radiobrain Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Ok, so when do towels officially bite the dust? My husband complained about our towels smelling weird. Now, I have not changed anything in my washing of things, and they were clean. Newly clean. Yesterday I washed all the towels in hot water with bleach, let it soak in the hot bleach water for 45 min. Immediately put in dryer on SCORCH. They smell weird. But they don't smell like bleach either. UGH. Then I thought, well... how old ARE these towels anyway?!:001_huh: They are in good physical condition, but... is there a general shelf life on towels, where they become rags and such? I hate to admit it, but I have never thought of that before. Any opinions on this? Amount of years, anything? This should probably be a poll, but I am not very tech savvy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I think weird smell on towels can be caused by using fabric softener on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 They are officially worn out when they are either threadbare with holes that cannot be repaired or moldy/mildewy. If they smell funny after bleaching, wash them again sans bleach and dry them again. If they are 100% cotton, that is. Now, you may just WANT new towels, and not NEED them. If this is the case, consider cutting them up into washclothes for the mop, rags, nifty bibs, or donate them, or do SOMETHING worthwhile with them. I'm pretty frugal and believe in using things until they are USED up. I've had the same towels for our entire marriage (admittedly, only 10 years). The one's that have become frayed, I trimmed and hemmed. I also try to buy just plain white towels so I don't have to worry about faded colors, etc. (Although I keep a few navy in the house for cyclical reasons...;)) Of course, I'm a bit of a Jessica Fletcher, Yankee-frugality type on this :) Someone else may respond that towels are rags at the turn of every calendar year! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I replace mine when they start falling apart. Then I spend the next few months grumbling about how hard it is to dry off with a new towel. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I'm still using towels from back in the 1970s that are in terrific shape and they smell great. So, no, I don't think there is a shelf-life for towels. :D Sounds to me like the fabric has soured somehow. Instead of soaking in bleach, I would soak in white vinegar, wash in regular detergent (I, personally use only laundry soap; no detergent), and rinse in white vinegar. Do NOT use any type of fabric softener on towels. If they still smell after this, I would pitch them and buy new. Also, I would check everyone that uses the towels and see if they have some type of body odor that they are giving off/wiping on to the towels. Sometimes people who are sick give off odors that you can smell only on fabrics. Strong odors. If you can identify a person that is giving off this odor; get them to the doctor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I have found if I buy better towels (say, mid-level at Target), they are less prone to that strange smell. I have nooooo idea why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Do you have a front-loader? Maybe it needs cleaning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I thought that Life of Towels was a new math curriculum. Our towels have lasted 17 years, but more and more of the are being relegated to the "put this in the car and we can kneel on it if we are ever changing a tire" pile. poor things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted September 23, 2010 Author Share Posted September 23, 2010 No front loader. EEW... nice visual on the smelly people, wiping, smelly bits.... off...onto.. ewwww.... I will try the other suggestions. MAybe will turn it into a "science experiment" (yeah... sure I will, and then the kids do the laundry too... ) THANKS! These things are ancient! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted September 23, 2010 Author Share Posted September 23, 2010 I thought that Life of Towels was a new math curriculum. Our towels have lasted 17 years, but more and more of the are being relegated to the "put this in the car and we can kneel on it if we are ever changing a tire" pile. poor things. :D I must go, my HS mom drug is calling me from the other room.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I thought that Life of Towels was a new math curriculum. Oh my goodness. I think I wet my pants. BTW, Lands End has nice towels but the color came off in splotches the first time I washed. Whatever, they work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hmmm, what's with the 'no fabric softener' rule? I always use a dryer sheet...can't stand the crusty feeling w/o one. I say a towel is done when the thread has come off so much that it doesn't fit around you anymore. I do have a few towels from the 1970's but the towels we received as wedding gifts thirteen years ago are ready to be thrown out. I just don't want to spend the money right now. On a side note, I was looking at the LL Bean catalog that came in the mail. The striped towels were over $20/each! :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted September 23, 2010 Author Share Posted September 23, 2010 Sometimes this forum needs a "like" button. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Sometimes, old cotton gets a bit of a smell, and a kind of vaguely slimy feel to it. No matter how much you wash it, it doesn't come out. I've seen it in sheets, and also in clothing. After some research, I found that it comes from the breakdown of the chemicals from a treatment used to prevent wrinkling. So "no iron" or "low iron" cottons may get like this after some time, even if the fabric is still strong. I do not know if this is the case with your towels or not; I've never seen it in towels. For us, an old towel goes into the "old towel" pile, used to mop up icky things (of which we seem to have many), then washed on hot/hot, soak/wash/rinse/rinse. Or, they may be cut up, edges serged, to be kitchen washcloths or baby wipes or whatever. Towels last a *long* time! On the other hand, if my sister-in-law gets something icky on her bath mat, she throws it out and buys another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 If you have a clothes line or can improvise one, try airing them in the sun. Sunshine kills a lot of odors. At my house the shelf-life of towels is determined by three factors - (1) they are so thin they are transparent (rare), because (2) husband needs a rag right now or (3) a nameless person smeared grease, chocolate, or other substance on hand towel instead of using soap and water first. The result of 3 is that I bought dark colored towels for the half-bath and have several rags in reserve for the next time husband needs one in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Sometimes this forum needs a "like" button. :lol: LIKE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spellbound Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Uuugh! I have the same towels! I just figured it was the price of living in the NW. I'm going to try the vinegar and then see if I have to start saving my change:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Uuugh! I have the same towels! I just figured it was the price of living in the NW. I'm going to try the vinegar and then see if I have to start saving my change:D :iagree: I was going to ask if the OP lived in Tacoma. My towels and jeans have been smelling sour lately. I know I can't stand to drink the tap water during the fall because it starts being off color and off odor for a while...they say it is completely safe to drink. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hmmm, what's with the 'no fabric softener' rule? I always use a dryer sheet...can't stand the crusty feeling w/o one. I say a towel is done when the thread has come off so much that it doesn't fit around you anymore. I do have a few towels from the 1970's but the towels we received as wedding gifts thirteen years ago are ready to be thrown out. I just don't want to spend the money right now. On a side note, I was looking at the LL Bean catalog that came in the mail. The striped towels were over $20/each! :blink: Fabric softener can build up on fabric, particularly towels, and cause the fabric to repel water (so water would sit on the surface, not so good for the dryin' o' the ol' body!) I try not to use ANY fabric softener on towels. This way I can just fold them easily along the huge crease marks and they stand up on the shelves like file folders! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
min Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 I use our towels until they disintegrate. :) No weird smells here, but I don't use fabric softener, which someone mentioned. I think they smell best when they're line-dried. Min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 :iagree: I was going to ask if the OP lived in Tacoma. My towels and jeans have been smelling sour lately. I know I can't stand to drink the tap water during the fall because it starts being off color and off odor for a while...they say it is completely safe to drink. :ack2: I thought this was unique to Florida. I don't think all our towels get fully dry between showers, so they get mildewy or something. Maybe we just need to shower less often. ;) I try not to use ANY fabric softener on towels. This way I can just fold them easily along the huge crease marks and they stand up on the shelves like file folders! :lol: Oh, well there you go. Multi-purpose towels. You can use them for drying your hands AND organizing your homeschool materials. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 Ours are 12-13 years old and I *wish* they would die. ;) BTW, for the smell, I'd do a vinegar soak... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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