Towels STINK! But it's not what you think...

I have a machine load (a FULL machine) of towels, which I have washed (now three times), and they absolutely REEK! The smell is not stale or musty or anything like that. Its more like a really strong (and not pleasant) motor oil kind of smell. The towels didn't smell before I washed them, but when I brought them inside from the line and dumped them on the bed, my God! Talk about overpowering! I could smell the smell out at the line, but thought maybe it was something from the shed. I have not changed laundry powder, the only thing that is different is I have recently started using vinegar as fabric softener.

I don't get it. I think the smell is slightly less after having washed these 'clean' towels twice more after the first wash. There was not a rag or anything like that in the load, and I can't remember what I washed before that load, but I didn't have anything smell like that! And if I did have something THAT 'stinky' to wash, I probably would have washed it by hand...

Desperate for suggestions. I have all these towels back in my laundry.

Are you close enough to your neighbours that they could have been using some kind of machine near your washing and the fumes have stuck to your sheets? I say this as DP this minute is out the front using a chain saw and the petrol fumes are wafting into the house :sick:

I wonder if a soak in bicarb would help get the smell out?

Thanks Willow. The line is very close to the fence, but the old dear next door probably won't do anything like that!

I will try the soaking in bicarb. What do you think about eucalyptus oil?

Yep, put a few drops of euc in the wash, it'll help get rid of the smell. Poor thing!

Could it be residue from your machine? As in like a grease leak or something?

Was going to say the same thing. Maybe it's the machine itself?

Sometimes I the machine is old it can give off a residue either grease or rust which also smells like grease. Maybe have someone out to give it a service. As vinegar is an acid it will wash your machine and breakdown any build up.

Hmm. Okay. Thank you ladies. After my last post, I was thinking, and remembered thatthe old dear next door had a guy on the roof, right near my clothesline, fixing the cooler. There isn't anything in the cooler that could leak out, but he may have sprayed some degreaser about...... Oh well.

Hope you get to the bottom of it, it would drive me nuts not knowing! :) Did you get the smell out?

If they still smell I would give them a dunk in hottest possible water with loads of dishwashing liquid added. Sometimes this works getting oily substances out when regular laundry products won't.

Hi Ladies, we put them on again to wash yesterday, in a very hot wash and rinse, with extra laundry powder. I didn't think of putting in dishwashing liquid, :doh:, thank you for the idea Marydean. They soaked for most of yesterday (I paused the machine for a shower, then went out), and I only hung them up this morning. While the machine was going yesterday I swear I could smell an oily smell. It could only have been from the washing. The smell while they are wet is far less than what it was, I shall report back later today when they are dry. The weather up here today is very humid and yucky, so they will take a while to dry I think.

Have you washed anything else in the machine yet since? I'd be worried it was the machine too.

I sure have K4T, a *heap* of clothes (including Mack's clothes, etc) and sheets, and nothing else has come out with the smell. I clean the lint filters often, but after the second wash of the towels, I cleaned them out extra well, as I could smell the smell in the lint.

Try running an empty hot wash with some bicarb soda and eucal oil through. Just to wash and freshen the machine?

I really don't think it is the machine. I have done about five loads of washing (not including re washing the towels) since the towels first got the smell.

The towels are still on the line (will probably get blown away in this wind!), and they STILL smell! It comes back with a vengance when they are dry....

That is really weird!!!

Unfortunately I have had a similar experience. Once when my favourite beach towel got left in the boot of the car. Spilled brake fluid on it. Tried washing it so many times I lost count. Ended up just using it as a dusting rag towel. The smell was in it for years!

Willow; its downright annoying!

Crispe; darn! Brake fluid is nasty stuff!

Hey do you reckon you could put a claim in through your contents insurance for new towels? Worth checking out IMO. If it was only 1 or 2 you wouldn't mind, but a whole load full is a lot of towelage.

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Willow; its downright annoying!

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Oh for sure I'd be more than annoyed!

Marydean, we don't have insurance. :(

Willow; I can't really say how peeved it has made me.

And after all, they are only towels when you look at the bigger picture.