Buy more of the cotton ones (I like the ones I get at Trader Joe's) and just throw them in the wash more often. Buy at least a dozen.

Thanks for the input, Hubby and I are the only ones still at home and I do laundry once a week. I don't want to wash them more often or have to swap out stinky ones every other day. There has to be a cloth with a fabric content that dries quickly but still absorbs well.

Is there a brand you prefer? I'm on Amazon so....too many choices. I really don't want to pay $20 for dishcloths.

What do you do with your towels after you’ve wrung them out? Perhaps they would benefit from being hung on a drying rack after you’ve wrung them out.

Also, perhaps try to pull out a fresh towel before the one you are using gets so wet that it needs to be wrung out. Maybe if the towels didn’t get as wet as you described they’d not have a chance to get smelly because they’d dry faster.

These Ritz are my favorites of all time, but they are 100% cotton. They’re a pretty loose weave so they‘d wring out easier. I’ve never had an issue with them smelling, but I also don’t use dish towels in a way that they need wringing out; they only get damp, and then I pull out a fresh one.

https://www.amazon.com/Ritz-Royale-Collection-Kitchen-Multi-Color/dp/B0067HFRI0/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=Ritz+Flemish+Wonder+Towel&qid=1633811364&sr=8-7

https://kilianhardware.com/ritflemwonto.html

J cloths dry quickly

the Swedish brand Ekelund towels don't smell - they are cotton and bambooviscose

For wiping counters, I use microfiber cloths. I wring all the water out and use a new one each day. They dry out without any smell and are included in the weekly laundry.

RTHawk, my microfiber ones just smear the water around. They are 100% polyester.

Gotgoatmilk, thanks but those are a little out of my price range.

Andrea, are those like Handi wipes?

I bought chlorine-proof towels from an online beauty supply house. Bought 2 dozen in cobalt blue that still look like new after 5 years. Don’t know if we are really messy or extra clean but I use 2 towels a day at least. For towels used to clean up after chicken handling, we toss them in with chlorine to sanitize without any color fading. These towels are quite affordable as hair salons go though them by dozens every day and come in several colors. Highly recommend. Bonus is kids always know what towel to use for those mystery spills.

I find the key is to have a place where you can put a hook or two so they hang dry….i put 3 hooks inside the cabinet door beneath the sink…and use thin cotton washcloths..usually get them at the dollar store…cheap ..colorful …and absorbent …have a stack of clean ones under the sink..so it is easy to rotate the fresh ones as needed

The key to this ..is they are out of sight …but easy to access

Norwex. 
But (similar to microfiber) you can't wash them in detergent with a lot of fillers, otherwise they get coated in filler and don't work as well.

I throw wet dishclothes in the microwave for 30 seconds every few days. Not one smelly dishcloth since.

Love these. I used to have to buy them on my Europe trips to bring back to the US but now they’re available on Amazon.

Wettex The Original 10-Pack Swedish Superabsorbent Dishcloth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MX46M6H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QKGQ87AXV5240DCA4267?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Sharon, thanks but I'm looking for dishcloths, I believe those are larger?

Bitydrvn, maybe I need to get the really cheap ones. The ones I have that are cotton don't dry quickly.

Anj_p, I wash my microfiber in regular detergent all the time...oopsie!

Norwex counter cloths. The best! I wash them in the dishwasher every few days.

Norwex counter cloths

Patriceny, that sounds easy enough!

I was skeptical when a friend handed me a Swedish dishcloth (had never heard of same before). I didn't even give it a try for many weeks. Then one day when I was rotating dishcloths, I noticed the little lime green "cloth" in the stack and gave it a try. Wow...amazing. Two days later I knew I wanted more. There wasn't a brand name on the cloth I received so I cautiously ordered a smaller six-pack (link below) that looked like the one I had. Bingo! Performance is the same and I'm totally happy. Besides the original used for dish cleaning, I use another for general cleaning - windows, mirrors, counter tops, etc. I'm surprised how easily a dirty cloth rinses clean.

