Mildew smelling towels

[anonymous]

My inlaws already think I'm a clean freak, fanatic -- rotten onions, moldy fruit, handwashing... But this summer, we've been going round and round about the towels they have at their lake cabin. I notice when I get out of the shower and wipe my face, I smell mildew and my SKIN smells like mildew. Now granted, I do have a very sensitive nose and apparently I'M the only one smelling this or commenting on this.

Fortunately, I always pack a towel from home in DS's luggage and insist on using that after his baths. And last weekend, I brought my own towel, too.

This past weekend, we get to the inlaws and they've had a revolving door of guests this past week or so and there's a huge pile of towels in the bathroom. So I take it upon myself to wash not only the towels, but the bed linens -- hot water, a dash of bleach. Towards bedtime I was headed out to the laundry room to dry the towels and my MIL tells me she'll do it in the morning. Well, she didn't and after brunch, I threw them in the dryer. The towels smelled like freshly washed laundry. Amazing!!!! Near as I can tell my MIL is either absentmindedly forgetting to throw the towels in the drier in a timely manner.

Not worth a big to-do with the inlaws over what they feel is my fanatical behavior, but I'll just continue to bring towels for myself and DS. DH, who also can't smell mildew is on his own <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> But how in the WORLD can anyone NOT smell that nasty ranky smell. Maybe other guests are just being polite and are bringing their own towels, too. Liza aka ratatosk

 

[thelizardqueen]

Well I know that with my mother, she lives out of town and uses well water for her cleaning so her clothes and linens always have a bit of a smell to them, but I at least do know that they are being cleaned.

 

[zoe4life]

I can't stand that smell!! We were at our kids swim meet, a girl
sat down on the bleachers beside me with a towel around her that
had that smell...I had to move!!! I always do the same as you...a
dash of bleach & fabric dryer sheets. Yuck, I don't blame you,
I'd bring my own towels also.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"><br>
<br>
Jada<br>
Zoe's mom<br>
<br>

 

[folione]

Damp towels are a known breeding ground for pseudomonas - we never let our son use the same towel twice and keep papertowels for handwashing. Stink or not, I'd say you've got plenty of reason to want fresh towels.

 

[Ratatosk]

Ugh, on that note, I can't remember if I washed his towel when I did his laundry a few days ago. The kitty cat hooded towel hanging on the hook in the bathroom is taking a trip down the laundry chute, along with the Buzz Lightyear PJs that he refuses to part with long enough for a trip into the washing machine.

 

[bmombtoo]

Hey, my computer finally let me post again. My main PC crashed,
almost lost two years worth os graduate school work. Any hoot, I'm
on my laptop now and it would never finish intializing so I could
post.<br>
<br>
Get to the point.....who can't smell mold and mildew? My nose is
very, very, very, sensitive to that. Re-rinse laundry in backing
soda if it sit s in the washer too long. Mildew is very bad for the
lungs........and my lungs are bleach sensitive.<br>

 

[Jane]

We had that problem too. Neither my parents or in-laws are very clean people and I FREAK OUT every time my boys go to visit.

I remember asking my MIL once why she didn't wash her lettuce before using it. She said "oh, they spray it off in the store". GROSS My job every since is to make the salad.

My mom refuses to use purell, she'd rather wash her hands and wipe them on the damp dish towel. They make me feel like I'm a nut.

I'm glad its not just me.

 

[Liza]

Hi, Anyone ever use Borax? My mom got me to start using it as a laundry booster. It works really nicely. We have a septic system so we have to limit the amount of bleach we use and the Borax can be used on colors or whites. It gives your clothes a fresh smell, even the dogs blankets and beds! Just a thought for anyone that hasn't tried it. We've had that musty towel smell when someone (who shall remain nameless) had not put the towels in the dryer when they should've been. It gets rid of the smell easily.

Liza
(Mom of 2teen girls w/CF)