My clothes smell and I can't get rid of it!!!

[Stevenmil]

I learnt about laundry stripping and tried to apply it to my clothes. The guide would use washing soda, washing up liquid and borax ( i would use borax but I think it's illegal in the UK ).

My routine

110ml of washing soda -> Lots of washing up liquid -> soak for 3 hours

110ml of washing soda -> Lots of washing up liquid -> Soak for 3 hours

110ml of washing soda -> Lots of washing up liquid -> Soak for 3 hours

one scoop oxi bleach -> Soak one hour

Vinegar wter rinse in washing machine

Result: bad smell

Second time ( much harder now that I'm in student accommodation )

110ml of washing soda -> Lots of washing up liquid -> Soak for 3 hours

110ml of washing soda -> Lots of washing up liquid -> Soak for 3 hours

one and a half scoop oxi bleach -> Lots of washing liquid -> Soak 3-4 hours -> Rinse with vinegar

Two detergent pods -> 100ml washing soda -> 30 minute clean

Result: bad smell with perfume trying to cover it

I'm honestly out of ideas now. It's really hard to hand wash in uni using a baby bath tub. My clothes stink and it's embarrassing to stand near people.

Are there any places where I can take my clothes to professionals to clean in the UK?

I forgot to mention I've been using lots of oils. The smell originally appeared when I started using coconut oil for my eczema, then I switched to Shea butter or soybean oil. This is the rancid smell that I can't get rid of.

So the smell is from these oils. If you are putting oil on your skin, try wearing a cotton undergarment close to your skin and under your regular clothes. Then the clothes won't get the oil on them.

If it's oil then the only thing I can see is dishwasher cleaner. Soak them in that, but I've no understanding how it would impact the material.

Have you tried giving the washing machine itself a good clean?

When I have had oil stains the only thing that properly gets them out is old soap like Sunlight Soap, not sure if this might work for the oil smell on the clothes too? The packet says it can be used for laundry

Please don't use those oils for your eczema - go to the GP and ask for a steroid and a tub of Cetraben. Honestly if you keep using vegetable oils you will get an infection since it sounds like the oils are going rancid. Cetraben won't make your clothes smell.

Bluntness, I was using dishwasher powder for a few weeks and it took out oil stains well and didn't seem to impact the colour. However my DH did seem to get an allergy possibly related to it so if the OP has eczema they would definitely need to be machine washed after with normal clothes detergent to get rid of any powder residue.

If you use pods or liquid detergent rather than laundry powder, they don't contain any bleach and gunk up your machine, which can lead to smelly clothes.

Try using daz from a box. Give them an extra rinse and fast spin and dry as quickly as possible.

A d get your eczema treated, if it's that bad.

Have you tried cleaning your washing machine? 90° cycle with a squirt of bleach?

I'd buy some stain deveils or whatever specifically for oils and follow the instructions.

I'd also do a pre wash in the machine and and wash at 60c or hotter.

And try line drying in the sun (even weak winter sun will have a bleaching effect)

Use washing powder and Napisan, wash on 60c.

Are you using the oils on your skin? If so it’s probably a build up of that on your clothes.

Your problem is the 40 degrees. It's not hot enough to kill the smell bacteria. Try at 60 degrees, ensure they dry properly and I suspect this will do the trick.

Also have just seen the thing about you using oils. Yes, hot wash is the answer!

Yeah I would take your clothes to a launderette (in case your machine has build up in it or not working properly) and wash them with bio powder on 60. The larger drum should also enable them to be rinsed more thoroughly.

With eczema, you should be washing at 60 degrees in case it is exacerbated by dust mite.

You can get ‘skinnies’ garments on prescription from gp to use as underclothes. This will stop your clothes getting so greasy.

Even with standard petrochemical emollients, clothes can get a greasy build up, it just doesn’t smell.

Do you know what your triggers are for eczema? How widespread is it? You may need to be careful with bio products and scented products.

I found washing fewer items in the machine and grating simple soap (or using liquid soap flakes). Got the grease out best, but basically the emollients ruined clothes, and for a child it wasn’t so bad as they were replaced as she grew.

Do you use soap or shower gel?

I use fairy dish soap

Try biological powder

I will check it out and yes the washing machine at my new accommodation is brand new

''Why are you using washing up liquid? Do you mean laundry detergent, or are you talking about fairy liquid?
I don’t want to offend you, but are you sure the smell is as bad as you think?

Yes I'm using fairy. Dish soap is essentially the same as detergent ( it's a surfactant ) but detergent contains water softeners and perfumes. It's generally regarded online as something good to use if your clothes stink.
I can say for a fact that it smells and I'm not imagining it.

''Are all you clothes synthetic?''

Due to my eczema, everything is 100% cotton

''Also if you drink coffee / red bull etc the caffeine makes you sweat and it smells and can be really impoasible to get rid of''

I only drink green tea and water. I sweat in bed but I don't think the lingering smell is from sweat but the oils I use to moisturise

''So the smell is from these oils. If you are putting oil on your skin, try wearing a cotton undergarment close to your skin''

Yep, I always wear t shirts. Trouble is, those still get dirty and I can see, from hand washing, that the grimey goes to everything else anyways when washing.

''If it's oil then the only thing I can see is dishwasher cleaner''

That's what I've been using.. it's not working

''Have you tried giving the washing machine itself a good clean?''

My accommodation is brand new so nothing wrong in the washing machine department

''Please don't use those oils for your eczema''

It has been working well for me, much better than the steroids and moisturisers I've been prescribed in the past

''Even with standard petrochemical emollients, clothes can get a greasy build up, it just doesn’t smell.

Do you know what your triggers are for eczema? How widespread is it? You may need to be careful with bio products and scented products.''

Parrafin moisturisers in the past would only work temporarily. I understand that they don't smell but parrafin, derived from crude oil, doesn't match the natural composition of the skin and is just a temporary fix. I have pretty bad eczema, since I've been born but this is another issue and Im concerned with the smell at the moment

''Op, how about dry cleaning or asking about it at the local dry cleaners?''

That's the type of service I have been looking for but I'm worried dry cleaners just do basic cleans for suits ect

--

So allot of people have said it's the washing machines that may be dirty. I can 100% say that's not the case.

The highest temperature my accommodation washers can go is 40-50 sadly.

Thank you for all the replies but I think I'm going to give up

If the smell is from oil retained on your clothes then the solvents used in dry cleaning might well do a better job of removing it than water + detergent.

Expensive though... Maybe try the stinkiest item and see if it helps?

Have you got any idea what products they use?

You need biological detergent. The enzymes in it will break down the oil.

Suggest taking a load of washing to a mate / family member with a machine that will do hot washes, and running it through at 60. If it resolves the problem at least you know the way forward and can take some stuff to the laundrette?