Can these bath mats be saved?

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I have twice laundered some towel type bath mats ... they are heavy and were hung over the towel rod in the shower/tub area for a week house rental. I suppose they were hung there the whole time. Two of them. They still smell musty to me. They are dark blue so I hesitate to use fabric safe bleach since it discolored a similar bath rug ... the second wash, I resorted to lestoil in the wash. under the faint, remaining lestoil smell, that musty mildew kind of smell is there. rinsed again, dried and now i've got them hanging outside in the sun. i've wiped out the washer and the dryer and have done other laundry, that smells fine.
i'd like to chuck them out!
 
For me...bleach is about the only thing that will really get rid of that musty smell. I say give it a try. what have you got to lose? Just be sure you put the bleach and detergent in with the water and fill it up completely and let it all mix together....BEFORE you put in the bath mats.
I would be using them for rags if I couldn't get the mustiness out.
 
how about vinegar? Diluted in water. I know a bowl of vinegar helps clear odors out of the air.
 
We have had that before, sprayed them with fabreeze and hung them in the sun for the day. No more smell.
 
We have stuff here called Ace bleach which is mild and gentle and designed for colours do you have anything similar?
 
well, i washed them again with a vinegar rinse since she has no borax and wouldn't pay for other cleaning supplies. grrrr. they hung in the sun for two days ( i took them in at night ) ... now i've packed them in a trash bag with a few softening sheets ... i know some people think those sheets smell like smoke or something but it's what is here. i poked a few holes in the bag to let them air a bit but i don't want that smell to get in with the nice, clean towels and linens.
what i'm thinking is that a bath mat that is left hanging in the shower area for a week (or more) continually gets damp, and then they toss it on the floor, stand on it and then hang it back over the rod, and it isn't drying and that mildew or whatever is happily growing in the fibers. i mean, that is what this odor comes from, right? that is what i smell ... very faint. living bacteria?
i think i'm obsessive compulsive about this issue maybe ....
confused_smile.gif
 
well, i washed them again with a vinegar rinse since she has no borax and wouldn't pay for other cleaning supplies. grrrr. they hung in the sun for two days ( i took them in at night ) ... now i've packed them in a trash bag with a few softening sheets ... i know some people think those sheets smell like smoke or something but it's what is here. i poked a few holes in the bag to let them air a bit but i don't want that smell to get in with the nice, clean towels and linens.
what i'm thinking is that a bath mat that is left hanging in the shower area for a week (or more) continually gets damp, and then they toss it on the floor, stand on it and then hang it back over the rod, and it isn't drying and that mildew or whatever is happily growing in the fibers. i mean, that is what this odor comes from, right? that is what i smell ... very faint. living bacteria?
i think i'm obsessive compulsive about this issue maybe ....
confused_smile.gif
.
Yes, the smell comes from the bacteria. You know, because the owner of the place doesn't give a rip, I'd stop right now. You've invested way too much time in something the owner doesn't care about enough to buy the proper cleaning supplies or tell anyone else who cleans how to do it properly.
'Let it go, Grasshopper.'
 
well, i washed them again with a vinegar rinse since she has no borax and wouldn't pay for other cleaning supplies. grrrr. they hung in the sun for two days ( i took them in at night ) ... now i've packed them in a trash bag with a few softening sheets ... i know some people think those sheets smell like smoke or something but it's what is here. i poked a few holes in the bag to let them air a bit but i don't want that smell to get in with the nice, clean towels and linens.
what i'm thinking is that a bath mat that is left hanging in the shower area for a week (or more) continually gets damp, and then they toss it on the floor, stand on it and then hang it back over the rod, and it isn't drying and that mildew or whatever is happily growing in the fibers. i mean, that is what this odor comes from, right? that is what i smell ... very faint. living bacteria?
i think i'm obsessive compulsive about this issue maybe ....
confused_smile.gif
.
Yes, the smell comes from the bacteria. You know, because the owner of the place doesn't give a rip, I'd stop right now. You've invested way too much time in something the owner doesn't care about enough to buy the proper cleaning supplies or tell anyone else who cleans how to do it properly.
'Let it go, Grasshopper.'
.
Boy I am with you. IF she doesn't even have some bleach to try on it...I would forget it. You are not going to get that out unless you use some bleach. And..even then it may be too late. You are way too good for these folks.
 
That owner has the thinking of hotels. I HATE that! Thats what sets us apart from hotels. All it takes maybe is a little time or money to make things just right for the guest. Do they do it? NNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooo.
 
well, this is another one of those weekly cottage rental clean-ups. i just thought, as i'm doing other things i'd keep trying about the bath mat ... but it didn't happen (to my satisfaction).
it's hard doing beach front / beach area cleaning ... the sand!!!!!! it gets into everything!
there is some difference i am seeing with the attitude of the owners and the renters. one cottage, the owner has real high standards ... the property and grounds reflect it and the guests seem to treat the place with more respect than the one where guests check in and it's kind of so-so ... why worry about a little damage they cause?
also, the owner with less money pours more money back into her property with upkeep and repairs and cleaning. i think she values it more. i love cleaning her place and helping her ... but she mostly does it herself to save money.
i'm just doing armchair analysis here. it wouldn't be fair to generalize on the basis of these two owners (and the one from last year) but ... it makes me wonder.
 
well, this is another one of those weekly cottage rental clean-ups. i just thought, as i'm doing other things i'd keep trying about the bath mat ... but it didn't happen (to my satisfaction).
it's hard doing beach front / beach area cleaning ... the sand!!!!!! it gets into everything!
there is some difference i am seeing with the attitude of the owners and the renters. one cottage, the owner has real high standards ... the property and grounds reflect it and the guests seem to treat the place with more respect than the one where guests check in and it's kind of so-so ... why worry about a little damage they cause?
also, the owner with less money pours more money back into her property with upkeep and repairs and cleaning. i think she values it more. i love cleaning her place and helping her ... but she mostly does it herself to save money.
i'm just doing armchair analysis here. it wouldn't be fair to generalize on the basis of these two owners (and the one from last year) but ... it makes me wonder..
But you know you're correct. Guests (most of them) sense care and attention and they act appropriately because they feel cared about. When they sense lack of care and attention it is not that they consciously think 'who cares what we do,' but they do take it as a reflection on themselves. The owner doesn't care enough about me (the guest) to present a property to me where my vacation meant anything to them but the money I paid.
We stayed at a weekly rental in SC and I was amazed at the decorative elements they left around for us to enjoy. It was very nice. The bedrooms themselves were so so, but the overall feeling was that they cared enough to make it a pleasant environment.
 
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