Quick Answer
How to remove mildew smell from towels: wash them as hot as the care label allows, with a small dose of normal detergent and no fabric softener, then dry them completely. For stubborn smells, add a vinegar soak or rinse, or a separate bicarbonate wash, but not both at once, because Which? says they neutralise each other.
Key Takeaways
- A musty towel is usually a drying problem before it is a washing problem. Towels left damp in a hamper, a drum or a humid bathroom keep the smell coming back.
- The sources disagree on vinegar. Ideal Home and Tom’s Guide use it in the wash, while Which? and Bosch say not to put vinegar in the machine, so check your manual first.
- Fix the machine as well as the towels. If the drum or seal smells, clean towels will pick it up again.
Towels that smell musty straight out of the wash are a common complaint, and the advice online contradicts itself. This guide sets out the methods from UK and manufacturer sources, shows where they disagree, and gives a step-by-step rescue plan. We have not tested the methods ourselves, so everything here comes from the sources named.
Mildew and mould mean the same damp-loving growth in this guide. The smell is not always mould. Ideal Home (29 December 2023) says damp towels collect bacteria that cause a “musty, sour smell”.
Why towels smell
Why do towels smell bad when they get wet?
Ideal Home gives four causes: bacteria in towels that stay damp in bathrooms and kitchens, mould and mildew when they stay wet after a shower or indoor drying, detergent residue that traps moisture, and fabric softener build-up that reduces absorbency. Tom’s Guide (17 January 2024) adds a humid bathroom with no way for moisture to escape.
Why do my towels smell like mildew after washing?
If towels smell mildewy after a wash, the likely causes from the sources are towels left wet in the machine or a laundry basket, too much detergent, or a smelly machine. Which? (18 June 2026) says mould can form on the rubber door seal. We found no source that ranks these causes, so work through them in turn.
How to get sour smell out of towels
How to get sour smell out of towels follows the same route. Ideal Home describes the damp smell as “musty, sour”, so the fixes in this guide apply. Wash hot, skip the softener, and dry them fully.
How to get musty smell out of clean towels
How to get musty smell out of clean towels often comes down to storage. Ideal Home says to store towels only when fully dry, in a dry, well-ventilated place such as a linen cupboard. If clean towels smell musty in the cupboard, rewash and dry them completely before folding.
A note on health
Government guidance on damp and mould (first published 7 September 2023) says mould can produce allergens, irritants and spores that are harmful to health, and that people with conditions such as asthma, children and older adults are at greater risk. A musty towel is a small thing, but if mould is spreading on walls or ceilings, see the guidance on gov.uk or ask your landlord or a doctor.
Wash method
How to remove mildew smell from towels: step by step
How to remove mildew smell from towels, using Ideal Home’s method with the alternatives below:
- Shake out each towel and separate by colour and fabric. Do not overload the machine. Ideal Home says to leave enough space for towels to move freely.
- Optional: soak them for at least an hour in a basin of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar. Ideal Home soaks in the machine or a basin; we suggest the basin because of the machine advice later in this guide (our reading).
- Wash on the hottest setting each care label allows, with a small amount of normal detergent and no fabric softener.
- If the smell remains, use one of the rescue methods in the table below.
- Dry completely before folding or storing.
Rescue methods compared
| Method | What the source says | Caveat |
| Vinegar soak, hot wash, bicarbonate rinse (Ideal Home, 29 December 2023) | Soak in 1 cup of white vinegar for an hour or more, then wash hot, then add half a cup of bicarbonate in the rinse when smelling | Tide and Which? say the two cancel out if combined |
| Vinegar rinse, then a separate bicarbonate wash (Tom’s Guide, 17 January 2024) | 1 cup of vinegar in the final rinse of a warm or hot wash, then a second wash with half a cup of bicarbonate and no detergent | Two full washes |
| Bicarbonate soak (Which?, 11 June 2026) | Dissolve half a cup in warm water and soak for half an hour, then wash as normal | Written about clothes, not towels, and Which? warns against scoops in a full wash |
| Oxygen bleach (Moral Fibres, updated 2 February 2026) | 1 tablespoon in the drum with your usual detergent | The source does not test it for mildew smell |
Strip towels mildew smell
Strip towels mildew smell is a popular search, and a towel stripping recipe for musty smell appears in many blogs. The UK and manufacturer sources we read do not use the term or give a tested recipe. The closest sourced method is Ideal Home’s one-hour vinegar pre-soak followed by a hot wash.
Best laundry detergent for smelly towels
We found no test that ranks detergents for towel odour, so we cannot name a best laundry detergent for smelly towels. Two points from the sources apply. Tide says vinegar and bicarbonate “cannot substitute for a high-quality laundry detergent”. Tom’s Guide says “less is more” with detergent, since excess leaves residue and reduces absorbency. Use the dose on the pack.
How to get smell out of towels oxi-clean
How to get smell out of towels oxi-clean style: Oxi-Clean is a US brand name. The active ingredient in oxygen bleach is sodium percarbonate, which Moral Fibres describes as “exactly the same thing as oxygen bleach” and “not the same as chlorine bleach”. Its method is 1 tablespoon in the drum with your usual detergent. Do not use it on wool or silk, never mix it with chlorine bleach, and wear gloves if your skin is sensitive. Check the ingredients list on UK products for sodium percarbonate. The source does not say how well it removes mildew smell.
How to get smell out of microfiber towels
How to get smell out of microfiber towels depends on what they are. Whirlpool’s guidance on microfibre cloths says to use cool water for lightly soiled cloths, a gentle cycle, fragrance-free detergent, no fabric softener, and low heat or air drying. For a strong odour it adds about 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. That is gentler than the hot washes above, so follow the care label.
