DH and festering laundry - am I being fussy?

[GardenAnarchist]

Important background context: DH and I both work hybrid, flexible wrt days on-site or at-home. DH has a good habit of going for a jog every morning before he starts work.

My problem is that he frequently "helpfully" starts a laundry load containing his gross sweaty sports kit plus whatever he finds in the family laundry basket - and he'll do this whether or not one of us is at home that day. So of course what happens is the wet laundry sits in the machine all day, festering and developing that "fermented wet laundry" smell that is really hard to get rid of.

Today for example DH started the laundry early in the morning and swanned off to work (I had already left), I got home from work after 4pm, opened the washing machine, nearly died of the smell, had to run an extra rinse cycle with vinegar, then had to hang out the laundry at nearly 5pm. So chances are the stuff won't even get dry by bedtime and will probably still have the lingering smell 🤢

I have reminded DH numerous times to check whether I'm going to be at home before he decides to run a laundry load or at least to avail himself of the amazing time-delay function on the machine so it finishes later in the day! (Today he definitely knew I was out because he even asked me to pick up something from the shop near my work!) Yet he keeps doing this

I have a suspicion he simply can't smell the fermented wet cloth smell although he claims to understand my objection. DC and I can all smell it, our pet hate is the clothes that seem to have been de-smelled, but then when you put them on and your body heat warms them up slightly, the stench is back and wafting all around you 🤮 It probably wouldn't bother me as much if DH would just do this to his own clothes, but he always adds everyone else's clothes into the load.

IABU - What a helpful domesticated DH, and what is this smell you mention anyway?
IANBU - There was a reason why the time-delay function was invented, and that festering damp smell is one of the low-key worst smells!

It sounds like you firstly need to run your machine on two 90 degree cycles with 500g of soda crystals each time, the seal needs cleaning too. Laundry shouldn’t be smelling after a few hours in the machine.
Recommend a dose of napisan or similar and all washing done at 40.

As I said, I really really really really really really hate that smell. I feel like keeling over if I even catch the faintest whiff of it e.g. the coat of somebody sat in front of me on a bus, that sort of thing.

OTOH I'm not bothered by the smell of, say, fish sauce or ripe camembert or other notoriously strong-smelled foods 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the point is the laundry isn't clean as it wouldn't be smelling if it was. You need to clean your machine and change your washing habits.

Eco wash is the problem - not washing the clothes properly so they do still smell a bit. Particularly sports clothing.
For various health reasons I don't always hang washing out straight away and never had this sort of smell issue. Wash most of my clothes at 40 without a lingering smell problem.

You say you've spoken to him about it and he continues to do it OP but have you tried specifically telling him not to add other people's laundry and just wash his running stuff? That would solve it for me, his running stuff stinking is his own concern as long as he's not contaminating your/DC's stuff.

I just think that way he's still getting to do what he likes with his running gear (which might be his issue with failing to stop doing it, doesn't like being told what to do with his own stuff?) and you and DC don't have to suffer stinky clothes. As a PP said he's being no help with the family laundry if you keep having to redo it anyway, at least this way he's not actively making more work for you.

But it's clean laundry. How can it smell worse than fish or cheese?

So much for all the "save the environment by washing at 20/30C"

There is something wrong with your washing machine, not your DH.

Our wet washing sometimes sits in the machine overnight - no smell at all.

Objectively, I'm sure it doesn't smell worse than fish or cheese. I simply hate that smell more and am super-sensitive to it.

Presumably if we put a choice of said smells in front of a panel of ordinary people, 95% of them wouldn't find the fermented damp cloth smell anywhere near as bad as the others. But not me.

DH hangs his sweaty stuff on a peg or something until it's time for a wash to go on

It sounds like your washing machine needs a really good clean. I have a sensitive nose and hate the smell of festering washing, but ours doesn’t smell after 7 hours.

It's the eco wash and cool cycle. Unless it's delicate I wash everything at 40C or above. Anything cooler and I find everything smells much more quickly because you don't get rid of enough of the bacteria. Particularly synthetic stuff like gym kits and work uniforms.

I too hate the smell and once your machine has it’s hard to get rid of. I would ban him from touching anyone else’s clothes. He doesn’t want to listen or doesn’t care.

The laundry smells because of his stinky kit. Tell him to wash just the kit and put it stinky and wet in a basket outside til he remembers it. If he puts anything else in I'd rewash it.

See, this would be totally fine! And in fact he often does this if he's in too much of a rush to start work, it just goes in the next load and all is well.

Genuinely, if we do a wash load and then it's hung up within a short time (defined as less than 2-3 hours - I estimate - haven't actually done the experiment OK) after it has finished, I do not detect a fermented damp cloth smell.

20/30 degrees isn't going to clean sweaty sports gear properly and if they are washed with regular clothes at that temp - the smell will be washed on to them iykwim. Try washing at 40 for most clothes and see what happens. First do a 90 degree empty wash to wash out the machine.

60°C will kill bacteria.

You need to buy some washing machine cleaner (only a couple of quid for a twin pack in Lidl) and follow the instructions.

Always do your bedding and towels at 60°C.

All the mouldy smelly clothes need to be washed at 60°C.

I do a washing in the evening sometimes and hang it out in the morning it doesn't smell, although he should be dealing with it so it can air dry, maybe he isn't using the right programme/temp if its sweaty clothes.

You can buy special anti-bac detergent for sportswear or technical fabrics. Some of these tech fabrics which 'wick' away the sweat can seem clean but like you say on the next wear the body heat can warm the top up and make them whiffy.
Useless if he is bunging in everything else in the wash basket.

Oh no not at all it needs at least 40 if not 60.

Wash normal stuff at 40 with a lower spin if you think it will get worn out at a higher spin
Wash sweaty sports kit at 60 with a laundry disinfectant
Clean machine and run a 90c wash tonight

I don't think 20 or 30 gets things clean unless it's delicates

You/dh can also do a rinse hold - it holds the washing in the machine in water until you tell it to start the spin cycle

Washing doesn't 'fester' or smell from being left in the washing machine for a few hours. And it certainly doesn't 'ferment'. It's washing, not yogurt.

Either there's something wrong with your washing machine or you're imagining it.

Surely the washing shouldn’t be smelling that quickly? I sometimes leave mine overnight and it gets no smell.

Short wash in cold water I’m afraid. Don’t care what any one says.

Clean clothes shouldn’t smell just because they sit damp in the washing machine for a half day - try changing the washing powder ?