Have you ever noticed that white or dark laundry stinks after your washing machine has finished? Experiencing such smells can not only be unpleasant, but also really frustrating. Every load of washing costs time, electricity and therefore money. In addition, the problem of smelly clothes after each wash can be difficult for many people to solve. However, you can take some preventative measures by first getting to the bottom of the causes and then avoiding possible mistakes. Below you will find useful information as well as tips and home remedies that can help you.
What to do if light or dark laundry stinks?
If your clothes constantly smell despite regular use, for many people the solution is to simply use more detergent or sanitary conditioner. This may help temporarily, but it is not a long-term solution and does not get to the root cause. This usually happens with darker clothing because bacteria multiply more quickly on them. However, washing your white underwear or dark clothing too often will cause excessive wear and tear on the fabrics, resulting in holes or dingy items. By doing this you are actually just wasting more of your detergent, water and energy. Discovering the root cause of the smell is the first step to solving the problem efficiently. So what should you do first to...Get rid of musty smells of this kind?
You probably already know the smell - it's a combination of sour milk, stale water and mildew that have somehow penetrated the fabric. However, the smell you notice is actually shedding bacteria, mold or mildew. The bacteria that cause the smell can come from damp laundry, detergent buildup, fabric softener residue, a dirty washing machine, and more.
The good news is that there are simple methods you can use to get rid of such common laundry odors easily. From using an odor-neutralizing detergent with bleach to washing at a higher temperature to cleaning your washing machine, here are some tips and tricks you can use if your light or dark laundry stinks. However, before taking the smart steps, it makes sense to avoid some common mistakes listed below.
Possible errors that lead to smelly laundry and their solutions
There are several reasons and mistakes that make pleasantly smelling clothes smell bad after washing. To identify the cause of smelly laundry, you first need to figure out what type of smell remains on your white, colorful or black clothes. Everyone knows that “gym sock” smell, which, as already mentioned, is caused by bacteria. Are you letting dirty laundry sit in the hamper for too long before washing the load? Are you overloading your washing machine and using cheap or inappropriate amounts of detergent? All of these can be possible errors and reasons why your clean white or dark laundry stinks. Therefore, to eliminate the sour smell, you should take a few steps:
- Be sure to wash sweaty clothing immediately to avoid bacterial overgrowth.
- Do not overload the washing machine - this will prevent the clothes from being cleaned properly.
- Invest in a high-quality detergent that can neutralize sufficient bacteria.
Here are the most commonly made mistakes that can also lead to unpleasant smells.
Why laundry stinks after standing in the washing machine for too long
Many people leave washed clothes in the washing machine long after the wash cycle before hanging them up to dry. This is the most common cause of musty smelling laundry. If you leave the laundry load in a closed appliance in a humid environment for several hours or even days, the odor-causing bacteria will grow on it. Remember, your washing machine is often a warm, humid environment, which promotes rapid bacterial growth, mold and mildew. So remove your wet or damp clothing immediately after washing. It takes from 8 to 12 hours before the smell, which is a sign of mold, appears. What else can you do if your laundry smells bad afterwards? Simply run the wash cycle again.
Leaving dirty clothes in the laundry basket for too long
Allowing moisture, such as sweat, to linger in your clothing can also cause a musty smell. If you're coming home from the gym or drying off after a shower, don't mix sweaty clothes or used towels with dry laundry. Additionally, to eliminate the sour smell, you should wash sweaty clothes immediately to avoid bacterial overgrowth. However, if you can't wash them the same day, you should let them air dry before throwing them in the laundry basket.
So if you want to avoid the mistakes described above, a possible solution is to wash clothes at high temperature every now and then to get rid of smelly bacteria. Lower temperatures help protect fabrics, but aren't as good at getting rid of sweat odors and bacterial growth. Such bacteria often cannot survive the hot water cycle. However, if your clothing smells sour, you should also check the labels to see if it can withstand the heat. If this is the case, you can run the laundry through a hot water load.
Make laundry more sensitive by using fabric softeners
Using fabric softener can also cause your laundry to smell. Did you know that emollients contain oils? These oils make the fibers of clothing feel soft, but they also have a downside. Aside from reducing the absorbency of your clothes, the oily coating traps detergent residue, dirt, mold and bacteria, resulting in smelly laundry. Some common home remedies that you can use to replace fabric softener in an environmentally friendly and inexpensive way are vinegar, citric acid or baking soda. Simply add about 50ml to the fabric softener compartment before each wash cycle.
Use too much detergent, causing light or dark laundry to stink
If you use too much detergent to wash your clothes, it will be difficult and almost impossible to completely rinse it out. Things get even worse when the detergent residue builds up on your clothes. This means it attracts even more dirt and bacteria, which causes musty smells. The actual amount of detergent you need may be less than you think. So make sure you adjust this based on the size of your laundry load. For regular machines and for large or heavily soiled loads, fill the lid on line 2.
Additionally, you can try considering a different detergent for a deep effect. If your clothes smell fresh straight out of the washing machine, but then start to smell, it could also be due to the type of detergent you use. Because even though your detergent smells good, that doesn't mean it cleans well. If you suspect that the product you are using is not strong enough, consider switching to a more intensive option, such as heavy-duty detergent with bleach. If your clothes need to be washed at 30°C or 40°C, it is still worth switching to a detergent that is suitable for lower temperatures.
When does laundry stink due to a dirty washing machine?
You could use the right detergent ratio, stay away from fabric softeners, take your laundry out of the washing machine and dry it immediately after washing and still end up with smelly laundry. How is that possible? Sometimes the source of unwanted odors is your washing machine itself. If it has mold or other accumulations of dirt, this means that it is spreading bacteria and therefore odors. These can be transferred to your clothes every time you put them in the washing machine.
In such cases, you should of course act and clean your washing machine. To do this, pour two cups of vinegar into your detergent dispenser. Run your washing machine empty through the hot water cycle on the longest setting. When this is over, you can use a sponge to wipe down the drum. Run the wash cycle again with warm water to remove any traces of vinegar. However, if your washing machine also has a disinfection cycle, you can of course use that instead. Such disinfection and allergy cycles ensure that difficult-to-fight bacteria are wiped out. Also leave the washing machine door open so that it can air out. Mold and bacteria prefer dark, damp places, so good air circulation and old-fashioned sunlight will go a long way toward keeping them away.
Overloaded the washing machine
Clothes also need freedom of movement, otherwise they won't get properly clean. So it can't be that just a moldy washing machine makes your clothes smell bad. Many people overload their household appliances by simply loading too many items of clothing per wash cycle. It may be tempting and frugal to overstuff the washing machine to save on loads, but resist the temptation. Optimize the performance of the device by reading the operating instructions carefully and always loading the appropriate amount of clothing for the corresponding washing program.
