Why does my dressing gown smell so bad for no reason I can fathom?

[PickleSmith]

It's a White Company one, made of 96% viscose and 4% elastane. It's only 5 months old and it's worn after a bath and washed weekly.

I noticed it smelled weird the other day -'sort of down the front. I was puzzled as not a mark on it but duly washed it again for the second time and tumbled it and ive put it back on again and god - the smell! I've actually put it in the bin now, that's how gross it is. But it's straight out the tumble dryer?

The smell is fishy I suppose. Cod liver oil type smell. Not pleasant

So if nothing else I own smells, I never ever leave washing in my machine to fester and I use nice washing powders etc .. what is it with this robe?

No idea.
But you're not alone. I've got a 100% Indian cotton one which smells like the bottom of the laundry basket no matter how clean/how much Comfort/how hot the wash.

The rest of my clothes smell nice!

Leave them outside on tje washing line for two weeks.It will smell better.

@Laiste what a puzzle.

It's frustrating. Nothing festers in my laundry basket, nothing has been spilled on it. It's not old. yet it's grim .

Put some bicarbonate in the washing machine with it.

Wash it a few times with zoflora in the conditioner drawer. Make sure it’s thoroughly dry. It could be picking up bacteria from inside the machine.

I think it might be a dye or something g they use. I have the odd piece of clothing like this. Nothing i use or do removes it. At all.

Why have you put it in the bin?

plenty of things you could try first!

do you live with anyone who could smell it that might be able to tell you what it smells like? Children are very good at this.

Oh my god I am so needing the answer to this. I’ve binned DH’s dressing down as it just stinks of sick? It’s never come into contact with sick. It’s been washed loads with all different detergents softeners etc, left to dry on airer/in dryer… and nothing makes a different. It stops smelling for about a day then smells again.

I used to find my dressing gown smelled of sick if I washed it with liquid detergent or gel.

Do you have a dog?

Does your dressing gown have stiffened lapels? Iron-on interfacing uses glue which might be giving off a fishy smell from the heat of the tumble dryer.

Are you using fabric conditioner when you wash it? I found this happened to mine and when I stopped using fabric conditioner it stopped smelling 🤷‍♀️

I have a couple of tops that smell really weird and unpleasant to me, both are dark blue (different brands), so I think it's the dye.

They've improved a lot after many washes and a lot of times hanging outside on the line, although I can still smell it when they're damp.

My fluffy M&S dressing gown does this if I air dry it. Only tumble drying prevents it. I do use gel capsules.

Dark/black dyes on jeans do give off a peculiar slightly sour smell, especially on cheap clothing.

That'll be the smell of liquid detergent and fabric softener at low temperature.

Clean the insides of the washing machine, put it in for a hot wash without the gloop and it'll be fine.

Use white vinegar in the softener drawer instead of fabric softener and wash at 60°c. It won't smell of vinegar once the cycle is finished and any funny smells will be gone.

I use Napisan in the main drawer with synthetics. DP's gym kit hasn't had that stinky sweaty smell since I started using it and my machine always smells fresh.

My white company dressing gown smells bad too! Like bottom of the garbage bin type smell 🤢 I only noticed it last week. How odd.

Is it actually fish oil? My DS hasna spoon of fish oil in the morning and it got on my dressing gown. It didn't wash out for months and months until I soaked it in vinegar for a week.

Don't have a dog, I'm vegan so no fish oil and it's in the bin because it's just disgusting

I asked my son to smell it - he could smell it was fishy

No stiff lapels - it's still on their website now - it's a soft, thin pale pink gown.

Didn't wash it the second time with any softener - just Fairy non bio powder .

I believe it's something in the fabric actually that's somehow been 'activated' by a washing cycle

Is it definitely drying properly, as if something is even the tiniest bit damp I find it can really smell rank. So folded or even hung up it can smell really stale.

@NeverDropYourMooncup nope. Washed at 50 degrees with powder and no conditioner and my washing machine is brand new this year with no gloop anywhere

@nottaotter I line dry in summer and tumble dry everything in winter. Nothing is ever damp, not even a tiny bit

Maybe the packaging it was transported in, ive noticed some cardboard boxes smell like fishy sick.