I have a laundry question, we have 4 laundry machines here but no matter how much bleach or detergent we use, when our towels dry(We have no dryers, they hang dry) they still smell like mildew. I have heard that vinegar can solve this problem, is this true? Does anyone know how we can get our towels to actually smell good? We cant buy new ones, so...any advice?

Thanks,

          Steve
 

Hey Steve,

As long as you're not washing your uniforms with them you can try 20 Mule Team Borax.  For nasty odors, disolve about 1/4 to 1/2 cup in hot water and add to warm or hot water wash with your regular detergent.  You might want to rinse twice since this will make your detergent more sudsy than usual.

If this doesn't work, my heavy hitter is Penguin Sports Wash (which should be ok on everything).  It even gets the stench out of "aged" running and hiking stuff.

If these are all cotton towels, do not use fabric softener.  If you have been using fabric softener, you will need to wash at twice this way.  Fabric softeners coat the fibers and lock in other odors as well as their own scent.

Let me know if I can send either (or both) to you to try.  I know where to get your address    I'm sure you'll be getting a lot more suggestions before the day is out.

Vinegar and hot water should work, but you'll feel like you live in a pickle factory.

jo

Well, we have tried to just wash them by themselves to no avale. We do not have the luxury of fabric softener and our water is well water. I dont know if the well water has anything to do with it, but if you think the borax will help then please help us. The only detergent we can get here is Tide powder packs from the Sorry-Sorry stand. Maybe Tide and the well water dont like each other hahaa. You know our PT uniforms hold their smell too. Maybe it is the water not mixing well with the Tide. We are out of ideas here.

Thank you,

              Steve
 

Check your washing machine when it is empty.  If it smells, try running the machine empty with a couple of cups of bleach and hot water.  Also check the hoses and gaskets to make sure that the funk smell is not coming from the washer.  Be sure to leave the door of the washer open until the inside is dry, after you wash any clothes.  Vinegar in the wash cycle does help sometimes.  Also be sure to hang the clothes to dry immediately after the washer is done.  I have heard of a product called purewash that can be ordered off the internet but I've never tried it.  Good luck. Nothing beats the smell of fresh laundry that is clean. 

Kathy

The problem is your location.  Nothing really dries out all the way. 

Ladies from persistantly damp locations - need more input here on removing mildew odors.  This is not the dampest state on the map, so what works for me might not be strong enough for Steve, et al.

Is it allowed to hang stuff on a line where you are?  It sounds like a good line dry *in the sun* would do the trick...(hanging to dry inside would not.)  Sunshine has great power to kill germs and odors. 

 I'm also a fan of baking soda as a deoderizer... I mean- if it'll get skunk off a dog...

Hi Steve,

I have a little well water experience so I'm gonna go with the well water being the primary problem you're having. Well water tends to trap ground minerals like iron and it is very "hard water". This will cause wierd random rust colored stains sometimes as well as the odor you describe. A cup of white (not cider) vinegar in the rinse cycle will act as a water softener, but there are some better smelling commercial options too. I'll pick one up at the grocery this week for ya and you can see if it helps. Also, washing on the hottest temp the clothing or towels will take helps too.

As for the humid line drying, well, that can't help but I have no ideas for that. Maybe some Fabreeze? Sarah's suggestion of "sun drying" sounds good too.

In the meantime, you guys want some fresh towels? We can fluff em for ya first : )

Shelly

We have well water, and have for years.  I add borax and soda together to detergent for WASH cycle, then white vinegar for RINSE cycle and no fabric softener for cottons (t-shirts, towels).  Use of these will brighten and remove odors, and like others have said hanging in DIRECT sun until they are completely dry.  The more direct sun the better - not filtered by trees or buildings.  They may not dry 100% if the sun is not hitting them.

It helps if you dry the towels and sweaty clothing as soon as possible after use to prevent the "souring" in the first place.  If they are placed in a pile to remain wet when they are dirty, they will sour quickly.

Gran

Steve,
You might try OxiClean...it's similar to the borax someone mentioned beforehand. My water is not the best (sometimes it's orange) and I live in a damp area (about five miles from the ocean). I do have a dryer, but our towels sometimes will retain mildew. This stuff gets the orangeness out of the whites and it does combat the mildew also. You might give it a shot! Good luck!
 

