How To Get Undesirable Smells Out of Clothes

Few things are more annoying than your clothes picking up a stubborn, smelly odor you just can’t seem to get rid of. 

Dealing with a smell that won’t quit? Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a bunch of hacks to make your next laundry day a success!

1. Don’t Let Wet Clothes Sit

After your washing machine has completed a wash cycle, it’s super important to transfer your laundry over to the dryer as quickly as possible. 

When laundry sits for too long, the moisture in your clothing can (unfortunately) become the perfect place for pesky bacteria and mildew to develop, leading to unpleasant odors.

Mildew is a powdery, fuzzy, white fungus that grows on damp surfaces — aka, your wet clothing — and thrives in humid habitats like the washing machine. 

If you leave your wet clothes in the machine long enough to grow mildew, they’ll likely develop a sour, musty smell. Make sure to pop your laundry in the dryer asap!

2. Use Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets are one of the easiest ways to help your clothes smell better. Dryer sheets are designed to have fresh fragrances that transfer over to your clothing thanks to the heat of the machine. 

These softening agents can also help reduce static cling. Static cling occurs when a buildup of static energy causes fabrics to stick together — and it might even attract odors and debris to your clothing. Dryer sheets can help keep your clothes looking and smelling fresh.

3. Wash Again

When clothing gets very dirty, odors can lock into the fibers of its fabric, making it trickier to eliminate the bad smells. 

For example, if you’re sweating while exercising, bacteria and body oils can get absorbed by the workout clothes you’re wearing. It’s even more likely that your clothing will trap sweat smells and other odors if they’re made with synthetic fabrics.

When you’re working with sweaty clothes or garments that are heavily stained, you may need to rewash them to completely eliminate all the trapped smells. 

It can be as straightforward as repeating your typical wash routine twice in a row, or if you prefer, on the second wash, you can add in a deodorizer or odor-neutralizing ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. 

4. Use a New Detergent

If your laundry is repeatedly coming out of the wash smelling bad, the problem might be your detergent. The solution is to upgrade your products to something with better ingredients and a superior fragrance. 

We suggest checking out our Laundry Collection — a range of high-quality liquid detergents with scents you’ll love and reliable, hardworking ingredients. All our laundry products are non-toxic, fabric-safe, and made without synthetic dyes.

5. Try Scent Boosters

Although dryer sheets are a very useful tool for making your clothing smell better, many people avoid using them for health and environmental concerns. 

Dryer sheets can contain chemicals that irritate the skin, leave debris on garments, and break down fabrics over time. There are also concerns about the sheets being single-use and ending up in the landfill.

For a safe and eco-friendly alternative, check out our Sweet Ash Laundry Scent Booster. This liquid product is designed to give your laundry a boost of fragrance that lasts long after the wash and dry cycle — and one of the best parts is that it’s vegan, non-toxic, non-irritating, and cruelty-free.

6. Add White Vinegar to the Rinse Cycle

Adding white vinegar to the rinse cycle can improve your laundry’s odor. Vinegar can break down the bacteria in your fabrics, preventing them from developing unwanted smells. It also has the ability to improve the pH balance of your fabrics, increasing the likelihood that they’ll last longer.

To eliminate the odor of your smelly clothes, you can add a cup of white vinegar to your machine or in the fabric softener compartment. If you’re working with delicate fabrics, use ½ cup instead.

7. Air-Dry Outside

If you’ve got the time, try air-drying your clothing outside to improve its scent. The airflow found outdoors can help to blow away any remaining odors still clinging on. If you’re hoping to avoid that mildew smell, the outdoors can be a better option for you because it's less likely to develop in the fresh air versus inside a damp room.

By leaving your clothes outside on a clothesline to dry, you’ll also reduce the chances of bacteria living in your laundry. 

The sun’s ultraviolet rays have the ability to damage the DNA and RNA of bacteria. In other words, sunlight can destroy odor-causing bacteria and prevent it from multiplying any further.

8. Use Baking Soda

Adding baking soda to your washing machine can keep your clothes from smelling bad because it amplifies your laundry detergent, helping it to clean your clothes and combat stinky odors even better than usual. Plus, using baking soda in a wash cycle is great for stain removal.

To freshen up the smell of your laundry, you can add ½ a cup of baking soda to your detergent in the washing machine. If you're washing clothes with extra bad odors, try adding a full cup of baking soda instead.

9. Wash Smaller Loads

Washing your laundry in smaller loads can help your clothing come out cleaner than usual. This is because with less clothing in the machine, your detergent will be able to reach and cover every garment. When the machine is too full, some areas can get missed and won’t be thoroughly cleaned.

In addition to better detergent distribution, smaller loads also improve water circulation in the machines. In order for your laundry to come out smelling fresh and clean, it’s necessary for the water to rinse away all the dirt, sweat, and bacteria stuck on the fabrics.

It’s also important to rinse away all the detergent because even this residue can lead to unwanted odors.

10. Soak Your Clothes

Before putting your laundry in the washer, consider soaking it first. 

Soaking clothes is an easy but effective way to loosen up all the bad-smelling bacteria and debris on your clothing. This way, when your clothes are in the machine, it will be easier to eliminate dirt, odors, and germs… aka, your clothes will be even cleaner than usual.

To soak your clothing, simply fill a basin with warm water and add in baking soda, white vinegar, or detergent. You can also use a clean sink or tub if there’s not a basin on hand. Leave the laundry to soak for at least 30 minutes before putting it in the washing machine.

Fresh and Clean

Eliminating unwanted odors from your clothing can feel like a daunting task, but we hope that with these tips and tricks, you’re able to take your odor removal skills to the next level!

Sources:

What is the difference between Mold and Mildew? | US EPA

How does static electricity work? | Library of Congress

Kill More Germs When You Do Laundry | WebMD

What is pH? | US EPA