How to Get the Musty Smell Out of Towels (For Good)

A towel that smells musty an hour after your shower is not a laundry failure. It is biology. Towels trap moisture deep in their fibres, and in a humid Singapore home they rarely dry fully between uses. Bacteria feed on that damp, and the smell is their calling card.

The good news: most smelly towels can be rescued in one or two washes. Here is the full routine, and what to do when the smell keeps coming back.

Why do towels smell even after washing?

Four culprits, usually working together:

✔ Detergent residue. Too much detergent leaves a film on the fibres that traps bacteria and body oils.
✔ Fabric softener. It coats the fibres, locking in moisture and smell.
✔ An overloaded machine. Towels need space to rinse clean.
✔ Slow drying. A towel that stays damp for hours grows mildew before it ever dries.

Fix these four and most towel smells never come back.

1. The quick fix: wash towels with white vinegar

White vinegar breaks down the detergent and softener residue that traps bacteria.

✔ Add one cup of white vinegar to the drum.
✔ Run a full cycle on hot.
✔ Skip the detergent for this cycle so the vinegar can do its work.

2. The deep clean: baking soda

Baking soda neutralises odours and lifts what the vinegar loosened.

✔ Add half a cup of baking soda to the machine.
✔ Run another hot cycle.
✔ Use vinegar and baking soda in separate cycles, not together. In one drum they mostly cancel each other out.

3. Skip the fabric softener

Softener makes towels feel plush in the shop and smelly in the bathroom. The coating it leaves traps moisture and bacteria. If you want softer towels, the vinegar rinse above does the same job without the film.

4. Dry towels properly. In Singapore, this is the whole battle

A damp towel in a humid bathroom is where the smell starts.

✔ Dry towels immediately after washing.
✔ Sun-dry when you can. UV light kills bacteria for free.
✔ Between showers, hang towels spread out in moving air, not folded on a hook behind a door.

5. Wash towels separately, and not too many at once

Towels absorb body oils and shed lint. Washed with clothes, they trade bacteria both ways and neither gets properly clean. Give them their own load with room to move.

How often should you wash towels?

Every three to four uses is a good rhythm for most homes. Wash sooner if the towel stays damp for long stretches or picks up any smell. Kitchen towels work harder; wash those more often.

When the smell keeps coming back

If a towel still turns musty after the full routine, the towel itself is the problem. Ordinary fibres hold on to bacteria no matter how well you wash, and every wash shortens the towel's life a little more.

This is the problem our copper towels were built for. The fibres are ionically bonded with copper, which kills 99.9% of bacteria naturally. No bacteria, no smell, fewer washes.

Customers keep telling us the same thing: "Dries quickly, doesn't smell musty at all." Another review, after two weeks of kitchen-towel duty: "it dries fast, does not smell."

See the copper bath towel, or browse the full towel collection.

Not sure whether to rescue or retire yours? Here are the signs it is time to replace a towel.

Quick answers

Hot or cold water for smelly towels?

Hot, for the rescue cycles above. For everyday washes, warm is enough if your towels dry fast.

Can I use vinegar and baking soda together?

In the same drum, no. They neutralise each other. Run vinegar first, baking soda second.

My towel smells an hour after I shower. Why?

Bacteria already living in the fibres wake up the moment the towel gets damp. A deep clean resets it; a fast-drying towel prevents it.