6 Ways to Get the Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels
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If your towels smell fine when they’re dry but turn funky the second they get wet, or your freshly washed clothes smell less than fresh, you’re not alone. Musty clothes are a common problem, especially in humid weather and busy households.
The good news is that you can usually remove mildew smell, stale odors, and sour towel funk. The trick is figuring out what’s causing the problem and the best solution(s).
In this post, I’ll walk you through how to get rid of musty clothes and towels. We’ll also cover what causes laundry odor, so you can try to avoid the problem in the first place.
Table of Contents
Why Clothes and Towels Smell Musty
When clothes smell musty, the problem usually comes down to trapped moisture, residue, and microbes. Sometimes it’s the laundry itself, sometimes it’s the washer, and sometimes it’s both.
Here are the most common reasons clothes and towels develop that stale, sour, or mildew-like odor:
1. Damp clothes sit too long
If you leave damp clothes sitting wet in a hamper (or anywhere), moisture gets trapped in the fabric. That gives mold or mildew a chance to grow and turns a normal load of laundry into a science experiment.
2. Towels don’t dry fully between uses
Bath towels, kitchen towels, washcloths, and cleaning rags get wet over and over again. If they stay damp too long, mold growth and mildew become more likely, especially in humid bathrooms or busy kitchens.
This is one reason towels may smell fine when they’re dry but develop odor as soon as they get wet again.
3. Too much laundry detergent or fabric softener leaves buildup behind
It’s tempting to use extra soap when laundry smells bad, but too much laundry detergent can make the problem worse. If you’re using more than the recommended amount of detergent, residue can build up in the fabric. This residue traps body oils, dirt, and odor.
Fabric softener can cause similar trouble. It coats fibers, which can make towels less absorbent and more likely to hang onto stale smells.
4. Cool water doesn’t always cut greasy or musty buildup
Cold water is fine lightly soiled clothing. That’s about it. If you’re dealing with musty towels, greasy kitchen cloths, or heavy residue, it may not be enough. Some loads do better with warm or hot water, especially sturdy cotton towels and rags that need a deeper clean.
(Side note – it vexes me that most clothes now are “cold water wash” because they fall apart if you wash them in hot water.)
5. The washing machine may be part of the problem
If your laundry comes out of the washer less than smelling fresh, the machine itself may need attention. A washer with detergent residue or mildew buildup can transfer that funk right back to clean laundry.
If you regularly notice clothes smelling stale after washing, clean your washing machine.
See Washing Machine Smells – How to Get Rid of the Stink.
6. Musty laundry often has more than one cause
A load of towels might smell bad because:
- they sat wet too long
- they have detergent buildup
- someone got heavy-handed with the fabric softener
- they didn’t dry completely between uses
- the washer itself needs cleaning
That’s why musty laundry sometimes sticks around even after rewashing. You need to deal with both the smell and the reason it developed in the first place.
How to Get Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels
If your towels or clothes already smell musty, work through these methods from simplest to strongest. Don’t try and cover odors with fragrances! You need a better wash routine.
1. Use White Vinegar to Remove Musty Odors
White vinegar is one of my favorite laundry helpers. It cuts residue, freshens fabric, and helps remove mildew smell without layering on artificial fragrance.
My husband’s great uncle ran a commercial laundry for years, and he swore by vinegar for stubborn laundry problems. I’ve used it in the rinse cycle for years, especially in place of fabric softener.
How to use vinegar in the wash
- Top-load washer: use 1 cup of white vinegar
- Front-load or HE washer: use 1/4 to 1/2 cup
For a standard load, add the vinegar to the rinse dispenser or directly to the washer during rinse.
If towels are especially funky, try this:
- Wash the towels in warm or hot water with no detergent
- Add a cup of vinegar
- Run a full wash cycle
- Wash again with detergent if needed
This works especially well for towels that smell okay when dry but develop odor as soon as they get damp.
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2. Add Baking Soda for Sour Smells and Stale Laundry
Baking soda is another classic odor remover. It helps absorb odor, soften wash water a bit, and freshen up stale-smelling loads.
How much baking soda to use
For most loads, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of baking soda to the washer drum. For extra stubborn odor, use a cup of baking soda with towels or heavily used cleaning cloths.
You can:
- add a cup of baking soda to a load of towels
- use it with regular laundry detergent
- follow with a vinegar rinse for extra deodorizing power
Just don’t pour vinegar and baking soda into the washer at the same moment in the same spot -unless you’re trying to put on a small science demonstration in the laundry room.
