Help please! How do I get the smell out of my clothes? So fed up with this...

[RoseC]

We live in a flat and DP hates me drying the clothes in the living room. The only other room with enough space for airers is our bedroom so over the summer I put them in there with the windows open (they smelt and didn't dry if I didn't open the windows/place them in the sunshine). They will have to go back into the living room now as they are causing condensation on the windows.

I read the smelly clothes in winter thread yesterday so I think I know where I'm going wrong to make them smell (too many clothes on an airer, not enough heat, too much laundry liquid) but I have a bundle of clothes that, despite being on the airer for four days, reek and I don't know what to do.

Last time I fabreezed them but it took ages and I have too many now.

I have: 2x light jumpers/cardigan, 2x heavy jumpers (these are still wet), 1x heavy wool dress that I can't ruin as I need it this winter & can't afford to replace it, 3x pairs jeans.

All smell (either mouldy or sour) and some are still damp/wet.

Does anybody have any great tips for making them smell good again please? I have fabreeze and I can wash them again (using Aldi liquid [colours] or Ariel powder [whites/household]).

I'm so fed up with smelly clothes. I seem to be forever fabreezing things and washing them again :(

Wash them again, invest in a dehumidifier if you can. After washing them you could put them on a high spin cycle . When you replace your washing machine ,try and buy one with a high spin cycle as that makes a big difference as to how wet the clothes are when they come out . People on this thread have used the lakeland heated towel rack which is not expensive to run ? If none of these things are an option I would wash them again and then put them in the bedroom with the window open and that will help.

i have the same problem as you, OP, and a neverending pile of laundry. I've got this in the bathroom, which is good for the smaller and lighter clothes. And I put a clothes horse over the bath for the larger and heavier stuff, or put things on hangers on the shower rail. Then the bathroom window is constantly open, with a draught excluder in front of the door. when the heating is on, I close the window to make a 'hot air room' to speed up the drying too. I am very tempted by one of those Lakeland things though but am still wondering whether the cost justifies it...also I have been wondering whether I could squeeze a tumble drier in to the corner of the bedroom...but then I think that that would mean I am being driven mad by this problem!

I think it can really depend what powder you use.

We switched to a sensitive liquid because of dd's skin but found that our clothes all smelt really musty and the ordinary non-bio then wouldn't get rid of the smell. I had to wash everything about twice in bio powder and dry straight away, if you don't have a tumble to finish the drying then an airing cupboard or even ironing then can help.

I would also recommend giving your washing machine a good clean. Use white vinegar (you can get cheap, non-food grade vinegar in places like Savers) and scrub the detergent drawer, then put about 100mls into the drum and put on the hottest, longest cycle. It really makes a difference.

Good luck! I hate laundry and struggle to get any enthusiasm for it, so I often have to have huge sessions which often result in getting rid of mustyness :o

Forgot to mention the snell thing. With the constant air through the window, the clothes don't end up smelling. They'll only smell if I have taken too long to take them out of the machine (because I've washed another batch before the next ones are dry!!). I don't know if it's a cheat or not but I do use fabric conditioner too, which gives the clothes a "clean" smell. The Tesco slow release one is very good.

Agree with Dedalus you need to use bio powder if clothes are smelly.

could you squeeze in a tumble dryer? I bought a compact one recently (White Knight brand) and it's great - very small and really efficient.

Don't keep spraying with Febreeze - you will just be 'locking' the smells in rather than getting rid of them.

I'm sorry your DP doesn't like you drying clothes in the living room, but the fact is that you have to get them dry as quickly as possible! He will just have to lump it I think

Things like sweaters do take a long time to dry, and they're not things you can put in a tumble drier, so being able to hang them near the radiators will be important, so that there is heat to help them dry.

Stuff like jeans - why not find out where your local launderette is and put them in their driers? A dry doesn't take long and those machines are usually pretty efficient.

Thank you everyone, I wasn't expecting so many responses

I put a load on this morning (non smelly) and have used less powder and put them on for an extra spin. I had thought that spinning them at a higher frequency destroys the fabric - is this true?

