My washing smells like NOTHING

[Ladyoftheapple]

Someone please tell me where I am going wrong. For years I have been washing and for years my washing has smelt like nothing or even slightly just off 🤔 this is whether I line dry or tumble dry, if I tumble dry, it has that funny tumble dry smell but nothing else.

I wash on 40 degrees, sometimes hotter if the washing is extra dirty.

I put in plenty of non-bio detergent and fabric softener. I just use a regular Tesco fabric softener which smells lovely in the bottle but nothing once I've washed and dried. My Nan uses the same one and her washing smells lovely. I've had new washing machines and tumble dryers due to previous ones breaking and that made no difference

Please save me

Try the INEOS laundry products - won’t use anything else now!

I love the smell of laundry - all my candles are usually ‘Fresh cotton’ 😅 but I think I am nose blind to my own laundry as it’s that time of year where all I can smell is wet dog!

But I second making sure you’re putting your conditioner in the right compartment.

I got a couple bits from the charity shop the other week and the overpowering smell of laundry detergent was nauseating. Like it smelt like the liquid smells inside the bottle.
I was overwhelmed! My laundry at home always just smells neutral, clean. Not really of anything. Unless you like those horrible fake fragrances I don't see what's the appeal of laundry smells.
Some people's houses seem to always smell of laundry. I find it quite unpleasant tbh. So chemically.
I worked in a laundry once for two days and maybe that's why I can't bear the smell!

I use fairy powder and fairy outdoorable conditioner. My washing smells lovely and lasts, a little of the conditioner goes a long way!

Many people compliment our clothes smell from nurses to my daughters teacher saying she is always so ‘clean’ smelling 😂🙈

Have you tried fragrance booster beads? I love the fairy ones.

You're not over filling the machine? I love my washing to smell of washing products and make sure I don't over stuff it and use any combo of what's on special offer. My washing always smells lush - to me anyway :)

Oh, I just remembered that before the migraines did for me, I used to mix a few drops of my favourite essential oil with some Epsom salts and sprinkle them right into the machine with the clothes, before washing, and that gave them a nice natural scent.

Don’t use capsules, the plastic clogs the machine

You might be nose blind to your own washing - switch around your fabric conditioner.

I still wash everything on a 60 that can go 60 or there's that horried sweat smell - slightly sweet and very yuk. You do need a higher temp on towels, underwear etc but also higher if you have sweaty boys and men in your house!

Small children's washing is fine on the lower temps.

Nothing is best. Who wants stinky chemical laundry?

I love washing that smells of nothing! Scented washing eg from charity shops is a huge no for me. Or if Ive lent a cardigan etc to someone and they wash it before returning it etc. It has to go straight in the wash.

I felt this way and took the counterintuitive step of ceasing to use fabric softener!

I now add a few drops of jasmine essential oil to the fabric softener drawer along with my usual person bio detergent and, yes, my washing actually smells clean now.

I also do still use the fabric softener for towels and bed sheets and I can actually “smell” it again now. I think my nose just massively down regulated to the smell (similar to how you can’t smell your regular perfume on yourself any more but other people still comment on it).

I also think the fabric softener was coating my clothes and stopping them from getting properly “clean” IYKWIM. Particularly sports gear.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to smell of fabric conditioner

You’ve gone nose blind. You need to change your fabric softener - buy a different scent every time.

I chuck some nice smelling zoflora in the pre was section of the drawer with every wash. Cleans out the washer slightly and can still vaguely smell it on clothes. Got a festive one to try out!!!!

Persil Wonder Wash smells so strong it's ridiculous. I got some with an online grocery order - I would never have bought it if I'd been able to sniff it in the shop. Used it twice, and both times I ended up with a migraine.

This thread is peak Mumsnet. 😂

OP: My laundry smells like nothing even though I do x and y to make it smell nice. What am I doing wrong?

Responses: Oh I LOVE laundry that smells like nothing!! Smelling like nothing is PERFECT. Anything else is CHEMICALS.

