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DH and festering laundry - am I being fussy?

185 replies

GardenAnarchist · 10/06/2025 17:12

Important background context: DH and I both work hybrid, flexible wrt days on-site or at-home. DH has a good habit of going for a jog every morning before he starts work.

My problem is that he frequently "helpfully" starts a laundry load containing his gross sweaty sports kit plus whatever he finds in the family laundry basket - and he'll do this whether or not one of us is at home that day. So of course what happens is the wet laundry sits in the machine all day, festering and developing that "fermented wet laundry" smell that is really hard to get rid of.

Today for example DH started the laundry early in the morning and swanned off to work (I had already left), I got home from work after 4pm, opened the washing machine, nearly died of the smell, had to run an extra rinse cycle with vinegar, then had to hang out the laundry at nearly 5pm. So chances are the stuff won't even get dry by bedtime and will probably still have the lingering smell 🤢

I have reminded DH numerous times to check whether I'm going to be at home before he decides to run a laundry load or at least to avail himself of the amazing time-delay function on the machine so it finishes later in the day! (Today he definitely knew I was out because he even asked me to pick up something from the shop near my work!) Yet he keeps doing this Angry

I have a suspicion he simply can't smell the fermented wet cloth smell although he claims to understand my objection. DC and I can all smell it, our pet hate is the clothes that seem to have been de-smelled, but then when you put them on and your body heat warms them up slightly, the stench is back and wafting all around you 🤮 It probably wouldn't bother me as much if DH would just do this to his own clothes, but he always adds everyone else's clothes into the load.

IABU - What a helpful domesticated DH, and what is this smell you mention anyway?
IANBU - There was a reason why the time-delay function was invented, and that festering damp smell is one of the low-key worst smells!

OP posts:
Coconutter24 · 10/06/2025 17:57

Loubelou71 · 10/06/2025 17:16

Is this what they call weaponised incompetence....that would drive me mad. I'd be hiding my washing so he couldn't helpfully do it

Doesn’t sound like it is

Ddakji · 10/06/2025 17:55

My laundry doesn’t smell if it stays in the machine for a few hours. I don’t use a scented detergent either.

It’s not a regular occurrence, though.

Delay start is your DH’s friend.

TomatoSandwiches · 10/06/2025 17:55

Perhaps the material of your husbands althetic wear is also adding to the issue?

ExtraOnions · 10/06/2025 17:54

…the laundry shouldn’t be “festering” in a couple of hours. DH is doing nothing wrong.

museumum · 10/06/2025 17:54

What do you wash with? All of our sweaty sports kit washed at 30 because of technical materials is washed in special halo sports wash which kills microbes.

DH and festering laundry - am I being fussy?
GardenAnarchist · 10/06/2025 17:53

We do white towels and bedding at 60, coloured towels and bedding at 40, normal clothes at 30 (hence the majority of our wash loads), synthetics/delicates at 20. A hot wash about once a month with soda crystals. Machine door and drawer always left open after each load and there's definitely no mould on the seals.

I'm going to do a soda hot wash right now...

But I still want DH to stop doing the festering laundry thing! We.have.a.timer.function.for.god.sake.

OP posts:
WhereHasMyPlanetGone · 10/06/2025 17:53

Mymanyellow · 10/06/2025 17:52

Short wash in cold water I’m afraid. Don’t care what any one says.

Why are you ‘afraid’? And why would anyone be saying anything?

FoodAppropriation · 10/06/2025 17:52

He would drive me insane.

As above, run a 60 wash at least once a month for towels or something. Use powder, not liquid or worst, the laundry tabs

Tell your husband he's disgusting. I leave my own wet sport laundry next to the machine until I am ready that day - not in laundry basket where it would stink up the whole lot, but not in the machine either.

Mightyhike · 10/06/2025 17:52

Could he put the wash on a timer so it starts a few hours later?

Pedallleur · 10/06/2025 17:52

40 Deg kills bacteria and prob a machine clean on a high temp once a month. I use a laundry sanitizer on sports kit but can tell that 30 is not as good as 40. Will do a v.sjort wash on 40 for sports kit

greencartbluecart · 10/06/2025 17:52

Clean clothes shouldn’t smell just because they sit damp in the washing machine for a half day - try changing the washing powder ?