Vinegar and bicarbonate
How to wash towels with vinegar to remove smell
How to wash towels with vinegar to remove smell varies by source. Ideal Home soaks in 1 cup of white vinegar in warm water for at least an hour. Tom’s Guide adds 1 cup in the final rinse. Tide says white vinegar needs “5 or more cups per load” to work effectively and that its acidity (low pH) can weaken cotton and linen fibres and affect some dyes. We found no test of which amount works best.
Baking soda and vinegar in same wash load towels
Baking soda and vinegar in same wash load towels is the main contradiction. Baking soda is called bicarbonate of soda in the UK. Which? says vinegar is an acid and bicarbonate an alkali, so they “react and neutralise each other, reducing their cleaning effectiveness”. Tide says the short answer is no. Tom’s Guide says to avoid using them at the same time. Ideal Home uses them in one load but in separate stages: a vinegar soak first, then bicarbonate in the rinse.
Remove mildew smell from towels vinegar baking soda
To remove mildew smell from towels vinegar baking soda can be used in sequence. The safest reading of the sources is to keep them in separate stages or separate washes, as Tom’s Guide does. Which? also advises against adding large amounts of bicarbonate to a full wash, and prefers spot-treating or a pre-soak.
Borax for smelly towels
Borax for smelly towels appears in many online recipes. We could not confirm an official UK position. One non-official explainer (The Filtery, updated 13 March 2025) says borax was classed as a substance of very high concern in the EU in 2010 over reproductive toxicity, and is no longer sold for cleaning in EU stores, but it cites no UK government source. None of the methods in this guide needs borax, so we do not recommend it.
Essential oils to get rid of towel odor
Essential oils to get rid of towel odor: Ideal Home suggests a few drops of tea tree oil in the wash or lavender sachets in storage. Oils mask smell rather than remove its cause (our reading). If you have a cat, the pdsa.org.uk page on cats and essential oils says most essential oils are toxic to cats, names tea tree, and advises keeping oils out of reach and never applying them to a cat’s skin.
Drying properly
How to dry towels so they don’t smell
How to dry towels so they don’t smell: dry them completely before folding. Ideal Home says to use a tumble dryer on high heat or line dry in warmth or sun, and that a dehumidifier may help when drying indoors. Tom’s Guide suggests air-drying outdoors, hanging towels early in the morning and bringing them in before sunset, and tumble-drying for 5 to 10 minutes if they feel scratchy. Government damp and mould guidance also points to drying laundry outdoors where possible.
Prevent mildew smell in bath towels
To prevent mildew smell in bath towels, Ideal Home says to hang them individually with space between them, not leave wet towels in the hamper, and dry washed towels straight away. Tom’s Guide says to ventilate the bathroom, and notes that weave affects drying speed.
How many times can you use a towel before it smells?
How many times can you use a towel before it smells? Tom’s Guide says to wash towels after 3 to 5 normal uses, attributing the guideline to the American Cleaning Institute, and to dry them between uses. We found no UK source with a figure.
Cleaning the machine
How to clean washing machine so towels don’t smell
How to clean washing machine so towels don’t smell: run a maintenance wash. Which? (18 June 2026) says to use a maintenance or service wash, or a regular 60 to 90°C cycle if your machine has none, around once a month or every 30 washes. It also says to wipe the door seal and detergent drawer first, since mould can form on the seal, and that a paste of bicarbonate and water works on the seal and drawer.
Vinegar is where the sources split. Which? says “never put vinegar in your washing machine”, because its acidity could erode drum bearings and other parts. Bosch’s support page says vinegar “is not recommended because it causes damage to the rubber parts” and recommends its own cleaner. Ideal Home (5 December 2024) includes vinegar in its machine-cleaning method at 60°C or higher, and Tom’s Guide (1 September 2025) quotes experts who warn about seals and hoses but say that if you use it, keep it to the rinse. Our reading is that the manufacturer and Which? advice should win: check your manual before putting vinegar in the drum, and use a maintenance wash or the oxygen bleach route instead.
Ideal Home also says to leave the door open after the final wash so the machine can dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do towels smell musty and how do you fix it?
Damp towels collect bacteria and can grow mould, and too much detergent or softener traps moisture. Wash hot with a little detergent and no softener, use a vinegar or bicarbonate step if needed, and dry completely. Clean the machine too.
Can you use vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in the same wash?
Not together. Which? and Tide say they neutralise each other. Ideal Home uses them in separate stages of one load, and Tom’s Guide uses them in two separate washes. Keep them apart, and do not use large amounts of bicarbonate.
Why do my towels smell like mildew after washing?
Common causes in the sources are towels left wet in the drum or hamper, too much detergent, and a smelly machine with mould on the seal. Dry towels fully, use less detergent, wipe the seal and run a maintenance wash.
How many times can you use a towel before washing it?
Tom’s Guide says to wash towels after 3 to 5 normal uses, attributing this to the American Cleaning Institute, and to let them dry fully between uses. We did not find a UK source with a figure.
Do I need borax for smelly towels?
No. None of the methods in this guide uses it, and we could not confirm an official UK position on borax. Hot washing, less detergent, oxygen bleach and thorough drying are the sourced alternatives.
How do you dry towels so they don’t smell?
Dry them completely before folding or storing. Use a tumble dryer or line dry in warmth or sun, hang them with space between them, and ventilate the bathroom. Ideal Home says a dehumidifier may help when drying indoors.