@McGregor33 your daughter's teachers are always commenting that she's 'clean smelling'? As opposed to all the other kids that stink of shite? 🤣
I think they're trying to tell you your laundry smells way too strongly.

I'm guilty of this, sorry OP, although I did offer a more practical suggestion too!

I just think it's worth pointing out that your laundry doesn't have to smell of anything in particular to be fresh, some people I know are paranoid about this kind of thing so unnecessarily, when just being clean is enough.

That being said, I hope OP finds something that works for them.

When I was a child, Miss Dior etc sachets of shampoo were available.
Maybe the perfume houses are missing a trick and Chanel fabric softener should be on supermarket shelves.
I use white vinegar and then rinsed again, keeps towels and cashmere soft.

I don't think you need laundry to smell, don't be taken in by adverts. Outdoor dried washing has a great smell when you bring it in but I think that's something to do with the humidity/sunshine, "ozonic" smell, not like chemical perfumes.

I think it's because newer machines rinse much much better.

My mum's washing you can smell downstairs when it's in a cupboard - she just uses powder and softener, nothing too fancy. I can use both of those, plus the booster stuff AND those bead things (I don't normally btw it was an experiment!) and still my washing smells of nothing really. I don't really mind, I prefer a non-smell, but maybe reducing the rinse cycle would help. I know my Samsung has 2 as standard on every wash.

Try Washer Whiffs from Scentsy.

Why are there always so many replies on these threads saying you like your washing to smell of nothing that's nice for you but OP has a different question.

I had the same question OP and this is what I've found helps.

Dry quickly - Tumble dryer, or dry outside - and never leave laundry in the machine after it finishes. Try and remove it ASAP.

Detergent-related -
Highly scented washing powder e.g. Lenor, or Bold 2-in-1 is lovely.
Use about a cupful white vinegar instead of fabric softener
Match fabric softener and unstoppables to the powder (but it is possible to get a nice clean-laundry smell without unstoppables - I don't think they are necessary, and they are very expensive)
I did try pods for a while thinking they might be better - mixed results with these.
Check what the dosing instructions say as well especially if you live in a hard water area. I was using much less than recommended, once I used the amount recommended for the water hardness and load size, I got better results.

Water-to-clothes ratio -
Modern washing machines only use a small amount of water, and the dosing of the water is done on a timed basis rather than measured. It's worth checking your WM manual to see what it suggests for the installation of the water and if you want to be really pedantic, check the flow rate from the input tap. For example, mine says it needs a flow of 10L/min and you can check this by turning the inlet tap off, unscrewing the water hose, placing an empty bucket under the tap and seeing how long it takes to fill up to a 5L level. If it takes more than 30 seconds the water flow might be too low for the machine and you might want to consider changing where it's installed.

But also - I've noticed that if I have my cold tap running and my washing machine starts to pull water in, it reduces the flow from the cold tap, so I assume the same thing is happening in reverse. When your washing machine is filling up at the first part of a cycle, try not to run other things which are water intensive at the same time. (For example, don't run the washing machine and dishwasher at the same time - put one on a delayed start, don't start the washing machine and then immediately get into the shower).

Secondly, check if your manual recommends a max load size per cycle. A lot of people use the quick wash cycle but they are usually designed for just a small amount of laundry e.g. 2kg. I actually did the saddo thing and weighed a laundry basket full of clothes to see how much I am supposed to fit into each wash!

Lastly check how brand new things smell after being washed - if your clothes have been washed in too little water with too little detergent and/or they have loads of fabric softener build-up, they might benefit from being "stripped" or put through a hot wash or just a couple of really intensive cycles with not many clothes in.

And yes run a maintenance wash every so often. It helps keep the machine running well.

I've tried all sort of things and my washing also doesn't smell when dry - like others I've bought things from Vinted that smell so strong and I don't know how people do it. I assume they're using way too much detergent and softener but I always read the instructions as I've heard too much can build up in the machine. I mainly use a quick wash at 30 degrees as everything else takes 2+ hours, I don't know if that's got anything to do with it