Hey, Steve!  I'm on it!

There's a fabulous company out there -- Charlie's Soap -- http://www.charliesoap.com/  I've ordered a supply of their laundry detergent and it's on its way to you now as we speak. (The owner filled the order as I was talking with him.) Yes, they ship APO at no charge -- plus they throw in extra "stuff" for the military.

I talked to the owner, Taylor Sutherland, who said with your situation (extreme humidity & well water) -- the thing to do is this -- run at least 1 cup of bleach through the washing machine (if you don't have bleach, use peroxide).  That will kill the mildew.  Then, run 2 Tbls of Charlie's Soap through the washing machine a couple of times to clean out the killed mildew and assorted built up gunk.  THEN, wash your clothes.  You may have to wash them a couple of times to get out the mildew from the clothes.  Do NOT use fabric softener.  Let me know if you have access to bleach or peroxide over there.  And, you can e-mail or call them anytime with specific questions.

-- Marilyn

P.S. -- VERY small world -- as I was talking with Taylor, he happened to mention that he had just found out about AnySoldier and had sent a couple of packages out to his first contact.  He asked me if I knew about it    Hah!  Did we have a great conversation or what!

EDIT:  Sorry -- I forgot to mention -- I use this product myself and it's terrific!  Hypoallergenic, biodegradable, all that good stuff!

Esteban,

I'm going to grab you some stuff to send with the coffee thingie, too-anything Oxi-, bori-, baking soda, etc...I asked some Pinoys  about this..and ok, here's what I got:

"Make sure they're hanging them straight & NOT folded over."

"Try not to dry it overnight..wash early (if he can) & dry in the sun, preferably away from vegetation" (I didn't get an answer on why this matters, yet..I'm thinking cos that would keep things more humid)

"Did he try Perla?  He should be able to get that at the (snicker on Sorry-Sorry) store".  (Hey, if it gets rid of scale insects on sugar canes, it should help, shouldn't it?)

"Does he have time to boil the water beforehand? Don't rinse it in hot, though." (I have my doubts about this one)

I know the rotten humidity & heat doesn't help one bit, either.  I remember sweating WHILE taking a cold shower.   I'll ask Nana how they got our clothes smelling fresh, tropical-clean when we were there. 

(edit) PS. I had this up without clicking "post" so didn't see Marilyn's yet..so scratch the sending oxi-bori, etc..that H2O2 stuff should do it!

It looks like the water and powder situation is covered, but I'm curious as to 2 more things.  How long are the towels hanging to dry and how thick are the towels?  Since the thicker the towels, the longer it takes them to dry. 

Just in case, does anyone know if Purple Power could help and can it be shipped? 

G.I.O.BARBIE

Ladies, A world of thanks!! To answer some of the questions many of you asked. We do hang clothes out in the sun, inbetween a water tower and a bunker. It is for the most part direct sunlight.We do not have hot water here. The only hot water we have here is for our showers and each shower has a inline water heater. It is about the size of a cereal box, and it isnt hot really. I will try everything that everyone suggested. The towels are thick towels and they dry all day. Due to the humidity, it takes all day for anything to dry. They hang straight and unfolded by clothes pins.

Marlyn....thanks for the soap!!

Shelly, the idea of some fresh towels would be absolutely fantastic, but we need to get this prob under control.

Steff, What is Perla?

Ladies, thank you for the advice and tips. I will keep you posted on how everything turns out.

                              Steve

If you don't have hot water, the borax would have to be dissolved in hot water before adding to the laundry.  It doesn't do much in cold water if it is very cold.

Gran

Hey Steve,

What do you think of this thingy? http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Windchaser-Portable-Clothes-Dryer/1994708/product.html

Got a way to plug it in somewhere? If you think it's worth a shot, there's a few available on other sites and I would be happy to send one out there to try?

I will get some fresh fluffys and some water softner out to ya this week either way though! Combined with the new detergent, maybe you'll see some real improvement.

Shelly