Laundry - help please!

[bcfc999]

I'm having issues with laundry smelling after washing and drying - sometimes musty, sometimes just unpleasant and sometimes still sweaty. I've cleaned the washing machine, we've switched brands for capsules (Smol to Aldi) and fabric conditioner (to Comfort), added in a Calgon power tab which is supposed to eliminate dirt and odour... Added to that; usually we line dry if possible but obviously that's less possible over the winter, so we're struggling drying things too - we've tried drying on radiators and on racks (heated and non-heated) and either way it seems to take bloody forever and end up smelling.

What are you all doing to make your washing smell nice?! It's making me really self conscious. We have a laundrette not far away but the cost of a taxi there and back plus the laundrette cost itself is a bit too much. I must be doing something wrong but not sure what.

 

[peekachu]

We had the same problem when we rented a flat, as we didn’t have a garden or balcony. We ended up investing in a dehumidifier and it made such a big difference. Now we live in a house, it helps us so much to dry our clothes in the winter. It is a big upfront cost (around £100) but I couldn’t do our washing without one anymore!

When you dry clothes indoors, it adds moisture to the air which in turn makes it more difficult to heat your home and will cause condensation and mould to build up over time.

So a dehumidifier will not only help you dry your clothes but it will help you heat your home more efficiently too (saving you money!)

 

[bcfc999]

I knew I'd forget to mention something! We actually have a dehumidifier - it does seem to get a lot of water out of the air but I'm worried about leaving it on for ages. How long do you leave yours on for, and do you have it on alongside the heating?

 

[Snippysnips]

I felt like we had this problem as well, my folks could never smell it but it always smelt weird to me like a damp musty smell

We now get those scent boosters, I think you can get them cheaper at B&Ms than Tesco, it's the lenor ones we get an I've found such a difference since using them, washing has actually started to smell nice to me

 

[peekachu]

@bcfc999 Ah that’s great then! The first time I used a dehumidifier I was so shocked by the amount of water it collected!

Our one has a laundry button and an automatic timer, but I’m pretty sure they’re all designed to be left on for long periods of time, so definitely don’t worry about that

I’d say it usually takes around 5-6 hours to dry clothes, I put it in the smallest room in the house with the door and window closed so it’s more effective. We don’t put the heating on and it still works! (Sadly our house is old and inefficient, so it’s basically like burning money )

Also, one more thing to try - you might need to wash any particularly musty/sweaty clothes on a hotter setting. I used to wash everything at 30, but sometimes you need the heat to kill off bacteria (unless there’s another way that I don’t know about!)

 

[anything at all]

Is it just the clothes that end up smelling or does your machine smell too? If both we’ve been going through this exact same thing recently and it’s been hell!! Always so paranoid that our clothes are smelling bad! It’s horrible isn’t it.

We’ve gone through countless washing machine cleaners.. hot cycles. Just absolutely everything we can think of trying.

Like you we now add a calgon tab to near each wash, it seems to help we think. Also add laundry sanitizer to near each wash. And some washes you just have to wash hotter - 30 isn’t always enough after all.

I actually asked my mum a few days ago if they’d had any problems with theirs (we both live in a hard water area) and she suggested cleaning the machine with white vinegar. Will maybe be trying that one if it starts smelling again.

 

[saltandvinegarcrisps]

Have you cleaned the bottom filter pf your washing machine? Unreal the crap that can get stuck down there. Make sure to empty the mini hose before unscrewing it. Have towel / container to catch everything.

I've at my old house I replaced a washer that made my clothes smell, recently replaced one in our new house that was integrated as felt we couldn't air it properly with 2 doors was impossible to let it dry out, machine was starting to smell. Bought bigger free standing one that we leave door open after a wash cycle.
We dry our clothes inside in winter, have heating on that it but really want to invest in a dehumidifier

 

[PineappleQueen19]

On the dehumidifier - make sure it’s a desiccant type. More expensive upfront but works a thousand times better and pennies per hour to run.
I have this one, been going eight years now.

Meaco DD8L Junior Dehumidifier

Small & quiet 8L desiccant dehumidifier for any sized home, garage, boat or caravan. High extraction rates & low running costs. Free next day delivery. Shop now.

www.meaco.com

 

[Clickbait]

Not to derail, but tips on cleaning washing machines greatly received! We have an issue of white/grey smears appearing on clothes so they come out dirtier than they went in!

I’ve cleaned the bottom filter, seal, tray. I’ve run hot cycles and used bleach, soda crystals, washing machine cleaner, white vinegar and nothing has made a difference. I’m at the point where I’m thinking of just replacing the machine although that’s annoying as it’s a good make and still works fine…

 

[bcfc999]

Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions and commiserations - was a bit worried about posting in case Tattle just thought I was a smelly article 🫠

@Snippysnips yes that's what it is! Might have to try those - my partner is a bit worried that they might stain or damage clothes though, have you had any issues?

@peekachu same - it's quite alarming following a below comment we may have to upgrade it - ours was a bargain purchase from Aldi a couple of years ago so not sure how energy efficient it is. We do the same - smallest room, whack the heating on for a bit and shut the door with the dehumidifier on- but the heating is so expensive we could do without it :/ that's good to know that they're designed to be on for a long time cos I was genuinely worried it might blow up! We've tried washing on 40 too, I think over the last couple of months all our washes have been 40 rather than 30. I reas that's recommended for sportswear to get the sweat out but somehow my regular daywear t shirts are still coming out just as sweaty as they went in.

@anything at all the machine does smell a bit too! It's bizarre - i saw a tiktok recommendation to scrub the inside with washing up liquid and a sponge then do a 30 degree rinse, so did that, then used proper dettol washing machine cleaner for a cycle on 60, and it still smells a bit off. I was in a meeting yesterday and was so paranoid my clothes were smelly :/ I'll look into some laundry sanitizer - what brand do you use? I've just searched my postcode and found our water varies from soft to moderately hard (whatever that means) so maybe the white vinegar is worth a go too... hmmmm.

