Tuesday's Tip: Fixing Funky Towels

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Several months ago I noticed that our towels were getting a little...funky.  Maybe you've experienced this too?  They just smelled, well, gross.  And it was gross to think of drying myself off with these funky smelling towels.  The problem was, they never really dried, and the longer towels stay damp, the more chance they have to develop off odors.

Turns out that, over time, build-up of detergent and fabric softeners can cause towels to lose their absorbency, making them take longer to dry.  Ironically, the thing I was doing to make my towels smell good, washing them with fabric softener, was causing them to smell funky.  Ugh.

Not to worry, though, it's a super easy fix.  All you need is hot water, vinegar, and baking soda.  A washing machine is a big time saver, but is not necessary.

First, wash the towels in hot water, with no detergent, adding 1-2 c. (depending on the size of your load) of vinegar to the rinse water.  Then, wash the towels again in hot water, adding 1/2-1 c. of baking soda (make sure it dissolves) to the rinse.  Dry the towels completely.

That's it!  Funky odors are banished.

Our bath rugs were also smelling a little funky, so I used this technique with them as well.  Worked like a charm.

So, um, if you've experienced funky towels, could you please leave a comment to let me know I'm not alone in this?  Feel free to use a fake name...