How To Keep Dish Rags From Smelling

Are your dish rags stinking up your kitchen? That’s a sign of bacterial growth which can lead to cross-contamination and illness. In this article, we’ll explore the cause of the odor, steps to get rid of it, and tips to keep your dishcloths from smelling bad in the future.

Why Dish Rags Smell Bad

When you notice a sour smell coming from your dishrag, it’s not just unpleasant, it’s a sign of bacterial growth. As you use a dishrag to wipe away food particles and grease, these — along with moisture — create a breeding ground for bacteria. As the bacteria break down these substances, they emit an unpleasant stink that can linger. This means exactly what you think: your dishrag smells because of bacterial farts.

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Health Hazards

Using a smelly dish rag can spread harmful bacteria and germs to other surfaces and food, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Bacteria can also create a biofilm that gets transferred to any surface you wipe, including counters, sink, appliances, and even your hands. This can lead to cross-contamination and cause food poisoning and other infections. So, it’s important to deal with dish rag odors when you first notice them.

How to Clean Dishcloths with Vinegar

Common white vinegar is an effective laundry aid for eliminating dishcloth odors and bacteria because it has antimicrobial properties and an acidic nature that dissolves organic matter, grime, and dirt buildup.

One effective method to eliminate odors in dish rags is to boil them in a vinegar solution. To do this, you will need a pot large enough to hold your dish cloths and vinegar without boiling over. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil on the stove.
2. Add 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and your stinky dishcloths to the boiling water. Do not add any soap or other products.
3. Let the rags boil for 15 minutes to kill odors and bacteria, mold, and mildew. Then turn off the heat and let them cool until you can handle them safely.
4. Wring out the rags by hand one at a time to squeeze out excess moisture.
5. Immediately launder them in hot water with your usual detergent and 1 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle. Do not use fabric softener.
6. Tumble dry for 45 minutes at high heat or line dry in direct sunlight.

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If you do not have vinegar available or dislike using it, here are two other methods you can use to deodorize dishcloths and eliminate the smell:

• Soak in baking soda: Dissolve 1/2 cup of baking soda (bicarbonate) in a sink of hot water, add your dishcloths, and let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Then, rinse the rags thoroughly and tumble or line-dry them.
• Soak in hydrogen peroxide: Combine equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and warm water in a bowl and soak your dishrags for 30 minutes, then rinse and dry them. Note this may cause fading for some fabrics, so it’s best to spot test first.

How to Wash Dish Rags properly

Laundering dish cloths and kitchen towels in their own load and at the correct temperature is vital to getting rid of odors and preventing cross-contamination from lingering bacteria. Here are the steps to properly wash dish rags:

1. Separate your dishrags and kitchen towels from other laundry items to prevent cross-contamination.
2. Use the hottest setting and longest wash cycle on your machine. This ensures the heat has enough time to eliminate bacteria and dissolve dish soap residue.
3. Add 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda to the washer with your dishcloths. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer.
4. Use your regular laundry detergent and add 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of fabric softener. The vinegar will react with the baking soda to dislodge additional grime.
5. Use the high heat setting on your dryer to tumble dry dishcloths, or line dry them outdoors in direct, bright sunlight. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant which can eliminate bacteria and their odors.

Tips to Keep Dishcloths from Smelling

Check your water temperature. The EPA recommends laundering in 140°F (60°C) to kill bacteria in laundry. If you do not wish to turn up your water heater or you use shared laundry facilities, add a laundry sanitizer to the load when washing dishcloths.

Do not use fabric softener. Fabric softener can leave a residue on fabrics which traps odors and bacteria. Fabric softener also slows the air-drying process, so the material stays wet longer. This creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth that causes odors.

Use thin, loosely woven dishcloths. Plush dishcloths are more difficult to rinse, take longer to dry and trap more food particles, which makes them prone to bacterial growth. Choose thin, lightweight dishcloths that can air-dry quickly. I use these which feature a waffle weave so they dry rapidly.

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Wring and hang dishrags after use. Leaving a damp dishrag in a wad on the bottom of the sink leads to odors. After each use, run soapy water through the rag and rinse it well, then wring it out. Hang it on a hook, over the faucet, or in some spot where there is good airflow, so it fully dries.

Change dishcloths daily. To reduce odors, let your used dishrag dry overnight and swap it for a clean one in the morning. Never add a damp rag to your laundry hamper, or it will cause mildew smells.

Tips for Laundromat Users

Not everyone has access to laundry machines in their home. That doesn’t mean you’ve got to put up with the lingering smell of stinky dishcloths. Here are two ideas to keep dish rags from growing mold or mildew between laundering:

Freeze them: Stash used rinsed dishcloths in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer. The cold temperatures will keep bacteria, mold, and mildew from growing. On laundry day, pop them straight out of the freezer into the washing machine.

A bucket soak: Soak used dishrags in a plastic bucket of water with either a few spoonfuls of chlorine bleach or a cup of white vinegar, but not both. Choose a bucket with a tight-fitting lid so the water doesn’t evaporate, and neither kids nor pets can get into it.

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Categories: Kitchens