3. Wash Musty Towels in Hot Water
Not every load needs hot water, but grimy laundry often benefits from a warmer wash. If your towels still smell after laundering, they may have buildup that cool water isn’t removing.
Washing your clothes in warm to hot water can help:
- loosen residue
- break up body oils
- reduce odor
- improve cleaning for heavily used towels and rags
Always check care labels first, but for sturdy cotton towels, a hotter wash can make a big difference.
4. Use Borax for Heavy Buildup and Deep Odor
Borax is a good next step when vinegar and baking soda aren’t enough. It helps cut through buildup and can be especially helpful for towels, dishcloths, cleaning cloths, and work clothes with stubborn odor from clothes.
How to use borax
- Fill a tub, sink, or washer with hot water
- Add 1/2 cup borax
- Soak towels or clothes for 30 to 60 minutes
- Wash as usual with laundry detergent
This is a good “reset” for laundry that still smells bad after repeated washing.
5. Try Enzyme Cleaners for Sweat and Synthetic Fabrics
Sometimes the problem isn’t mildew so much as sweat, body oils, and trapped organic residue. Synthetic workout clothes are notorious for hanging onto odor.
If your activewear, socks, or synthetic base layers still smell after washing, try an enzyme-based laundry product. Enzymes can help break down the proteins and oils that contribute to odor from clothes.
This is especially helpful for:
- workout clothes
- sports uniforms
- synthetic underlayers
- teen boy laundry that has developed a personality of its own
6. Line Dry in the Sun When You Can
Sunshine and fresh air are still useful laundry tools. Hanging laundry outside can help with smelling fresh, especially if the load only has a mild stale odor.
Sunlight and airflow may help:
- kill odor causing microbes with UV light
- freshen towels and sheets
- reduce lingering stale smells
- improve the smell of clothes stored too long
- finish drying thick items completely
That said, line drying alone usually won’t fix towels with heavy detergent or mildew buildup. It’s more of a finishing touch than a miracle cure. The downside of using sunlight is the bleaching effect. Over time, it will lighten clothes, making them look more worn.
Sunlight also breaks down elastic and spandex with repeated exposure, the same way it makes plastic brittle. The odor removal power of sunlight also works much better on natural fibers, and not so well on synthetics.
See also:
- Prairie Pin Pouch Handmade Clothespin Bag for an old fashioned clothespin bag option
- Kevin’s Quality Clothespins -The Best Clothespins You’ve Ever Used for heavy duty clothespins.
- How to Make Wool Dryer Balls to reduce drying time in the clothes dryer.
Strip Buildup Out of Towels That Still Smell
If your towels smell fine dry but stink the minute they get wet, you’re probably dealing with buildup. Detergent residue, body oils, hard water minerals, and fabric softener can all collect in the fibers and trap odor.
Simple towel reset method
- Wash towels in warm or hot water
- Add a cup of vinegar and skip detergent
- Run the load through a full wash cycle
- Wash again with a cup of baking soda or 1/2 cup if your machine is smaller
- Dry completely
This is one of the best ways to remove mildew smell and deal with towels that seem clean but still smell wrong.
This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie is a lifelong learner with a passion for natural remedies and holistic healing. She’s successfully improved her eyesight, cleared her psoriasis, and gotten off of prescription medication.
Originally posted in 2017, last updated in 2026.
Will EnviroKlenz work for jeans with the formaldehyde smell? I keep washing them but it’s taken a couple years or more to get rid of it.
I don’t know for sure, as I haven’t dealt with formaldehyde and it’s not specifically listed on their site. You would need to contact the manufacturer.
I’m going to try this EnviroKlenz stuff. I have a pile of towels I cant get the smell out of. Tried everything, lets hope this does it or I may have to finally throw them out. Thanks!!
I hope it helps. It got the stubborn shorts smelling better.
Have you tried the powdered version laundry enhancer?
No, I haven’t, as the powdered version is recommended for top load, non high efficiency washers and I have a front load high efficiency machine. I have used the powdered surface odor remover to help clear out skunk smell in our shed and it helped.
> Some online guides suggest washing your musty towels in hot water with a full cup of white vinegar (no detergent) to remove mildew smell.
If I use hot water then my towels get a hard nap and become less absorbent after a few washes.
Do you wash your towels in cold water routinely?
I normally wash in warm water with a cool water rinse.
3 years ago, moved back to Calgary, AB after a year and a half in Vancouver, BC. That musty smell still lingers in most of my clothes (probably in my dresser as well). Thanks for all of these options!