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Make It Easy:  Mold smell won't wash out of towels-any suggestion  |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 08:58:02 AM
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I have a front loading washer that we bought 9 months ago.I never had much of a problem with the towels coming out clean smelling. Now since I have this HE washer I have been having probelms with the towels smelling moldy like I had never washed them. I know with the whites you can add a little bleach and their is no problem with the moldy smell. But most of my towels are colored and after taking them off the line and folding them up they seem to smell a little bit moldy. But as soon as I use it to dry off after a shower I can smell the mold bad. I tried drying them in the dryer but that didn't seem to help much either.
Is there anything besides bleach that would help with this. I wash in warm and rinse in cold.The cycle last about 50 minutes. I also use the homemade laundry soap recipe that Aunt Jenny uses. I know if I use bleach its gonna fade the colors of the bath and kitchen towel.
Today I am gonna try to wash them in hot water to see if this makes a difference.I am also going to use the long cycle which is 105 minutes. I hate doing this because I try to concerve on electric. Our electric cooperative is one of the highest in Ohio.
Thanks for any suggestions you ladies have.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 10:02:20 AM
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Linda- soak them in some vinegar water, then add about 2 cups of baking soda to the wash. Then also add about 1/4 cup of vinegar to the rinse instead of any fabric softener if you use it.
It sounds like your cotton got a bad case of mildew/mold into the fibers. The only sure way to get the smell out is to kill the infestation. Vinegar is great for this- as is the sun if they get hung for long enough.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 10:16:09 AM
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I'm with Alee- Vinegar it is. It will get your towels back to their sweet-smelling selves in no time. I forgot to add, you may want to cut back onteh amount of soap you use. If it is not all rinsed out, it will make your towels smelly.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
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Edited by - Mumof3 on Sep 08 2008 10:17:50 AM |
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luvnlife
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
Michele
Quincy
WA
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 12:20:18 PM
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I too have had great luck with vinegar. Before I discovered it for rinsing, I thought I was going to have to demote my nice fluffy towels to car drying towels. Not so! I add a few drops of lavender oil with the vinegar just to give them a faint floral scent but it's not necessary. Best of luck with this!
Family life is the source of the greatest human happiness. This happiness is the simplest and least costly kind, and it cannot be purchased with money~Havighurst
Farmgirl Sister #306 :) |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 2:06:33 PM
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Yup Vinegar.
Also I don't have a HE, but I belong to a lot of cloth diaper groups/message boards, and most those women have them. And from what I gather you must leave the door to the washer open when not in use to dry it out. Otherwise you will get mold/mildew in there.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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quilt8305
True Blue Farmgirl
409 Posts
Mary
Spokane
WA
USA
409 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 4:12:35 PM
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White Vinegar rinse and Borax added with the detergent.
Mary
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. Albert Einstein
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Edited by - quilt8305 on Sep 08 2008 4:13:11 PM |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 5:33:31 PM
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I do leave the soap tray and the door open. I also clean around the rubber seal. There is also a cleaner tablet and a cycle to clean the washer.
But the first day I used this washer I put some towels in that had a moldy smell to them. I have a really small bathroom that does not vent well and sometimes they will literally mold overnight expecially if its humid outside. So I put these towels in a brand new washer and they came out moldy smelling. Its like they were never washed. I even line dried them and that didn't help.So I don't think its the washer making them moldy because it was brand spanking new and that was the first run.
I starting to wonder if its because it uses so little water that it doesn't really do a good of a job washing them.I've noticed some of my farm clothes don't come out as clean as they did in the old washer and I was using the same homemade soap then too.
I bought this HE washer after my old 23 year old one rusted though. I thought this was the way to go to conserve water and energy. I don't think its putting enough water in to do the job.
I wish I would have stuck with getting a top loading machine. But I can't take this one back and it was way to costly to stop using it.
Thank you for all the good tips. I will try the vinegar and I guess I could put it in the bleach cup and the rinse cup. I already have the borax in the homemade laundry soap unless you think I should add extra. Its hard to put stuff in a HE washer because the degergent cups are not very big.
Once again thank you ladies for your great help. Your all super duper!!!
