Why do my towels smell sour after I use them?

Hi Pat, Here's a link that should help: https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/natural-solutions/how-to-get-rid-of-sour-towels/

Good luck!

You should add a cup of vinegar (or bleach if they're white) when you wash them and put it on the hottest cycle. Also, I've found some towels, especially thick ones, feel dry when removing them from the dryer, but deep inside the fibers they're still damp which would cause an odor. I would dry them longer and make sure your lint trap is clean.

There are lots of methods out there. Some say vinegar, some say baking soda. I use both with a low suds detergent and half the recommended amount. No fabric softener and felted wool dryer balls in the dryer.

https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/natural-solutions/how-to-get-rid-of-sour-towels/

https://www.home-ec101.com/sour-smelling-towels/

Pretty much as you dry you rub skin cells onto the towels and if the towels remain damp, you get sour smelling towels. We always use our exhaust fan but then run our ceiling fan until everything has dried, which means hours. When we can, we keep the window open.

All of the washing ideas are great, but I think no matter how you may wash them, they must be completely DRY! And in between use, make sure to lay the towel OPEN on the towel rack or shower rod (do not fold it to hang over the towel bar) to ensure that it dries throughout. If your bathroom holds moisture, towels and/or washcloths will hold that moisture, which causes them to become sour.