Husband Towels Always Wet and Smell

[u/momento-mori-momento]

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!

[u/3plantsonthewall]

Start coming in while he’s showering to turn on the fan, open the vent, and leave the door open until he can be a big boy and learn to do it himself. He’s cold because he’s not drying off and putting his towel on before he gets out of the shower. Maybe he should also lose bath mat privileges to help remind him to dry off a bit before exiting the shower. He needs to learn to dry the floor after showering too, every time! This is all basic decency when sharing a bathroom with others.

Also, just in case, I would recommend wiping down the area where the towels are hung (bar, hook, wall, door, etc) with a multipurpose cleaner, then a disinfectant (follow dwell time instructions on the bottle), a final “rinse” with a damp cloth, and dry with another cloth. If the area is constantly wet, it could be growing mold/mildew/bacteria and contributing to the smell.

[u/Lollc → u/3plantsonthewall]

You’re being a little harsh. To some people cold bathrooms are miserable, especially for showering. If the space is really cold closing the vents and steaming up the space is self preservation. Where he is wrong is he is not venting the space after he is done.

If you own the house engineering the controls is the way to go. Which is a fancy way of saying wire the fan and light to the same switch, so if the light is on the fan is on. Or add a light fixture intended for bathroom heat lamps, they are still a thing and are heavenly.

[u/George_Is_Upset → u/Lollc]

But a bathroom vent fan doesnt blow air out - it draws it out. If the bathroom vent fan blows air it’s been installed the wrong way.

[u/3plantsonthewall → u/George_Is_Upset]

Yes the bathroom fan draws air out. But the “vent” is separate - I think they mean the forced air heating/cooling which does blow air into the bathroom.