Mymanyellow · 10/06/2025 17:52

Short wash in cold water I’m afraid. Don’t care what any one says.

DontTouchRoach · 10/06/2025 17:51

Washing doesn't 'fester' or smell from being left in the washing machine for a few hours. And it certainly doesn't 'ferment'. It's washing, not yogurt.

Either there's something wrong with your washing machine or you're imagining it.

babybabytime · 10/06/2025 17:51

Surely the washing shouldn’t be smelling that quickly? I sometimes leave mine overnight and it gets no smell.

Keroppi · 10/06/2025 17:51

Wash normal stuff at 40 with a lower spin if you think it will get worn out at a higher spin
Wash sweaty sports kit at 60 with a laundry disinfectant
Clean machine and run a 90c wash tonight

I don't think 20 or 30 gets things clean unless it's delicates

You/dh can also do a rinse hold - it holds the washing in the machine in water until you tell it to start the spin cycle

Coffeeishot · 10/06/2025 17:49

Dollshousedolly · 10/06/2025 17:45

20/30 degrees isn't going to clean sweaty sports gear properly and if they are washed with regular clothes at that temp - the smell will be washed on to them iykwim. Try washing at 40 for most clothes and see what happens. First do a 90 degree empty wash to wash out the machine.

Oh no not at all it needs at least 40 if not 60.

CarolNoE · 10/06/2025 17:49

You can buy special anti-bac detergent for sportswear or technical fabrics. Some of these tech fabrics which 'wick' away the sweat can seem clean but like you say on the next wear the body heat can warm the top up and make them whiffy.
Useless if he is bunging in everything else in the wash basket.

Coffeeishot · 10/06/2025 17:48

I do a washing in the evening sometimes and hang it out in the morning it doesn't smell, although he should be dealing with it so it can air dry, maybe he isn't using the right programme/temp if its sweaty clothes.

ThisOldThang · 10/06/2025 17:46

60°C will kill bacteria.

You need to buy some washing machine cleaner (only a couple of quid for a twin pack in Lidl) and follow the instructions.

Always do your bedding and towels at 60°C.

All the mouldy smelly clothes need to be washed at 60°C.

Dollshousedolly · 10/06/2025 17:45

20/30 degrees isn't going to clean sweaty sports gear properly and if they are washed with regular clothes at that temp - the smell will be washed on to them iykwim. Try washing at 40 for most clothes and see what happens. First do a 90 degree empty wash to wash out the machine.

GardenAnarchist · 10/06/2025 17:45

mambojambodothetango · 10/06/2025 17:40

DH hangs his sweaty stuff on a peg or something until it's time for a wash to go on

See, this would be totally fine! And in fact he often does this if he's in too much of a rush to start work, it just goes in the next load and all is well.

Genuinely, if we do a wash load and then it's hung up within a short time (defined as less than 2-3 hours - I estimate - haven't actually done the experiment OK) after it has finished, I do not detect a fermented damp cloth smell.

OP posts:
Tontostitis · 10/06/2025 17:44

The laundry smells because of his stinky kit. Tell him to wash just the kit and put it stinky and wet in a basket outside til he remembers it. If he puts anything else in I'd rewash it.

Devon1987 · 10/06/2025 17:44

I too hate the smell and once your machine has it’s hard to get rid of. I would ban him from touching anyone else’s clothes. He doesn’t want to listen or doesn’t care.

Amethystanddiamonds · 10/06/2025 17:43

It's the eco wash and cool cycle. Unless it's delicate I wash everything at 40C or above. Anything cooler and I find everything smells much more quickly because you don't get rid of enough of the bacteria. Particularly synthetic stuff like gym kits and work uniforms.

WhereHasMyPlanetGone · 10/06/2025 17:42

It sounds like your washing machine needs a really good clean. I have a sensitive nose and hate the smell of festering washing, but ours doesn’t smell after 7 hours.

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