Why do my DH’s freshly-washed boxers smell like cooking rice?

[AngeloMysterioso]

I don’t know how else to describe it.

Whenever DH washes his underwear, when he hangs them to dry (we don’t have a dryer so unless the weather is nice we have to hang stuff on a clothes horse/radiators etc.) they always fill the room with a distinct smell, like the smell of cooking rice. It’s not an awful smell but it’s not pleasant.

We use the Surf herbal extracts laundry detergent (the one that’s supposed to be good for getting rid of odours) and he puts a capful of linen fresh Zoflora in there as well.

Still the whiff.

What is causing it and more importantly, how do I get rid of it? Google isn’t helping me much.

Should add, it’s only ever his boxers/socks that smell like this. Not even his sports gear suffers the same effect!

Get dressed me dettol antibacterial liquid and wash as high a temp as the fabrics will let you is my advice.

Oh, that didn’t even make sense 🙈
Use dettol in your wash!

@icelollycraving wouldn’t that be the same as using Zoflora though? It’s antibacterial...

And if it was a bacteria issue wouldn’t his running gear be affected the same way, or worse? He sweats buckets in that!

I use the antibacterial stuff in the wash of ds’ sports stuff and biological powder. How’s in stinky, comes out fresh as a daisy.

Goes in. Ffs.

I find distilled white vinegar added to the softener compartment effective at combatting male smell in washing.

That’s the weird thing though, it doesn’t go in stinky, and once it’s dry it’s fine. It’s purely when it’s just washed and still damp/drying that it smells.

How old are they?
The groin area and feet let off quite a distinct sweat. Different from the rest of the body.
I find that these things need to be refreshed yearly, otherwise smalls just cling to them and never quite get washed out.

Some of them he’s had several years, some he’s only had since Christmas. He probably could do with chucking out the old pairs.

DH always stuffs far too much into the washing machine drum.

I had exactly same problem - I was using Surf perfect for dark wash and all the dark clothes, including kids school clothes, smelled of rice water when I took them out of the washer and hung up! The smell went as they dried.
I now use Woolite for the past few months and the smell is gone! All clothes smell nice and fresh.

Soak them in Zoflora water for 30 minutes before washing. Being whizzed around the drum with Zoflora might not be long enough to kill the bacteria.

Hey I have exactly the same problem! Whenever I do a wash at 40 degrees, it smells of boiled rice whilst the laundry is drying! I wash most clothes at 30 degrees and they don't smell, but kids and hubby's socks and underwear is washed at 40 and it always smells of boiled rice. I've only noticed this with our new washing machine though, the old one never made laundry smell that way. Also interestingly I wash my own underwear at 30 and it never smells, and I wash towels and bedding at 40 which also don't smell! I've tried the antibacterial stuff but that doesn't help either :(