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 6:31:38 PM
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Hmmm, if it may be a water issue, could you set it for a larger load then you are actually washing, to see if that would give more water, and be better?
I can't have a washer cause I live in a apt, so I don't have any experience with your kind of washer, I'm just putting things out that pop into my mind.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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neighsayer
True Blue Farmgirl
81 Posts
Shirley
Arabi
GA
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 06:16:42 AM
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Hi Linda: Glad you brought this subject up. I live in Georgia where it is humid. I also have a small bathroom and my towels just from sitting sometimes smell the same way. I hate it. I have used the chlorine bleach that is safe for colors and washing in hot water. Then immediately put in dryer. That helps. But I am going to try the vinegar suggestion as well. Good luck!
Thank God I live in the country! |
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City_Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Christina
Omaha
Nebraska
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 06:27:30 AM
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Linda I have a front loader and we had that same problem a couple of times. Not just with the towels. It couple things. First make sure that your machine is still level and that you leave the washer door cracked open a bit after you are done using it. If the machine is not level a little water may sit a pool up in it which is what caused ours to get the smell. I know check for the level every couple of months and I never shut the door all the way. I haven't had a problem in over a year.
I have to agree with Alee that vinegar is the best remedy to get the smell out. Especially when combined with air drying in the sun. I had to soak some things in a basin but everything else I just did a soak cycle in the washing machine. Which ended up cleaning it out at the same time.
Christina
Farmgirl Sister #195
http://justacitychick.blogspot.com/
Although no one can go back and make a brand new start; anyone can start from now
and make a brand new end.
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chickabella
True Blue Farmgirl
177 Posts
D. A.
Austin... ish,
Texas
177 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 05:34:06 AM
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I have a front loader as well. Christina, I'm going to check the level on our machine - what a great idea! Adding my encouragement to use vinegar in the wash cycle, and to keep the door cracked open when not in use. If it weren't for the energy/water savings, I'd go back to the old-fashioned top loading washer in a heartbeat.
Farm blog: http://farmnatters.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dasparky
Heart of Texas Farmgirls Chapter; Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #275
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 10:42:56 AM
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Funny used to old fashioned was the front loaders! lol I used to love to watch my great grandma's front loader. lol I would sit in front of it and be more entertained then with TV!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 1:52:59 PM
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My washer self adjust to each load. I am not able to choose the amount of water that goes into it. My old toploader you could.
I did try the vinegar and it has helped with the mildew smell. I bought a product 2 days ago which I haven't tried yet. Its a eco bleach. It doesn't have bleach in it but hydrogen peroxide. I am curious if this will be safe for colors. I also wonder if this will help with the mildew smell.I figured it couldn't hurt to try.
How much vinegar do you think is good to put in each load ? I kinda guessed but don't want to waste it.
I alway keep the door wide open on my washer and the cup tray. The machine is level so thats not the problem. I just don't think its works as well due to the small amount of water it uses. It was a problem from the first time I used it. It didn't have time to make mildew yet. My washer has a cleaning cycle with tablets just to make sure it doesn't get that way.
Thanks ladies for all the great help. Vinegar always seems to be good in every situation as I am finding out more and more.Thank goodness its not expensive. I just have to make sure to keep gallon jugs of it on hand all the time. Seems like I am using it about everywhere.I never used it much until joining this forum and have learned much about vinegar.Its really cool.
Take care.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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oldfashioned girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2391 Posts
monica
oatman
az
USA
2391 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2008 : 9:30:13 PM
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I don't know if this will help any but if you google "moldy smell on towels from HE washer" Then go to www.complaintsboard.com they have a lot of comment on raising the front leveling legs! There are a lot of complaints on front load washer leaving towels musty! There is also a product you can buy that is supposed to kill the mold! It's called smelly washer cleaner! Good Luck!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.jsutducky48.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2008 : 07:27:53 AM
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I go a bit over-board with the vinegar, but I hate smelling musty towels, so I would probably dump a WHOLE LOT in the washer just to kill the musty smell. I have been know to go through several gallons of vinegar in a weekend! LOL But vinegar is cheap. A new washer and towels aren't!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Make It Easy: Mold smell won't wash out of towels-any suggestion |
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Mold smell won't wash out of towels-any suggestion
