To ask how to stop my jeans smelling?

[Ilovenyfan]

HELP! It doesn’t matter how often I wash my jeans, they all dry with a horrible smell.

No other clothes, bedding, towels do, they all smell strongly of detergent. It’s just my jeans. Washed a pair for the second time this week yesterday, this morning I’ve gone in and smelt them on the airer and they smell so bad of foisty/ mustiness. It’s driving me insane as I can’t really wear any of them atm due to this smell.

Anyone had anything similar? How do I stop them from smelling?

It's a crappy time of year, too warm for the heating but not warm enough to actually dry stuff.

I would never tumble dry jeans though, I do the inside outside dance with them dependent on weather.

This.
It works perfectly and costs nothing, either for you or for the planet. Get over yourself!

Clothes dry much faster on the line than the airer outside. If you can I agree with the suggestion of a retractable line. My clothes look like they've been ironed after a line dry too, I don't get this unless I pull them out of the dryer the second it's finished.

Plus there's the environmental and economic benefits - not just in terms of energy but tumbling can reduce the longevity of items.

I have this issue with the hoods of my chunky hoodies.

I soak in solution of white vinegar periodically then wash as normal. Then the key is drying it fast. Radiators are good for that (no drier here ) or hot sun.

Have the same issue with the thick thermals.

As it happens I'm doing the wash right now on a hoodie that soaked over night. Will see if it worked this time !

I haven’t tried drying outside such a weird thread.

Nothing smells fresher than line dried clothes.

Even in the depths of winter last year when electric was so expensive my drier was £20 a month to run and that was 4 loads a week, so pretty reasonable. Saying that, I try and start things off on the line even in winter.

Give them an extra spin or two, try to get them outside for a bit - even this time of year, things dry much faster inside if they’ve already been outside for a few hours. I agree with the others that they’re taking too long to dry. An extra spin should definitely help a bit with that.

OP they're not NEXT jeans are they?
I've had this problem twice, both with NEXT men's jeans. Thought the first time was a fluke, re-purchased another pair (for DH) and they were exactly the same. Horrid, damp, fusty smell, very stale smelling.
Everything else (and other jeans) washing and drying and smelling fine.
Obviously a problem with that specific denim or something, I've never had that problem with any other jeans before or since.

We got rid of the washing line when we moved in (hate them) but I could put the airer on the patio and peg them onto that I guess.

You hate washing lines? Words fail me. I’m struggling to understand what there is to hate about a line of washing drying outside in the fresh air. If I put the airer on the patio it would just blow over. Outdoor dried washing smells wonderful.

I hate washing lines too op, can't do with all that hanging and pegging faff. Only on mumsnet will you get slated for it.

No, you would get slated for it by any right minded person.

Washing lines and pegging out washing is one of life's absolute little pleasures.

Yes it is @ApolloandDaphne. Aren’t we sad

My washing goes outside all year round as long as it's not raining. Even a short blow outside takes a lot of moisture out the clothes even if they don't fully dry. Hang jeans by the ankles or back of the waistband as this is where its thickest and takes longest to dry.
I don't use fabric conditioner on jeans either and use powder rather than gels/pods as I find these can make the machine smell after a while.

Obviously your choice, but that just wouldn't make any sense to me.

I’m in Scotland and still get everything out on the line whenever possible, so if I can, anyone can!
The added advantage of line drying is the anti-microbial and bleaching power of even our tepid sunshine. Whites stay whiter but you do need to hang darks inside out as they will fade more over time.

lol, why would it need to make sense to you?

It's quicker and easier for me to use a washer dryer. I'd rather pay a bit extra each month for the convenience of having clean, dry laundry in two hours without having to faff about with washing lines and waiting for nice weather.

A tumble drier is bad news for your electricity bill.

'Lol' - where did I say your choices did 'need' to make sense to me? I didn't. 😂
It seems quite a lot of folk share my view though.

Can't stand the smell of clothes dried outside, however I do dry clothes on line when I can because it's free and my tumbler shrinks everything

I love the smell of line dried clothes when the air is clear, but when the local farmers are spreading slurry then not so much (not moaning as they need to do it, and I live rurally). If you live in an area with more pollution that can affect the clothes.

I have a tumble drier, but rarely use it. Everything goes out on the line. Dries in no time.

I mean, you're the one who felt the need to tell me it didn't make sense in the first place

It barely made any difference to ours - I suspect because we didn't need to have the heating on as often (in winter) to get stuff dried properly.

Yep, when things don't make sense I tend to say that.
You seem to be a tad confused, so let's leave it there.

You could try drying them near a dehumidifier, especially if you haven't got outside access or the weather is terrible. This is cheaper than buying and running a tumble dryer and will help them not to shrink. It will also help to avoid your property becoming damp due to drying (this will work will all your stuff not just the jeans).

You could try washing them with something like Dettol laundry wash, and if you have been washing them at 30 degrees or on a quick wash, do them at 40 and on an extra wash extra rinse, maybe more than once in succession.

If they have been washed or dried in a such a way to really ingrain the smell over time, the only solution might be to buy new jeans, but try everything else first.

Yes I came back to say that a dehumidifier is a must for us and makes getting along without a dryer much, much easier (and also protects our very old house from problems arising from too much humidity).

The smell of line-dried clothes does depend on where you live. They used to smell fresh and lovely near me but then people started using woodburners all day and so in the autumn/winter/spring they smell of smoke.

I have this issue occasionally. It’s (harmless) bacteria as a result of the clothes not drying quickly enough. You need to put the affected clothes in the wash with a capful or two of dettol laundry sanitiser in the fabric softener dispenser and pause it during the what would be the fabric softener cycle (you can hear it when the water starts rushing into the fabric drawer) for 10 mins or so while it soaks. It will get rid of the smell, but you’ll need to find a way to dry them quicker to stop it happening again. I never had any success with vinegar.