Stinky Towels Cure - Vinegar, Baking Soda, or Ammonia?

This week is our Spring Break, and we've been working hard on my office area, replacing all of the pine straw in the front yard, and fitting a few fun things in there too. Unfortunately today I got hit hard by a stomach bug & have been laid up in bed all day, barely even able to play on my phone. Ugh. It's starting to get a little better tonight, and I'm hoping I'll be back to normal tomorrow! Anyway....


Around here we usually have a wet washcloth at the dinner table for sticky kid fingers, and I use them to wipe down tables and counters. But after one day they start to smell mildew-y, and if I accidentally use one, the smell gets on my hands and I can't wash it off. I hate it! Washing the towels didn't fix the problem, they would still come out stinky, so I turned to Pinterest to help.



Baking soda & vinegar -
The first tip I found said to wash the towels once with vinegar, then wash them again with baking soda. This did nothing!

Ammonia -
Next I read to soak the towels with ammonia before washing, and they came out great! Just let the washer fill with water, add 1 cup of ammonia (for a full load), and let the towels sit for at least 1 hour (lid closed). Then add soap and wash like normal! I haven't had a stinky towel since!

Lunchboxes -
My son's lunchbox was getting pretty funky, and I read a suggestion for throwing it in the wash with your towels. Now I make sure to add it any time I do a towel load, and it smells nice & clean! At least for a few days...