How to remove tough, stinky odors from clothes
Whether it’s odor from sweaty clothes in your gym bag, a mildewy stink from a pile of towels or other unpleasant smells that linger in your laundry basket, tough odors usually require a little extra attention to remove. Fortunately, with certain techniques and products, you can usually help get clothing smelling clean and fresh after a wash cycle.
Read on to learn what may cause smells to persist and get tips on how to get odor out of clothes.
Why do my clothes still smell after washing?
Clothes can sometimes retain odors even after washing due to sweat, bacteria and body oils that cause strong smells. These odors may persist if your laundry isn't washed with the right amount of detergent, the washer is overloaded, clothes aren’t dried properly or your washer needs cleaning.
If you need to remove odor from clothes, it sometimes requires more than a typical wash cycle and certain items may need to be washed more often.
How can you get odor out of clothes?
To understand how to get stink out of clothes, it helps to know the source of the smell and the fabric type. For strong odors, regular washing may not be enough to neutralize the smell. Instead, opt for pretreating smells with products like laundry detergent, baking soda or vinegar.
Some acrid odors, like from oil and grease stains or gasoline spills, may require one of the following options such as ammonia, dish soap, borax or bleach. Never use ammonia on garments with latex, and never mix ammonia with bleach, as the combination is toxic.
Before you use any of the following methods on your garment, read your clothing care tag for specific instructions. You may also want to test a small, hidden area before applying a product to the odor to make sure there’s no fading or damage to the fabric.
Laundry detergent: Use an odor-fighting detergent with enzymes to help lift grime and break down smelly stains trapped in the fabric.
Baking soda: Make a paste with equal parts baking soda and water, apply it to the stain and soak the item in water for around 30 minutes or longer for tougher odors. You can also add about a half cup of baking soda along with detergent to your wash to help neutralize odors.
Distilled white vinegar: Mix vinegar with hot water and allow the clothing item to soak from an hour to overnight, depending on the odor. Thoroughly rinse the garment before putting it in the wash as vinegar should not be added directly to your washer.
- Steam dryer: Steaming clothes may help neutralize odors on freshly washed laundry or lightly worn garments. The heat along with moisture can help absorb odor during the dryer cycle.
10 tips for removing stubborn odors from clothes
Stubborn clothing odors can be frustrating, especially if they linger after washing. Whether you're wondering how to get sweat odor out of clothes, or need help removing body odor, mildewy stink or other musty smells, the following tips can help you treat pungent odors. Be sure to check your clothing care tag before washing and drying items.
1. Wash stinky clothes as soon as possible
Don’t let wet or sweaty clothes sit in your laundry basket or overnight in your washer after a wash cycle. Odors can intensify and mildewy smells may grow in damp clothes, making them harder to clean. Washing clothes inside out may also help remove odors.
2. Pretreat clothing odor
Before washing, soak clothes in a solution of water and white vinegar or water and baking soda. For instance, to help remove tough food odors, you can soak your item in a mixture of one cup of baking soda and four cups of hot water for around four hours to pretreat the smell.
You can also apply a baking soda and vinegar paste to the smelly area and allow it to soak. This may help break down odor-causing bacteria and sweat residues. If you use vinegar to pretreat an odor, be sure to rinse all vinegar residue from the garment before adding it to your washer.
3. Load washer properly
Allow enough space in the washer for clothing items to move against the impeller or agitator, depending on the type of washer. This wash action helps clean your laundry by lifting soils and odors.
4. Use an odor-fighting detergent
Some detergents have more active odor-fighting ingredients to wash away smells. A detergent like Swash® Laundry Detergent1, is specially designed to help boost your washing machine’s ability to fight stains and provides optimized cleaning in three unique fragrances.
5. Add the correct amount of detergent
Using the proper amount of detergent is important because too much detergent can cause residue buildup and stains on clothes, while using too little may not remove odor from garments. Always follow the detergent manufacturer’s guidelines for the correct dosage.
6. Adjust for soil level
Depending on how smelly and dirty your laundry is, you’ll want to choose the right wash cycle and adjust the amount of detergent based on soil level. Some washers allow you to set the soil level on a wash cycle. Consider choosing a higher soil level setting for heavily soiled garments.
7. Wash in hot water
Extra hot water, like that used in a Sanitize cycle, can help eliminate odor-causing bacteria and germs, especially for fabrics that can handle higher temperatures. For soiled laundry items like damp towels or sweaty workout clothing, you may be able to use hot water or the Sanitize cycle to help remove smells if your item’s care tag allows for it.
8. Run an Extra Rinse cycle
If your washer has an Extra Rinse option, it may help clean and freshen heavily soiled, smelly laundry by rinsing odors out of your garments.
9. Dry clothes thoroughly
Whether using your dryer or line-drying fabrics, make sure to thoroughly dry laundry items before folding them. Wet clothes that take too long to dry may develop a musty smell. If you’re pressed for time, you can use wool dryer balls or apply other techniques to help dry clothes faster.
10. Clean your washer and dryer regularly
Residue buildup and a mildewy smell inside the washer can transfer odors to your clothes. Routine cleaning of your washer and dryer can help keep your machines smelling fresh for each laundry load.
How can I freshen up clothes without washing?
While the ideal way to freshen garments is to run them through a wash cycle, you may be able to remove musty smells from clothes without washing. You can try hanging your garment outside in the fresh air, using a clothing steamer or drying the item using a dryer’s steam setting.
If you’re in a pinch for time, you can place the item in the dryer with a dryer sheet for a few minutes. Make sure to avoid using dryer sheets with athletic clothing and microfiber, flame-resistant and water-repellent fabrics.
Explore Whirlpool® Washer and Dryer Sets
Whirlpool® Washer and Dryer Sets and Stackable Washers and Dryers are designed to make laundry day easier, especially when tackling tough stains and odors. Select washers have convenient features like the 12-Hour FanFresh® Option that tumbles clothes for up to 12 hours after a wash cycle, while select dryers have an Advanced Moisture Sensing option that helps evenly dry loads.
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1. Swash® products and the recommending brands’ products are all owned and distributed by Whirlpool Corporation.
