Clothes often smell after they have been dried incorrectly or left in the washing machine for too long, or in other words - when they are left damp.
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.
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.
Mildew and mold buildup are some of the most common culprits of foul-smelling laundry. According to the CDC, mold, and mildew develop in the presence of excessive moisture. You may have excess moisture build-up if you wait too long to transfer your clothes from the washing machine to the dryer.
Is your tumble dryer causing your clothes to smell like a wet dog? If yes, you are not alone. Aside from the cold, rainy weather causing high humidity, there are several things that can cause odours to linger in the laundry. One of the main causes of this is the build-up of mould, mildew, or bacteria in your dryer.
It may be coming from your clothes. You can try washing them again, but once mildew smells penetrate the fabric, it usually takes more than a regular wash cycle to remove them. This is a serious problem since mildew smells aren't only unpleasant, they wreak havoc on your sinuses and allergies.
Fill the drum with a ½ cup of baking soda and a quart of vinegar and run a wash cycle containing just a couple of clean hand towels (many manufacturers don't recommend running the washer completely empty).
A musty smell on fabrics is typically the result of stinky mildew byproducts, including spores and other microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOC). As mold grows on your fabrics, it releases these organic compounds into the air, resulting in the tangy, earthy aroma we recognize as musty smell.
Fill the washer with water, but stop the cycle before the agitator starts. Add four cups of chlorine bleach and then run the complete cycle. Use vinegar to clean any dispensers. Then fill the washer with hot water once more.
The results will be exactly the same, however white vinegar is most definitely the more environmentally option (and it's more affordable too). Just remember to never mix the both bleach and vinegar together or even use them at the same time, as this can cause a dangerous reaction and release chlorine gas.
Experts recommend pre-treating heavily soiled, musty towels and clothing with borax. To do this, soak the garments in a tub of hot water and ½ cup of borax for one hour before washing them as normal.
The smell of mold is typically described as “musty.” It's a stale and damp scent that lingers in the air. It's one of the first and clearest signs of mold or mildew.
When you use too much detergent all you end up doing is trapping bacteria that is living on your clothes inside of thick, soapy suds that do not do much to clean the clothing in the wash. Using too much detergent is about as bad as not using enough detergent.
Soak your clothes with a cup of vinegar to a basin of water for at least 30 minutes, or longer if they are particularly dirty. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to your pre-soak solution to give it a nice scent.
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!
However, vinegar in laundry shouldn't be a routine addition because it can cause damage to washing machines. In addition, certain fabrics should not be overly exposed to vinegar, and there are laundry products it shouldn't be combined with.
What should I run through my washing machine to clean it? Once you're finished wiping down the inside of your front loader, you should run distilled white vinegar through it. Measure out two cups of distilled white vinegar and pour them directly into your washing machine's liquid detergent dispenser.
To use vinegar as a fabric softener and static reducer: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine. If you are washing blankets and comforters, add two cups of vinegar to the final rinse.
Clean the drum with white vinegar
Pour some bicarbonate of soda in the drum and add white vinegar to the detergent drawer. Put it on the hottest wash and it'll be sparkling clean when it's done.