Why do my clothes smell like they’ve been drying at the chip shop?

[squeakandbubble]

Mundane but it’s plaguing me

When my clothes are dry they smell like they’ve been drying around cooking. They are no where near the kitchen so it’s not that and it’s always the same smell

Things take forever to dry here so generally I leave them on the rack for the week. No where to dry them outside and no tumble dryer

I’ve tried changing washing stuff. Bio and non bio, different fabric softeners

The machine has been cleaned with vinegar and bicarb on a hot wash

Tried changing the room they dry in

Any ideas??

I don't know but I have found that sometimes if some clothes start smelling, you can't ever really get rid of it, unfortunately. I think it just gets ingrained sometimes. Maybe one piece of clothing has contaminated everything else?

could you try not using fabric softener for a couple of loads?

Buy a heated airer, damp for too long

Do you clean your washing machine? Do you have doors open when cooking? We have to shut our bedroom doors upstairs when cooking as the smell travels. Processed beige food causes a frying smell that clings to clothes, so also a possibility if you are not cooking anything in veg or sunflower oil.

I find if it takes longer than 24 hours to dry then my clothes start smelling.

We’re making good use of the laundrette at the moment. Their big tumble dryer, on low heat, gets our clothes dry in 20 minutes!

I am interested in a heated airer.

Agree I think they're damp for too long.

I've bought a Meaco dehumidifier ( it costs apparently about 5p an hour to run ) it has cut the drying time of my laundry dramatically. Strongly recommend.

They stay damp for a week? That is the issue I would think.

Can you do something to speed up the drying, such as getting a dehumidifier?

Could you recommend the dehumidifier you’ve bought?

My house is quite open plan.

Whenever I’m cooking, especially if pan frying, I have the extractor full on and shut the door between the kitchen and the airer. I keep the fan going and the door closed for quite a while after. I also regularly clean my extractor fan grills.

That cooked oil spell can circulate and linger. I also replaced my oven rubber seal as that was also letting out smell when roasting (and cleaned oven).

I open windows for fresh air when I can.

Maybe they've absorbed oil from cooking some time and it's not washed out. Try washing them on a 60 degree cycle.

you need to do an experiment.

Buy a few cheap new things from somewhere like Primark or a supermarket.

get a mixture of 100% cotton and synthetics.

Wash them as normal in a load on their own and put them to dry as usual but with no other clothes.

Check smell.

Wear, and re-wash separately again.

Check smell.

That way you’ll know if it is some factor in the equipment or environment that you are still repeating, or just an old smell that got into your other clothes and now won’t come out.

As a general point I’d say that the chip shop smell might come from using vinegar to clean your machine- don’t do that, get a commercial machine cleaning liquid instead.
Things can’t be on a rack for a week, you need to get a plug in dehumidifier, heated rack or at the very least those tubs with pellets in them that absorb moisture. Wash and dry in smaller batches if you can afford to do so, crank up heating in room where they dry if you can afford it.

Agree with those saying they're wet/damp for too long. You need to find a more efficient way of drying them. We also have a meaco and are very happy with it, makes a huge difference.

@RippedJeansAndCashmere

I've got a 10L Meaco Dehumidifier. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it's life changing re laundry at this time of year.

They sell at John Lewis ( which is always a good sign for electricals imho ) and also recommended on here. I bought mine from somewhere on line though which was cheaper and I got 10% off for signing up etc etc .

It will stay on for 6 hrs at a time on laundry mode and it is ridiculously satisfying emptying out 10L of water at the end of a day or so.

Strongly recommended.

I agree clothing is staying damp too long
First clean your machine with a proper cleaner Dettol one is good and around £3
Wash with no fabric conditioner and give it an extra spin
If you can't stretch to a tumble dryer a dehumidifier makes a huge difference and even jeans dry overnight
They don't cost a lot to run
If you have a laundrette nearby perhaps wash and dry a load there once

I have a Meaco dehumidifier too... made so much difference to clothes drying

5-6 hrs rather than a couple of days

Another possibility, albeit less likely, is a problem with the way the machine has been plumbed in allowing waste water to flow back into the machine. I only know about this from googling when I had issues with my laundry, I don't really know anything about it tbh

Agree that they are lying around too long damp. Double spin them and use a dehumidifier or heated airer. Washing soda from Home Bargains is good to remove stenches from clothes and washing machines. Use half a cup or so.

Are you washing on 30? If yes go to 40.

Any clothes are going to smell if they are left damp for a week , the combination of damp and bacteria breeding unfortunately. If there’s no tumble drier , outside line then a heated rack and dehumidifier should help . Once the mildew smell is ingrained in clothes it can be very difficult to get out though. I bought a new jumper online and it had obviously been stored somewhere damp , I should have sent it back but thought I could get away with washing , six washes later and the smell still hasn’t gone , time to give up I feel .

There was a report in Which a few weeks ago. A dehumidifier is more economical than a heated airer. A heated airer adds to humidity.

The most economic was a tumble dryer. 😮(apart from line drying) . Because of the speed and how fast it dries, it was the most efficient overall.

The same comparison was in the Telegraph one weekend, that a heated airer and a dehumidifier use far more electricity than a tumble dryer. No surprise as it's only heating the drum and only when the air in the drum cools beyond a certain point.

Petbed wash will remove the smell. Tried it on a dressing gown of DH's and it's been fine since.

*There was a report in Which a few weeks ago. A dehumidifier is more economical than a heated airer. A heated airer adds to humidity.

The most economic was a tumble dryer. 😮(apart from line drying) . Because of the speed and how fast it dries, it was the most efficient overall.*

I haven't tested anything and can only go on reports like most other people,
but as a child of the 70s, I know that a tumble drier is the devil's work. ( according to my mum anyway 😆)

More comfortable with the dehumidifier anyway. Has the knock on of taking moisture out of the house

A week? They're damp and musty.

you need to improve how you’re drying these clothes.