Facecloths smell when wet, cause skin discomfort

[kcin]

I recently bought a new set of towels, hand towels, and facecloths from Pottery Barn and my girlfriend is complaining that the facecloths smell when they get wet and cause her skin to have an allergic reaction.

I have tried washing the facecloths several times and they do smell funky once you wet them. My girlfriend has sensitive skin but is there any reason why the facecloths have a musty odor when they get wet or why they are causing her to breakout in hives?

The towels and hand towels seem to be fine. They are made of 100% cotton.

Any thoughts?

[JAC]

Do you wash them in cold or hot water? We've found that we have to wash our kids' washcloths in hot water to keep them from getting musty.

[dgmorr]

Do you air dry them or use a dryer after washing?

[jumbojones]

Do you have a front loading washing machine?

Try bleach if they're white, amonia if their coloured. Wash in hot water and don't use fabric softener.

[kcin]

Thanks for the replies. I'll try washing in hot water and see if that works.

I always dry them in the dryer and I have a top loading washer.

[Dustbunny]

Sometimes things like towels come with chemicals on them to make them feel soft when you buy them. They also prevent the towel from being very absorbent. Seems to me you are supposed to wash them a a lot, with something like vinegar, and never use fabric softener (it hinders absorbency).

Meanwhile, if they keep smelling after a few washes, take them back. There are some smells that get into fibers that never come out and if the stuff is imported there is sometimes mold from being shipped across oceans. A store should take things like that back because no one is going to want towels that smell when wet.

[onomatopoeia]

um...if your girlfriend is alergic to your towels, maybe get rid of them and get some new towels?

Or get rid of the girlfriend...but probably easier on everyone to just get new towels...

[Keelie]

If I had that experience, I would throw them out and call it a loss... they are just face cloths.

[JENFRS]

try using Borax. You can buy it in the supermarket where all the other laundry detergents are. I use this to wash all my towels (even my husbands hockey jerserys and towels) and it works like a charm.

[excel]

try some microfiber face cloths

[jed]

try using borax. you can buy it in the supermarket where all the other laundry detergents are. I use this to wash all my towels (even my husbands hockey jerserys and towels) and it works like a charm.

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