Not a recipe I know but all my teatowels even when they are washed have a horrid smell in them. They are washed in a hot (very warm) wash and I have soaked them overnight in a bucket of napi san but still the smell is there. The drawer they are in is clean. What else can I do. I dont really want to toss them all out as some are not very old. TIA
petal1955,
Nov 20, 2:00am
Boil them in a big pot on the stove....with some washing powder....a good boil for about 20 mins....rinse and hang outside to dry.......Good Luck
bisloy,
Nov 20, 2:54am
Probably a bit late in the year, but hanging them out in a good frost can work too.
buzzy110,
Nov 20, 4:25am
If you do manage to get the smell out here are some tips for preventing a recurrence:
1. Change your tt every day if you have a dishwasher and after every washing session if not.
2. Do not throw them wet into your laundry basket/bowl/bag. Put them somewhere where they can dry. I drape mine over my taps. (A bit naff but beats having smelly tts IMO).
3. Use hand towels to dry your hands. Do not use your tt. Throw your hand towel into the wash daily as well.
Actually the same should be said for dish cloths as well.
lenart,
Nov 20, 4:25am
Washing soda and vinegar may work for new teatowels. If they are old and smell, it is time to get new ones. The fibre is worn out and can't be cleaned efficiently and they will always smell.
noonesgirl,
Nov 20, 4:28am
I do this with tea towels & flannels.
malcovy,
Nov 20, 7:35am
I do the boiling for dishcloths as well.Very effective.
macandrosie,
Nov 20, 8:08am
I soak them in Sard or Napisan or a small amount of janola to whiten & brighten. The Sard is also a degreaser. Also hang outside in the sun too.
smileeah,
Nov 20, 8:13am
While we are talking about teatowels...can anyone tell me how to get my teatowels to become more absorbant? They don't seem to dry my dishes very well. Do I just need to buy more expensive teatowels or is there a solution?
davidt4,
Nov 20, 8:34am
Pure linen or a blend of cotton and linen are the best textiles.Linen glass cloths are fantastic and some of mine are 20 years old and still in good shape.
smileeah,
Nov 20, 8:45am
Thanks. So would I have to go to a specialty kitchen shop do you think or would Farmers etc have them?
bunny51,
Nov 20, 9:17am
soaking towels in epsom salts can make them more absorbant
smileeah,
Nov 20, 9:20am
Thanks I'm gonna try that.
nzhel,
Nov 20, 11:12am
If you prefer terrycloth teatowels as I do, I've found it best to buy decent quality ones even tho they cost more. They are a lot thicker and therefore more absorbent and also last a lot longer.
lynja,
Nov 20, 7:15pm
even though i have a dishwasher i often , go through several teatowels a day, i use them for drying off the bench, getting things in and out of the oven etc etc. remember you can sterilise your dish cloth in the microwave (although i usually soak mine in janola)
lilyfield,
Nov 20, 8:16pm
don't use fat and you don't get smells
davidt4,
Nov 20, 8:42pm
It's worth looking at The Farmers' and Briscoes.Briscoes often has excellent Irish linen glass cloths (white with blue or green borders), otherwise a commercial kitchenware supplier might have them.As a last resort go to specialty kitchenware shops, because they tend to be expensive.
smileeah,
Nov 20, 9:21pm
Thank you, I'll check out Farmers first. I'm presuming the label will state it's Linen rather than just cotton. Hope so anyway. lol
bisloy,
Nov 21, 12:01am
Don't use fabric softener when you wash teatowls and dishcloths.
samsnan,
Nov 22, 2:26am
Well I threw them all in the washing machine yesterday with a good dose of baking soda and white vinegar and did a hot wash with nothing else. I hung them out in the wind and they now smell fresh as. Looks as though that is what I will have to do once a month or more.
cookessentials,
Nov 22, 2:39am
Briscoes and FTC usually copy the good branded tea towels and have them made cheap as chips in China. Many a good cookware store has quality tea towels and reasonably priced too. As with everything, you get what you pay for. Linen is the best matierial, however a good 100% cotton is also good. Flour sack tea towels are also extremely absorbent and do not leave lint on your plates and glasses.
suzanna,
Nov 22, 7:00am
Oh my goodness I read the post re boiling teatowels and thought I'll give it a go...hanging my head in shame I could not believe the colour of the water during the process...GROSS! I mightadd that I have used sard, napisan soak etc but nothing like the boiling method...cheers in shock!
uli,
Nov 22, 8:22am
Nothing goes over a "real" washing machine that actually washes "properly" - at any degree you want: 30 for artificial fibers - or 60 for normal cotton - or 95 for those things like underwear or tea towels - provided of course they are COTTON! Lots of undies are not - and then they would most likely shrink into nothingness ...
yapper,
Nov 22, 8:25am
I took one out of the drawer last night to cover food I was taking out and the smell was appalling!!Thanks for all the tips.
lyndyhopper,
Nov 22, 9:42am
Lots of good tips.Thank you
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