They're not smelly and don't leave streaks. I think you'll be very happy with a purchase.

https://www.amazon.com/cce-Dishcloth-Cellulose-Eco-Friendly-Dishcloths/dp/B087N971DQ/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=swedish+dishcloth+ekelund&qid=1633864658&sr=8-7

June

It works for me Lorraine. 😊 I think the smell comes from bacteria. They don't survive being nuked. 😁 Make sure they're wet, nuke them a few times, wash them in hot water and dry them good...hopefully it works for you too.

What do you do with your towels after you’ve wrung them out? Perhaps they would benefit from being hung on a drying rack after you’ve wrung them out.

Also, perhaps try to pull out a fresh towel before the one you are using gets so wet that it needs to be wrung out. Maybe if the towels didn’t get as wet as you described they’d not have a chance to get smelly because they’d dry faster.

These Ritz are my favorites of all time, but they are 100% cotton. They’re a pretty loose weave so they‘d wring out easier. I’ve never had an issue with them smelling, but I also don’t use dish towels in a way that they need wringing out; they only get damp, and then I pull out a fresh one.

https://www.amazon.com/Ritz-Royale-Collection-Kitchen-Multi-Color/dp/B0067HFRI0/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=Ritz+Flemish+Wonder+Towel&qid=1633811364&sr=8-7

yes j cloths look the same as handi wipes. I throw them in the laundry but I will try the dishwasher.

I solved the problem......use a Bounty paper towel for a dishrag each meal. Use & toss. No more stinky dishcloths.

Swedish dishclothes They can be washed in the dishwasher or in the washing machine. they dry quickly, absorb lots of water and are easy to wring the water out of

Use one for a week? thats just grose why not just use a clean one every day then wash them all at the end of the week?

What's "grose?" You mean gross...? I don't know what you're doing with your dish cloths, but mine are only used in soapy water to wipe down countertops. Not much gross there. Throwing them in the microwave kills anything I would have to worry about. They're probably cleaner than my hands!

I agree with Mimi honestly. Washrags are a dime a dozen. If you cook at all and actually wipe food/ chicken juice/ whatever off your counter, it makes more sense to just toss it in the laundry. 7 rags at the end of the week isn't going to make so much more laundry that it's worth reusing a rag. I definitely would prefer washing it to throwing it in the microwave. Personally I think using paper towels is wasteful so I prefer washcloths. 
I bought the huge packs of commercial washcloths from sams club. I use them once and throw them in a mesh bag I have hanging under the sink. When it's time for laundry, in they go. I don't get reusing washcloths but hey, YMMV. The norwex ones are the only ones I've used that avoid getting smelly if reused. I will reuse that one but usually not for wiping up kitchen messes. I use it for wiping down a mostly clean counter (water spots and glass rings, etc.).

I have no idea what the Norwex stuff does or doesn't do - I can't get past my aversion to them. I'm thrilled they work for you. :) Truly.

The OP sounded a lot like me - she said she doesn't like polyester and prefers cotton. I hate the Norwex stuff (or any microfiber/polyester/whatever) and far prefer cotton like the OP. I launder them in very hot water. However I only do laundry every few days, so I thought I'd share with her the trick I found that eliminates the smell. I had no idea I would be told I was grose (sic), but hey, at least now I know. LOL.

For anything like raw meat juice, egg, anything that in my mind is a contaminate, I use a paper towel with dish soap. My dishcloths are only used to wipe my counters off (non-germy stuff, crumbs, etc.). I use sponges to actually wash my dishes, the little ones with a scrubby on one side. I don't like them for wiping things down though. It's a complicated scenario! 🤣 I don't think nuking a dishcloth is gross... Maybe if you've got raw egg on it that's going to give you a quiche cloth yeah... but otherwise.

I use old school cotton dish cloths and dish towels, and I change them every morning. I have 7 or 8 sets. Works for me.