@saltandvinegarcrisps no I haven't, maybe that's the trick I've been missing! I'll have to have a look on YouTube and see if there's a decent how to guide because I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing. Thank you for the suggestion! That's a nightmare - has replacing them all helped? Our washing machine is a freestanding one in the kitchen and I try to leave the door open all the time but it's in a bad position - definitely stays open a couple of hours after use though.

@PineappleQueen19 thanks so much for this - ours was a cheap Aldi bargain so reckon we're definitely paying more over time. That one you've linked looks really good - will talk to my partner and see if we can stretch to it. Definitely seems like it'll be a well-used purchase!

@Clickbait omg don't be daft, laundry issues are all relevant here that sounds horrible! I have no suggestions as everything you've tried sounds great to me but I'm sure someone else will.

 

[instanonsense]

Not to derail, but tips on cleaning washing machines greatly received! We have an issue of white/grey smears appearing on clothes so they come out dirtier than they went in!

I’ve cleaned the bottom filter, seal, tray. I’ve run hot cycles and used bleach, soda crystals, washing machine cleaner, white vinegar and nothing has made a difference. I’m at the point where I’m thinking of just replacing the machine although that’s annoying as it’s a good make and still works fine…

Not helpful but I am having the exact same problem. It’s driving me crazy!

 

[saltandvinegarcrisps]

This is the filter, all machines have them. Type in your model number and should get some how to's online. I clean mine out every few months but have replaced a few machines over the years. Apparently fabric softener is horrible for machines too, I always water mine down now as they are so concentrated.

 

[anything at all]

@anything at all the machine does smell a bit too! It's bizarre - i saw a tiktok recommendation to scrub the inside with washing up liquid and a sponge then do a 30 degree rinse, so did that, then used proper dettol washing machine cleaner for a cycle on 60, and it still smells a bit off. I was in a meeting yesterday and was so paranoid my clothes were smelly :/ I'll look into some laundry sanitizer - what brand do you use? I've just searched my postcode and found our water varies from soft to moderately hard (whatever that means) so maybe the white vinegar is worth a go too... hmmmm.

We just use tescos own laundry sanitizer. Seems alright so far.

Hope we all get it figured out. Not nice having smelly clothes !

 

[bcfc999]

Going to give the filter clean, upgraded humifidier and sanitiser a go - will report back!

 

[peekachu]

This is the filter, all machines have them. Type in your model number and should get some how to's online. I clean mine out every few months but have replaced a few machines over the years. Apparently fabric softener is horrible for machines too, I always water mine down now as they are so concentrated.
View attachment 2572478

I’m 30 and didn’t know about this.. it never occurred to me to check! It’s a miracle my clothes don’t smell because I evidently have no idea what I’m doing

 

[Snippysnips]

@Snippysnips yes that's what it is! Might have to try those - my partner is a bit worried that they might stain or damage clothes though, have you had any issues?

We haven't had any issues, haven't had them staining clothes, we still do separate whites an darks as we don't use those colour catchers an the lenor scents have been fine, you can also put in more if you feel it needs it but we have been using the recommendation an its been fine, smelled the difference as soon as it come out the machine

 

[bcfc999]

I’m 30 and didn’t know about this.. it never occurred to me to check! It’s a miracle my clothes don’t smell because I evidently have no idea what I’m doing

I'm 30 too and also never knew - maybe all your laundry smell has come to me so I've got a double dose

 

[Jerry Garcia]

Lads, don't bother with any fabric conditioner, use Lenor Unstoppables in Spring Awakening, its their strongedt scent - use a good handfull and any musty smells will be gone.

 

[Delia Smith]

I switched to the Aerial platinum pods and my clothes smell really nice now. Also the Astonish anti bac liquid I put a capful in with every wash.
Obviously line drying is a total pain in this weather but try and get a wash out on a dry morning whenever you can

 

[Codiaeum]

By any chance, is it mostly you dark/black laundry that smells, @bcfc999 ?

We had that problem here for ages and I thought I was going slowly mad with this:
machine didn't smell, light laundry never smelled, light shirts never smelled, yet without fail dark and especially black shirts had a nasty funk in them that basically started to hit me the second the shirt got a little bit warm from wearing it. And even then, it wasn't all of them, but since we mostly wear dark clothes, it was many. I wash at least one cycle at 60 degrees weekly and also run 95C every other month or so, and everything else was also clean, so I figured it must be something in the fabric.
After a lot of digging, I found out that this can really be related to the type of dye used and something about the pigment sizes in darker colours making it possible for bacteria to cling to it better. If you mix that with deodorant, especially the antiperspirant stuff, you get a breeding ground for anything you never wanted.

What finally seems to have done the trick is:

• switch from Frosch powder to Ariel powder. Powder seems to work better for this than liquid, but even the Ariel liquid was already better.
• chuck out the worst offending garments. Bit brutal, but I found they couldn't be salvaged.
• If you have a sort of stain in the armpits (whitish) that doesn't seem to wash: scrub it with an old toothbrush and a mix of baking soda and washing up liquid, then soak for a few hours and wash overnight. It doesn't all go away, but it seems like it improves things a lot. Best not do this on anything delicate though.
• I never use fabric softener, so I can't tell you whether a change is any good, since I've always been told that using it coats the fabric and if there's something trapped in there, the softener would make it even harder to rinse out.

I don't have a dryer so always line dry. In summer outside, otherwise in a room with the window open and often also with a ventilator to speed it up. Also did that when we had the problem, but it doesn't seem that made any difference.