DH and festering laundry - am I being fussy?

I can definitely smell the smell.

Sometimes I start hanging up a load and then sigh, shove the whole thing back in the machine. I find that rinse and spin with fabric conditioner is enough to refresh, but you said you don't use fabric conditioner, so that wouldn't work for you.

BUT I do agree with others about the amount of time, if a wash goes on in the morning and is hung up before bedtime, it doesn't smell.

I think the issue is more your dh's smelly kit. I could never wash sports gear on 30, the smell would not come out. In fact teenage ds school shirts used to have to go on 40 or above too, otherwise the armpits still smelled.
So I'd get him to separate his sports stuff, and then the rest on 30 shouldn't smell.

oh and I only wash things that aren't "really" dirty at 30, I see it as more of a freshen up wash for things that have been worn a couple of times.

Anything that I would feel gross throwing on to run to the post box and back gets washed at 40, underwear and gym clothes definitely. Yesterdays tshirt on a normal temperature day or jeans that have had enough outings go in at 30.

I hate that smell too, some people are just really sensitive to it. Once I get a whiff I have to track down the source, it's hideous. However, I agree that you shouldn't get it from washing left in the machine for a day. If you're doing occasional hot washes and using powder then my only guess is that it's the sweaty sports kit.

I had some tops that used to smell very quickly after I put them on and I worked out eventually that it was bacteria living in deodorant build-up. It happens worse in synthetic sporty clothes. I changed deodorant but never resolved it fully in those tops but washing them at 60 every now and then controlled it, not great for the clothes but they'd have had to go in the bin if I hadn't.

I must be nose blind as I often put the washer on before work and empty it when I get back. My cloths never smell of anything other than washing powder. Surely it will only smell if the door has been opened and air has got to it and then the door is closed again.

Sorry that was supposed to be to @Vroomfondleswaistcoat

I was sat on the bus reading this post and the man next to me (looked to be heading to work, smart clothes, well turned out) really smelt of the slowly-dried clothes stink. So your post really made me smile.

It’s exactly that - and I honestly don’t think some people can smell it from reading this thread. My neighbour’s washing smells of it on their washing line - wafting into my garden. So I reckon they leave it sitting around before pegging it out.

I also feel like I smell it more and more probably because the UK weather is so unreliable and people aren’t able to dry washing fast/air stuff (combined with the horrific cost of running a tumble drier/heating).

I’ve also had to rewash stuff if I get any hint of it! (And never wash stuff below 40).

I think we are suggesting that you are not doing this properly. You have been given advice that you should use dishwasher tablets, and that you should run it on a drum clean cycle.

Yeah seems strange I often put mine in the morning and get out in the evening and it's not gone smelly.

Boots do it under their own brand if you cant find Halo

https://www.boots.com/boots-sensitive-skin-laundry-liquid-1litre-10095130?traffic=paid.shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21854673258&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwT4tkghEnRPcGALMYMd8axKA&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0qTCBhCmARIsAAj8C4ZKUvYBDn1y9-IcsB0-lt7JwBM1rRCUwcEkQ-8-3TusLsjwuWIB3RsaAiwWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I should say that I have NEVER cleaned my washing machine (although I do wash out the soap dispenser now and again), and my wash temperature is only 40, with the occasional 30, but none of my stuff smells even if it sits in there all night.

I might just do the odd wash on 60, and that must be enough to keep the inside clean - I've never done a 90 wash and only wash at 60 maybe once a year. So the 'clean the inside of your machine' might not be as important as people make out.

Yes I agree, washing at 20/30 degrees just isn’t hot enough.
Ive never had laundry smell if left in the machine for a few hours.

Yes I agree, washing at 20/30 degrees just isn’t hot enough.
Ive never had laundry smell if left in the machine for a few hours.

I can never understand how people can't smell it on themselves! I've known people who never put their washing outside (even if they have a washing line - it's 'too much trouble') or even by an open window. It's shoved on an airer in a spare room for days and, yes, it dries, but it has that horrible sour, 'put away wet' smell. I've been known to rewash bedding when I've gone to put it on and one corner has been inside out and doesn't smell 'right'!

But I suppose some don't have any alternative and some just can't smell it at all. I call the smell 'single man smell' because it seems to be most prevalent among younger men who haven't ever been told how to do their laundry properly.

But presumably you’ve asked him more than once and he’s basically 🖕🏻to you. Why? Is he not going for a jog but a shag fest in someone’s car and is depositing his clothes asap to hide the evidence and willing to weather your understandable rants bc the evidence is gone regardless? There must be a reason

OP, I’m very sensitive to smells, and hate this smell too! I wash everything at 30, and it only gets this smell if the machine is not clean or it’s been sat there for more than a couple of hours. 30 is fine for cleaning assuming you use some kind of laundry detergent. The issue is it’s sitting damp and scrunched up for that long.

No, I know the smell you mean! It turns my stomach. But clothes can sit in my machine overnight without getting that smell, so it is your machine/laundry temp that is causing it. You will be much happier if you switch to a 40° wash and run a drum clean cycle!

Halo detergent. We never go below 30 degrees. To be fair, everything except towels and bed linen goes in at 30.

Halo works miracles on smelly clothes.

It could be both or either of these things. You should be running a "drum clean" cycle periodically - your machine should have a special setting for this. You run this with a dishwasher tablet in the drum.

Secondly, you need to be running >20/30° for running gear.

40°C won't kill bacteria. It is only slightly higher than body temperature and therefore the perfect temperature to breed some types of bacteria - especially the types that can live in (infect) your body.

https://grahamegardner.co.uk/news/washcare

"The big question… do I NEED to wash at 60oC?There are two options when it comes to washing your uniforms that comply with NHS guidelines, advice from other professional bodies and infection controls procedures. They are: • To wash uniforms at 60° C for 10 minutes which will remove 99.9% of micro-organisms that are present• To wash the uniforms at any temperature between 20°C and 60°C with a suitable antibacterial agent capable of killing 99.9% of bacteria even at 20°C."

I have had my washing machine over 10 years and washing left in for 8 hours doesn’t smell like this. I don’t wash many things at 30 or use fabric conditioner. I think that fabric conditioner is evil stuff that gunks up the machine and gives people itchy skin. Sports wear should not be rinsed in fabric conditioner as it sticks to the fabric and stops it wicking.

Washing machines and dishwashers need a regular hot run with appropriate cleaning solution and anti calc things (I live in a soft water region), it clears the whole lot out. I tend to do this once a month and I live alone - but saying that, when I come back from gym/rugby and am all icky I rinse everything first.

I also absolutely hate that smell and have a DH who is very quick to do the washing and doesn't notice it. He does also hang it out so I don't particularly think it's the machine. It's when it doesn't dry quickly enough. Just sitting round damp for ages because it's not warm enough or hasn't been spread out enough. Once it sets in it's really hard to wash out. The dettol laundry stuff helps plus hanging out out on a hot sunny day.

I agree the washing shouldn't smell. Foes your machine need cleaning? Also his sports stuff might need washing on a hotter wash or shoved some laundry cleanser in it, or rewash with zoflora

Something is wrong with your machine- I can be a little slack and ours doesn't smell and I run. Maybe try washing running stuff separately with a special sports wash?