I had been considering a heated towel rack for this very reason, but it's still theoretical at this point.

Do you leave the bathroom door open when you're at work? That might help. And even just a cheap desktop fan might help, too.

(As for what I *actually* do, I've pretty much just been washing the towels several times a week. We also got a portable (non-heated) towel rack, which helped because we set it up away from the walls and so there's more room for the air to circulate around them. But the constant rain, humidity, and fog outside are definitely making it musty in there, anyway.)

I'd lift up the mat after each shower and hang it over the tub to dry. Keep things dry. Wipe off excess water where you can. Place a box or two of baking soda in damp areas such as under sinks. Also increase air circulation, so get a small fan for your bathroom.

You can buy disposable moisture absorbing thingies - we use them for the same reason. Can't remember what they're called, but will update after I go home. It's amazing how much moisture they collect.

Dri-Z-Air is great. We used it in the RV to keep it dry. Also, if your bath mat has a rubber backing, replace it with a 100% cotton mat. Do you have an exhaust fan? If not, you should get one installed and run it for at least an hour after each shower/bath. If you can't have one installed, use a small desk fan like occhiblu and alteredcarbon suggested. Leave the bathroom door open and point it out to the hallway. It is important to keep a home dry; dry rot and mildew can be quite destructive and expensive to fix.

Why yes, I do watch a lot of Mike Holmes on HGTV.

I keep a small fan in my bathroom year round, it really helps with this problem.

I probably would just use a old towel, or a toweling mat, as a bathmat instead of the heavier mats until the summer. Like alteredcarbon says, after a shower take the towel that you used as bathmat and wipe everything down. If you're not adverse to spraying chemicals in your bathroom daily, Tilex Fresh Shower works. It's not a drying solution, obviously, but an idea to keep mildew at bay. If your shower requires curtains use the liners that are mildew resistant. I had one and it worked well for a long time. I finally washed it in the machine and then it wasn't as effective so now I spray it with Fresh Shower.

If you don't want to buy a daily shower spray, you can make your own. You can use a recipe like the one below or fill water bottle with one part bleach, three parts water.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4962054_own-daily-shower-cleaner.html

Vinegar works as a mildew-inhibitor, too. Less smelly/toxic than bleach. Nthing the idea of a small fan to circulate air. Also as others have said, switching up the choice of bathmat would help. Thinner, more towel-y ones that get changed and washed more frequently don't get as gross.

Ooh, great tips! I'm actually going to Target after work and will buy a new bathmat per your specifications and maybe a fan. You guys rock.

You can buy disposable moisture absorbing thingies - we use them for the same reason.

Jeez, I can't believe I didn't think of this for our bathroom. Thanks for mentioning them! I'll get one next week.

We have a tiny fan in the corner next to the toilet, and first-time guests often remark upon it with surprise. But without that fan, in spring and summer, condensation drips off the tank and pools on the floor.

(In theory, our bathroom meets the code for ventilation because there's a big window... but in practice, we never ever open that window, because it opens onto a spot where residents of our building and the next gather, so it make the bathroom feel like a stage open to the entire neighborhood.)

So do they sell those moisture absorbing things at Target, and if so, which aisle?

Look for Damp Rid -- it ought to be in or near the cleaning products. But all that stuff is is silica gel, which you can buy online in bulk for a fraction of what you'd pay at Target.

Thanks!

"Crystal" cat litter is silica gel too, and it's even cheaper.

I'm pretty sure you can put silica crystals in a slow oven to get rid of the moisture and reuse them.