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Vinegar, baking soda and other homemade techniques can help you get the mold off your bath towel

Edited and resized image by Denny Müller is available on Unsplash

How to remove mold from the bath towel? This is a frequent question for those who do not want to discard the bath towel after noticing those little dots of mold; but not everyone knows that vinegar, baking soda, and some home-style tricks help solve the problem.

Check it step by step

Using vinegar:

1. The first step is to know that you need to wash the towel separately from other cloths;
2. So pour hot water from the washer (or in a bucket if you wash your fabrics by hand or don't have a washing machine that heats up) enough to soak your towel;
3. Then add a glass of white vinegar (this measure is for each towel) and let it rest for 20 minutes (if it's in the sun it's better);
4. After 20 minutes of rest in water with vinegar, wash your towel as usual (by hand or in the washer) without adding soaps or fabric softeners;
5. After this step, perform another wash using soap. But remember: care must be taken with conventional soaps; prefer the less harmful to the environment and health. Understand why in the article: "Soaps, detergents and their impacts on the environment".

Using vinegar and baking soda:

1. In this combo, as well as in the method that uses only vinegar, it is necessary to know that the bath towel must be washed separately from other cloths;
2. Then pour enough hot water from the washer (or in a bucket) to soak your towel;
3. Then add half a cup of baking soda (this measure is for each towel) and let it rest for 20 minutes (if it's in the sun it's better);
4. After the 20 minutes of rest in water with baking soda, add a cup of white vinegar and let it rest for another 20 minutes.
5. After this step, perform a normal wash using soap. Here is the same recommendation to be careful with conventional soaps!

Golden Tips

The last thing you want after a good shower is to come across an unpleasant smelling bath towel. And then you still need to do a more laborious wash just to get rid of the mold. One way to avoid this problem is to never leave the damp towel folded or thrown around. Immediately after showering, lay out your towel - preferably in a well-ventilated, sunny place. Humidity and heat are a dish to mildew, so keep your bath towel away from them!

Another important precaution is to avoid using fabric softener in your bath towel. The fabric softener leaves residue on the towel that can end up staining it. If you want to make your towels soft, do a final wash with vinegar, without adding soap. Vinegar is a great natural fabric softener. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, how about using essential oils? A drop (dissolved in water) is enough to give a pleasant smell. Learn more about essential oils by reading the article: "What are essential oils?".

Also remember to run wash cycles with your washer empty - using just two cups of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda. This prevents mold from getting into your machine.

In cases where the towel has a lot of mold or has been moldy for a long time, homemade recipes may not work. If by chance your bath towel has reached that state where it is impossible to remove the mold, dispose of it correctly. See which collection points are closest to your home.