. and dry. {The tennis balls will help fluff your towels.}
Alternate Step Three: If you are able- line dry your towels.
When they are dry you can toss them back in the dryer on "fluff cycle" with the clean tennis balls to fluff-ify them.
In my online research I noticed the following statement more than once-
Do not use vinegar and baking soda in the same rinse.
This made me snicker.
Because we make baking soda/vinegar volcanoes around here all the time....
but not in the washer.
That would be bad.
Update- Since getting loads of feedback on baking soda and vinegar in the same wash- I gulped down my fear and tried it... at the same time. However, I put the baking soda in the detergent compartment and the vinegar in the rinse compartment. Results: No problems- no adverse reactions, and clean sweet smelling towels. Whew.
Of Note: The very first time you do this, you might notice a hint of the funkiness under the sweet laundry smell. You can either repeat the cycle or use the towels for that week and do the Stink-be-Gone process the next time you wash towels. Once you get to doing this once a month "regular like" you'll notice the wonderful difference- your towels will smell sweet and be fluffy.
And that's some laundry loveliness right there.
Other helpful laundry tips:
Homemade fabric softener
Vinegar for Laundry
hahahahahaha :D I can only imagine what would happen if you actually mixed vinegar and baking soda in the washer...and it would NOT be funny! That's a great idea, though, and AS SOON AS I HAVE MY OWN LAUNDRY ROOM (gahh...the only really bad thing about living in an apartment) I am going to do that.
ReplyDeleteCan you put vinegar in a high-efficiency washer? If so, where does it go--the fabric softener dispenser? Bleach dispenser?
I have the same questions Jaimie! Can someone please help us out?
DeleteGreat questions ladies! When I run a straight vinegar wash I put it in the detergent dispenser. When I run vinegar with every wash I put it in the bleach dispenser. I have a HE washer and have never had issues with using vinegar, baking soda, homemade detergent or homemade fabric softener. I've had the washer for 8 years. Vinegar is great for keeping your washer clean and bacteria free!
DeleteI actually had the repair man tell me to always run my washer with the vinegar in the bleach dispenser if not actually using bleach (whites)to keep buildup from our hard water off the inside of my machine and prolong it's life. I also have a front loading HE and he also said to add 1/2 cup to every load in my dishwasher as well. Works better than any of the descalers on the market...
DeleteGood to know! We have hard water and ever since I started using vinegar in every wash I haven't had to clean out the washing machine as much. I love it! No more funky smell in my washer!
DeleteFor what it's worth, I never saw the vinegar/soda together warnings when I used both to wash smoke out of clothing after a fire. I have a front-loading machine and I watched it during the load to make sure no volcano-like situations arose. It did just fine, minimal sudsing, and the clothes smelled fantastic. I have done at least three loads of the vinegar/soda combo and never had an eruption. That's my experience.
ReplyDeletei use vinager and baking soda together in my washer all the time on my husbands clothes to get the smell out of them, and my washer is just fine, the water makes it not volcano. just thought i would share.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates about vinegar and baking soda in the same wash. Since I have the unfortunate knack for "breaking" appliances in my home I will continue to do the separate washes... :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't believe that vinegar and baking soda can be used together do this: fill a bucket or pot with water and add 1/2 cup baking soda and one cup vinegar and stir around a little. You can see the reaction but there's no way it would overflow or any other disastrous reaction. I tried it both in a bucket and in my washer. ;)
ReplyDeleteJessica- I have since become very brave and have used both the vinegar and baking soda at the same time- but in different compartments. No problems. Whew! If you knew my history of breaking appliances in weird ways... you'd know why I was scared to try this... lol
ReplyDeleteSo if I decide to be brave and do both vinegar and baking soda together does the baking soda replace soap?? Or should I do detergent, vinegar and baking soda? Thank!!
ReplyDeleteYes. Put the baking soda in the detergent compartment and the vinegar in the rinse compartment. I then run it thru a 2nd time with detergent. Or you can do detergent first then the baking soda/vinegar. OR- I have a friend that doesn't even worry about detergent after the baking soda/vinegar wash. She says they're already clean and smell great. Enjoy some sweet smelling towels!
DeleteWhat if you have the old type washer that does not have a detergent vs. rinse compartment? Can you just toss both in as the water fills up? Or on top of the clothes as the water fills up?
ReplyDeleteYes you can toss both in as the water fills up. Or you can mix them together and let them react (bubble etc) and then pour them in together. Make sure if you mix them that you use a large enough container to contain the reaction!
DeleteOr you can put the baking soda in your detergent compartment and then when the washer has filled with water add the vinegar.
I don't have a rinse in my HE washer just detergent, fabric softner and bleach. Which one would I put it in? The bleach is for 1/3 cup only and the softner has a max line smaller than one cup.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Joann
Here's my thought on this: put the baking soda in the portion labeled detergent and the vinegar in the two other wells if it can't be poured into one. Or you could run them in separate washes like I did when I first started washing my towels this way.
DeleteHope this helps!
Do you have to use tennis balls? Can you omit that step ?
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to use the tennis balls. Please feel free to omit that step. It just helps to really fluff up the towels... I don't do it every time I use this method... more like when I remember, which is every couple of months or so. But I'm always glad when I do.
DeleteThanks for this tip! One quick question if I'm putting the baking soda and vinegar in together do I add detergent too? If not do I need to wash them with detergent afterwards.
ReplyDeleteGreat question! For this to work best, you need to wash the towels twice. Once with baking soda and vinegar and then again with detergent. Or if you are in a hurry, just wash with the baking soda and vinegar, skipping the detergent altogether. I wouldn't do this every time but in a pinch.... it works.
Deletewhat if you set your washer to the small load cycle. do you still use the same amount of vinegar and baking soda? or do you cut it in half?
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I've got to say that I've never done a small load of towels but that's because I have five people in this house who get dirty often! :) If you are doing a small load then yes, I would cut it in half. If you still have a smell when you are done, then the next time I would say keep the same amount of vinegar but halve the baking soda. The vinegar is key to cutting the stink.
DeleteIn all of the above posts I'm not seeing a reference to the amounts of both baking soda and vinegar...I'm likely just missing it but can you help?
ReplyDeleteSorry - never mind - I found the amounts now...
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm glad you found it! It is kinda hidden. Thanks for drawing my attention to it. I just went back in and bolded the amounts for better noticability. Thanks!
DeleteThank you for the great info! i'm going to give it a try right now. I will give my results in a couple hours :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea and I am going to wash all of my towels like this today! Another idea for the dryer is to use wool dryer balls instead of the tennis balls. I even add a couple drops of essential oil to the wool balls to give our clothes a light refreshing scent.
ReplyDeleteWool dryer balls are on my wish list.... tennis balls are what we had on hand. I love the idea of adding the essential oil too. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteWhile using the baking soda and vinegar together shouldn't be explosive, as stated by people who've tried it, it will render them relatively useless. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar leaves water behind...so there's not any extra cleaning power! They'll work best if kept separate, even in the same load, just make sure the baking soda goes in the wash cycle and the vinegar goes in the rinse cycle.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I'm with you. I would've cracked up at the thought of little towel volcanoes (sp?) swirling around in the washing machine. :) I'm just glad you bravely forged ahead and did the vinegar + baking soda in one load, also, to see the final result, and shared it with us. Now we all have the knowledge. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteso I got this 2015 or may be 2014 washer, but the dispenser are very small, a cup or 1/2 a cut of any thing won't fit in those dispenser, any tip on how I would go about that?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm.... cut the amount down to whatever will fit in the dispenser and try that. If your towels still smell- put them through again. It may take a couple of washes.
Delete