The Real Reason Your Bathroom Smells (And How To Fix It)

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If you've been smelling a stale, musty scent when you set foot into your bathroom, chances are it's not coming from your shower, tub, toilet, or various appliances you might expect. In fact, your fluffy bath towels might be the culprit behind this unwanted aroma. While you may wash your bath towels on a regular basis, and we hope you do, bacteria can still gather in between washes, especially if the towels are left damp in the bottom of a laundry basket or washing machine. It's recommended to wash your towels after every few uses, but even so, bacteria and mildew can grow on these soft items.

There are several tricks to removing musty odors from your towels, including a full deep clean of your towels and a change in your hanging and washing habits. Whenever a towel is damp, it's even more susceptible to bacteria and mildew, and given that the bathroom is such a moist area, it can be hard to remember to keep them completely dry. But don't worry, you don't need to go out and buy brand new towels. A homemade baking soda solution can get rid of the musty smell, and as long as you keep them dry and avoid the mistakes everyone makes when washing their towels, you'll prevent it from coming back.

Before you run out to your closest store to buy a new set of towels, you can easily deep clean your old ones first to get rid of any unwanted odors. There are multiple recipes for towel deep cleans, but one of the most effective combinations is baking soda, laundry detergent, and Borax. If you don't already Borax to use in the laundry, you can easily order a 4 pound box of this 20 Mule Team Detergent Booster & Multi Purpose Household Cleaner for around $17 on Amazon.

Depending on how many towels you are attempting to deep clean, you might want to use your bathtub as a soaking center. You can start by filling your tub about halfway to ¾ full of warm water. Next, you can add in ¼ cup of baking soda, ¼ cup of Borax, and ½ cup of powdered laundry detergent. Before you add in your towels, make sure the powders are mixed and dissolved in the water. Next, add in your towels, which should be freshly washed. You can let them soak for aorund four to five hours, occasionally stirring them. Once that time is up, place them in the washer and run a rinse cycle, and then tumble dry.

One of the biggest culprits of stinky towels is the laundry process. If you let your washed towels sit in the washing machine for too long, it increases the chance of musty smells. When you wash your towels, make sure to transfer them directly to the dryer right away to reduce that risk. When you hang up your towels in the bathroom, ensure they are on a towel bar or rack so they can dry properly.

Ironically, washing your towels too often can also cause bacteria, which can be attracted to your detergents and fabric softeners. It's recommended to wash your towels at least once a week, or after three to five uses. Also, it might be beneficial to cut back on your laundry supplies, as using detergent, softener, beads, and stain remover might be building up and adding to your problem, attracting even more bacteria. When putting away towels, make sure they are completely dry before folding and storing them in your bathroom.