Increasingly, detergents have scents added to them. Those scents are expected to stay on the clothes after washing and drying. Many detergent manufacturers make a hypo-allergenic, scent-free product, however. Even plain soap will leave an odor if you use too much.
This often happens when there is a buildup of detergent in the clothes, meaning too much has been used over the course of time. Here's what we do when your clothes and linens get a "wet dog" smell: run an extra rinse after washing and smell them again.
Adding half a cup or so of white distilled vinegar (while running through a regular wash cycle) can make all the difference by eliminating smells like body odor from laundry detergent buildup. It also leaves behind no scent as standard fabric softeners do!
Incorrect Detergent Amount
Too much soap can cause a buildup of suds, which then leads to trapping the bacteria in your fabric. In both cases, clothes may come out of the wash unclean and potentially still smelly.
Mold & Mildew Odor: Why Your Laundry Smells Bad After Drying
You may have excess moisture build-up if you wait too long to transfer your clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. Or, extra moisture can build up and lead to mold growth if you forget to turn the dryer on and leave damp clothing in it for too long.
The most likely scenario is bacteria forming in your washing machine resulting from accumulated soap, mildew, lint, mold, and built-up dirt.
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are emitted from many conventional laundry detergents. When exposed to air, they become dangerous vapors and gasses that are hazardous to breathe. These are the chemicals that stick to your clothing in the form of fragrance and emit toxic VOCs throughout the day.
Unfortunately, many laundry products contain synthetic fragrances, which can be toxic. Some people feel sick when inhaling scents, which can even cause headaches, shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, and even cancer.
Quite often, mainstream laundry detergents contain significant amounts of artificial fragrances that are highly durable and preserved throughout the entirety of the washing process.
I've tried everything and I find soaking clothes in warm water and Calgon Water Softener (found it at Walmart near the oxyclean) for about a day works well to get detergent smell out of used clothing.
Vinegar is an effective natural deodorizer. Pour it directly onto your clothes after you put them in the washer, and rinse them 1-3 times until the smell is gone. For best results, use white distilled vinegar.
Loni Bio is widely regarded as one of the best laundry detergents to remove odors and stains. Rich in plant-based active ingredients and natural essential oils, this detergent cuts through dirt and grime while helping preserve the colors and fabric properties of garments.
Our top picks for the best smelling laundry detergent are Tide Plus Downy April Fresh and Gain Original Scent. These options not only offer long-lasting fragrance, but also natural ingredients and powerful cleaning capabilities.
If you're using too much laundry detergent, your clothes will carry an odor and wear down the machine. The laundry detergent you use can affect your clothes in many ways. For instance, if too much is used it could stain or mark up the clothing which may have an effect on how they look and smell.
What should I do? If you think you have added too much detergent to a load of laundry, you'll want to remove the excess before putting your clothes in the dryer. One way to get extra laundry soap out of clothes is simply to rewash the clothes, ideally before they're dried. Use the hottest water the fabric can tolerate.
Washing machine smells bad: too many suds can leave a residue in the washer that breeds smelly bacteria and mold. Clothing is dull and spotted: excess detergent won't properly rinse out of clothing, leaving behind spots and making clothes appear dull. Clothes may also feel itchy when you wear them.
Too much detergent
It makes sense that not using enough detergent won't sufficiently rid your clothes of odor-causing bacteria, but going overboard could have an equally pungent result. More soap means more bubbles, and that buildup of suds can actually trap the bacteria in the fabric.
For example, clean laundry could smell like the absence of offensive odors. It can also smell like your favorite detergent, fabric softener, chlorine bleach, or any scent that you've interpreted as being clean.
If you are looking for your laundry to smell extra nice, putting it on the soak cycle can help. You can pre-soak your clothes in a solution of water and vinegar. The vinegar will help to remove any lingering odors from your clothes, and the water will help to dilute the vinegar so that it is not too strong.
If you use too much or too little detergent, your clothes won't smell clean. Too much detergent creates an opportunity for dirt and mold to stick to the fabric and cause an odor.
America's favorite detergent, Tide, has every laundry detergent you need - whether it's HE detergent or Tide PODS® with Febreze. Learn More. Our heritage - celebrating the last 75 years.
If your clothes aren't smelling fresh when they come out of your washing machine, it's probably down to a buildup of detergent, dirt or limescale inside your machine. The biggest symptom of this is your laundry smelling damp or musty, even when dry, as well as an unpleasant smell coming from inside your machine.
Tide's Original Scent laundry detergent is a fan-favorite, thanks to its ability to leave clothes smelling fresh for up to a week. And if you're looking for an even longer-lasting scent, consider trying Gain's Original Scent detergent, which can keep your clothes smelling great for up to two weeks!