No, it’s not normal for your bath towels to constantly smell musty. With good care, your towels should stay fresh in between washes. 

And this is not just about the smell. A stinky towel is likely also unhygienic. There’s probably bacteria, fungus and other nasty stuff hiding in it. You definitely don't want to use a stinky towel on your body.   Here are our best tips for keeping your bath towels smelling fresh. 

What’s The Big Deal About Using a Smelly Towel?

As we’ve said, the issue with a musty towel is not just about the smell. The smell is an indication of more serious problems. A buildup of bacteria, germs, dead skin cells, mildew, mold and other stuff will make your towel stinky. 

When you use a smelly towel, you transfer these substances onto your skin. This can cause skin infections and breakouts. 

What Makes Towels Smelly? 

Your towel absorbs a lot of moisture when you wipe your body dry. It can also gather moisture when you hang it in the bathroom. 

If it holds onto this moisture for too long, it will start to smell. It’s not the water that is the problem, but what the water attracts. 

Bacteria, fungus, mold and mildew thrive in moist environments and all of them cause unpleasant smells. Bacteria and fungus can make your towel smell funky while mold and mildew create a musty or earthy smell. 

On top of this, you transfer bacteria, dead skin cells and body oils onto your towel every time you wipe your skin dry. They can also cause different kinds of smells. 

5 Tips to Keep Your Bath Towels Fresh

1. Wash Your Towel After Three Uses 

Washing your towel regularly is important in keeping it fresh and clean. Even if you air the towel after each use, it still builds up with bacteria, dead skin cells and other stuff. 

So how often should you wash your towel? Experts recommend laundering your towels after every three uses. Note that it’s three uses, not three days. So if you shower twice a day, you’ll need to wash your towel every other day. 

There are situations where you need to wash your towel even more frequently than that. Sweaty gym towels, towels with any kind of body fluid and towels used by someone who is sick should be washed after one use. If you have sensitive skin or you easily get skin problems like acne and eczema, also wash your towel after each use.  

2. Launder Your Towel The Right Way

It’s not enough to wash your towel often; it’s important to wash it the right way. Otherwise, it could come out of the wash still smelling musty and carrying bacteria and germs. 

• Wash towels in the hottest temperature recommended on the care label. 
• Use just a little detergent. Detergent overuse actually prevents your towels from getting clean and odor-free. 
• Do not use fabric softener (here’s why fabric softener is generally bad for laundry). Instead, use vinegar in the rinse cycle to get rid of odors. 
• Make sure the towel is completely dry before putting it away. 

3. Air Dry Your Towel After Each Use

In between washes, the best way to keep your towel fresh is by air drying it. Hang it up somewhere airy, ideally not in the bathroom because of all the moisture. 

If you can, air dry your towel outside in the sun. Sunshine helps deodorize the towel and sterilizes any harmful microorganisms on it including mold and bacteria. 

4. Store Your Towel Properly 

Don’t do all the hard work laundering your towel only for it to get musty in your closet. Make sure you store your towel somewhere dry and with good ventilation. If your closet tends to be a bit humid, hang a few dehumidifier bags inside to deal with the moisture. 

5. Throw Out Old Towels

There comes a point where a towel becomes so old that it never stops smelling musty no matter what you do. If your towel is worn out, doesn't absorb as much water as it used to and has a permanent funky smell, it’s time to throw it out. 

If You Hate Laundry, get the Tegan Towel

We know a lot of people use their towels for way too long before washing them. So we made the self-cleaning Tegan Towel. Its antimicrobial design keeps it fresh and hygienic for longer. Some customers have gone for as long as two weeks without washing it and it doesn't stink even a bit.