The problem with the microfiber towels (I have one in my overnight kit) is they don't get you dry dry. You are still damp. Not a problem in the summer but not so great in the winter when it is cold.
The basic fact is this. Your towels, as well as the rest of your clothes, is still dirty. Most laundry detergents suck. So you add highly fragranced fabric softener that covers the "dirty" smell of your supposedly clean clothes. Clean clothes should smell clean until you get them dirty. They should not smell stale or funky. Even when using a dryer.
I have only used two detergents that TRULY get your clothes clean. One is SA8 from Amway. Wonderful stuff but you either have to know an Amway distributor or become an Amway distributor (I once was years ago). Wonderful stuff! The other detergent is the one I have been making. The recipe I use makes a lot. I have mine stored in small plastic buckets with snap on lids. You can buy buckets and paint cans with lids at the big box home improvement stores. You need to keep this stuff dry, just like any powdered laundry detergent. My washer is a top loader and I put it in first then add the clothes on top (cold wash/cold rinse). In the winter time when the incoming water is so cold the soap won't dissolve, I start with hot water (my 10 gallon water heater runs out fast) on the smallest load setting. I put the detergent in the bottom of the tub and add the hot water (it will run cold) until the washer starts agitating. I let it agitate a few minutes then add the dirty clothes and fill the washer on up. I'm currently using to front loader at my daughter's house (I hate front loaders). I put a scoop in the bottom of the tub, not the detergent dispenser, and the plop the dirties on top and start it up (warm wash/cold rinse). Sometimes I use the white vinegar (diluted with water) in the Downey ball. But most of the time I forget. It doesn't seem to be needed as much with the homemade detergent I'm using. My clothes smell clean. I do not use fabric softener (I keep 3 tennis balls in my dryer, none in my daughter's dryer) so I do have a little static (mostly with fuzzy sweaters). I very rarely add additional bleach as the recipe gets out most stains as is. My sheets, towels, blankets smell clean for weeks, months. I just pulled the blankets out of storage. They were washed, dried and folded. I store them in those big vacuum storage bags. They smell as clean and fresh as when I laundered them back in the spring. You might be able to get the price down lower by using a store brand of Oxyclean but it's not that expensive. But a single batch of detergent lasts me several months. I've only made two batches. My first batch was made at the end of May 2014.
I use Ivory and my daughter uses Zote white. She likes the fragrance of the Zote white. I'm also lazy and like that the Ivory can be 'waved making it able to be crumbled up with my hands. My directions call for putting it in the food processor but the last batch I made, I didn't even bother doing that. I was watching TV while mixing the detergent in a tall kitchen trash bag. I just crushed it with my hands. Only takes a few minutes. Making the big batch means you don't have to store the excess ingredients although you do have to store the detergent. I've heard most folks put it in a 5 gallon bucket with a Gamma lid on it. They do make Gamma lids for the smaller buckets too. You can also store it in multiple 1 gallon ziplock bags. Just keep it protected from moisture.
Recipe with pictures And don't use more than the little scoop, even with big loads. My daughter said that her first few washings really pulled the left in soap out of her clothes, they sudsed a lot. She was using laundromat machines. This is a low sudsing detergent. As in only a few bubbles. Don't freak and add more detergent. It's supposed to be like that. The suds are not what cleans your clothes.
