You can still get those unpleasant smells out of your clothes. Zinna says all you need is a heavy-duty laundry detergent. Look for options like Tide Hygienic Clean or other brands containing ingredients made to trap dirt and oil so they won't get re-deposited on clothes.
Create a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water. Pour it into a spray bottle and lightly mist the musty-smelling areas of the clothes. Allow the vinegar solution to sit on the fabric for about 15 minutes to help neutralize the odor.
White vinegar, diluted with warm water is a fail-safe method to rid that musty smell in your closet and eradicate lingering odours.
CitriSafe is especially helpful for washing clothes worn during a mold clean-up job, but can be used for all your laundry needs. Remedy mold laundry detergent is eco-friendly and works equally well in cold, warm or hot water loads.
You can still get those unpleasant smells out of your clothes. Zinna says all you need is a heavy-duty laundry detergent. Look for options like Tide Hygienic Clean or other brands containing ingredients made to trap dirt and oil so they won't get re-deposited on clothes.
Musty odours can result from various factors, including insufficient drying, overloading the washing machine, or using too little detergent. Ensuring proper washing and drying techniques and regular machine maintenance can help achieve a fresh scent.
Baking soda has long been the go-to for soaking up and removing stinky smells, and its effects on dry cleaning odors are no different. Attach a small sock filled with baking soda into the sealed garment bag with your odorous item and allow it to sit.
White vinegar can help remove odor from clothing. You can add into your fabric softener in your washer or pour 1/2 cup diluted vinegar straight in during the rinse cycle.
Optimising airflow, managing humidity and ensuring thorough drying can help to effectively dry clothes indoors without odours. Using appropriate detergents, vinegar/baking soda and regularly cleaning washing machines will ensure freshness of garments for a long time.
Febreze: Using Febreze is an easy way to get rid of that musty smell without needing any water! The only downside is that it's not a permanent solution. The best way to use it is to spray some onto your clothes before you put them away in a closet, and then spray it on again every time the smell comes back.
Along with all its other uses, baking soda is an excellent deodoriser that's suitable for use in the home. For example, to clean a smelly bin, try adding around 50 grams of baking soda to the bin followed by hot water.
Sometimes the towels get a musty, mildew smell, and this gets rid of it completely. Also works great with food and pet odors, workout clothes, etc.
Using vinegar in laundry is simple. You can add it to the fabric softener dispenser in your washing machine or pour it in during the final rinse cycle. When adding vinegar towards the end of the cycle, manually pause your machine right before the final rinse cycle and add a 1/2 cup of diluted white vinegar to the load.
For our best value option, we suggest OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain & Odor Remover. Because it's hypoallergenic and sensitive-skin friendly, it'll clean your load effectively without sacrificing your skin to harmful ingredients.
Over time, detergents and fabric softeners can accumulate inside the washing machine, especially if too much is used or if it's not suitable for your specific machine. This buildup can trap odors and foster bacteria and mold growth, which in turn can leave clothes smelling less than fresh.
Simple Steps to Remove Musty Smells
Achieve the best results with Tide Ultra Oxi Power Pods with Odor Eliminators as an in-wash booster. Simply add it to your wash along with Tide PODS® laundry detergent in either standard or high-efficiency washers. Use Downy Unstopables for freshness.
If your clothes still smell after washing, you're probably not drying them properly. Your clothes should dry within a few hours to ensure that they will smell fresh. Moreover, if there isn't enough heat, it can take longer for them to dry. Consequently, they will smell damp and musty.
Add 1 cup of white vinegar to your machine's detergent cup or mix a cup of white vinegar with ½ cup water and then add to the washer — no need to add a detergent. Hot water combined with vinegar will break up any bacteria accumulated on your clothes. As a result, the funky musty smell will go away.
Musty smells in clothing come from mold and mildew.
Wash items with detergent containing enzymes to break down odors. For extra odor-fighting power, add vinegar or lemon juice. Dry completely, as leftover moisture lets smells persist.
Baking soda and vinegar:
For both top-load and front-load washers, start by adding 1/4 cup of baking soda directly into the washer drum. Then, pour 2 cups of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser. Run a hot wash cycle without any laundry.