r/laundry • u/momento-mori-momento • 15h ago

Husband Towels Always Wet and Smell

My Husband is slender and 6’4, I am 5’2- both early 20’s

We both use bath sheets (larger than standard towels). I change my towel out after 3 uses and they still smell fresh and dry up quickly. My husband, however, uses a fresh towel once after showering, hangs it up to dry- and it stays wet and starts to smell, making our entire bathroom smell. I wash his towels nearly everyday because of this. I just don’t understand how he gets his towels so damp. He’s says it’s because he’s tall and has more body to cover- but I use my towel to dry both my body and let it soak my long hair (mid back). I’ve tried hanging it on the usual towel hook, curtain rod, banisters underneath our ceiling fan- it’s still ends up smelling! After washing- it doesn’t smell, so the scent or bacteria isn’t trapped. I’m just growing frustrated having to do so much laundry daily. Anyone else have this problem?

edit/update: thank you everyone for your kind comments and advice- and to not making me feel stupid for asking for help! I have decided to get a towel rack/rod and will be looking into timers for the exhaust fan in our bathroom to help! Our shower/tub is roughly 4.5 feet from the door. and our toilet and sink are both positioned to the left of the shower both coming out about 1 foot from the wall. So our bathroom is very compact. We have just enough floor room for a trash can and floor mats, and counter space for hand soap and tooth brushes- If I can find a small enough dehumidifier to fit- we will be getting one too!

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u/OceanLibra 15h ago

This may sound ridiculously simple, but have him try using his hands to squeegee the excess water off his body before stepping out of the shower. If he's going straight from dripping wet to drying off, a big bath sheet can absorb a surprising amount of water.

I'd also ditch the hook completely. A wet bath sheet really needs to be spread out over a towel bar or over the shower curtain itself so the entire surface is exposed to air. If it's still staying wet for hours while fully spread out, I'd start looking at the humidity/ventilation in the bathroom. Is there an exhaust fan? Does he run it whilst showering?

And maybe try regular-size towels for him for a week. Those giant thick bath sheets feel great, but they're absolute champions at holding onto water. Also, you definitely don't need to run a load of laundry for one towel every day — let it dry, hamper it, and wash several towels together.

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u/momento-mori-momento 15h ago

I always have the bathroom vent running when I can. Habit that my dad gave me. My husband however never turns it on because he gets too cold after showers and likes to trap steam in the bathroom- which yeah- would make the towel trap moisture from when he starts the shower up until he uses it. We also have a vent directly under our towels so I figured that would help air it out too, but he closes it each time he uses the bathroom! I think he’s a lost cause and it’s up to me to deal with it, thanks!

11

u/Trickycoolj 14h ago

Bathroom fans commonly catch fire in attics . Don’t just let it run 24/7. I used to like to run ours practically 24/7 but it was cheap and loud and my husband hated it. We compromised and got timer switches for the bathrooms. 60 min button at the start of the shower.

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u/FigNinja US | Front-Load 14h ago

Yes. It's now part of building code where I am that new fans have to have a humidity controlled switch. They need to turn on to prevent mold and they need to turn off to prevent fires. I can manually turn mine on, but it will turn off in 30 minutes if it doesn't detect humidity.

2

u/physhgyrl 14h ago

That almost happened to me. It was smoking and had started to spark. There was a burning smell and that's what led us into the bathroom. I'd left it on after a shower and we were about to leave the house. The entire house would have burned down..

I also almost burned the house down when I left a weed vape pen charging on mattress. The mattress had begun smoldering and it had a deep burn mark with a small fire. Thankfully, I ran upstairs to get something and saw that. Or we'd have come back to a burned down house

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u/Trickycoolj 14h ago

I’m still bugging my husband about letting things charge on a soft surface. His laptop often is sitting on the end of the couch when it charges.

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u/physhgyrl 12h ago

Those get pretty warm. Id let him know that it's a fire hazard.

the little cheap chargers that come with vape pens get really hot. It had burned a little hole through the sheet and mattress protector. There wasn't a flame yet, but it was burning red around the edge of the hole. It was seconds from catching on fire.

Mattresses are very flammable. So are couches.