We do have a 'condensing drier' whatever that is. I have used it twice (we rent so can't buy any appliances - no room left) and found it useless. I dried a load yesterday because I was so fed up with the situation and some tea towels and two bath towels took at least three hours (!) to dry. On the plus side it made the utility cupboard really warm so I may squeeze an airer in there if I get too many complaints from DP. Don't really want to use the drier if I can help it for cost and environmental reasons.

The Lakeland things look amazing although I will wait until I'm bringing some money in before I look into getting one. If I ask DP to spend £70 on a new airer I'll get the face.

We also have storage heaters and they don't seem as effective as normal ones (first time I've had them) so I'll try a combination of everything you've suggested. The Ariel powder I have is bio so I'll wash the smelly stuff in that and not fabreeze them.

Thank you! I was really beginning to despair

I think it's just from not getting clothes dry enough quickly. I put on a night shirt I had left to dry over the banisters last night and it smelled RANK, we haven't had the heating on much as it hasn't been that cold so it took longer to dry than normal.

Oh and give your machine a blast with some soda crystals and a hot wash every so often.

an extra/higher spin does less damage to the clothes than tumble dryer.

condensing dryer means that the water from the clothes is not vented through a window/hole in the wall but collected in a tank or piped out with the w/m pipes you need to empty the tank regularly or it will not dry properly.

it sounds as if your dh should be on laundry duty for a fortnight. I bet after that he is very willing to spend money on a proper airer or dehumidifier,

It will be more costly for you and the environment having to keep rewashing clothes.

I would use the drier for towels, linen, cotton underwear, socks, etc. And reuse the excess heat to dry other clothing.

You have too many thick and heavy clothes on the airer. You need open windows and fresh air to air out condensation, and heat.
Can you dry over radiators?
Can you keep the airer in the living room till your dh comes home from work?
Can you have two airers? One in the linen cupboard, and one in the backroom?

We've got a condenser tumble dryer, and like mousy says, the water is collected in a tank in the dryer which you have to empty very regularly. I don't use mine that often, but when I really do have to, I thank my lucky stars I've got it! Check your ones innards, maybe it just needs emptying - mine certainly doesn't take anything like that to dry a load of towels!

Re: the condenser dryer- have you checked the filters as well as emptying the condenser drawer? It can make a huge and surprising difference if they haven't been cleaned. Is it the landlord's? If so, and you have no luck with the filters etc, get him to sort it out. Then tumble dry just what you need to (because it is expensive to run)- heavier stuff to damp dry, for instance.

I empty my condenser after every wash.

Thank you! I don't think I've ever emptied the condenser

If I do a wash the condenser is full - if it's not where is the water going? Eeek!

I have found that cutting down the size of my load makes a big difference to keeping them fresh-smelling ie fewer clothes in the machine.

Yes you need to empty the tank! I empty after every second load. You also need to de-fluff the vent. In mine it is in the door - you just lift it out and take the fluff off.

I am using mine much more than I am happy with at the moment but we have a boiler room which I am about to put a hanging rack in and I will have space for a clothes horse too.

I would agree that you need to leave space between things for air to circulate to dry properly.

Okay, I think the condenser was the issue with the 3hr drying episode. Had a mini Niagara when I took out the tank (and had to call the landlord to find out what to do... luckily she is lovely).

Currently I have an airer next to the living room radiator, one next to the hall radiator and a row of socks on another. Fingers crossed!

If DP complains I'll tell him I got the ideas from MN... this website terrifies him

Get another airer, tumble dry everything that doesn't need ironing, use Napisan in with the washing powder to kill germs that make the clothes smell. Only wash a few large things at a time, don't overstuff the machine. Would it be cheaper to use a laundrette?

You need to check the fluff/lint filter as well - the filter and the tank should be done after every usage. No wonder it was taking 3 hours!

Rose

Check all the filters, mine has one in the door, below the door (you need a knife or similar to prise it open, and two small ones where the seal is. You need to keep them clear or else there is a fire risk.

I have cleared the (only?) filter in the door. It's the only one the landlord told us about. I don't think from looking at the machine that there are any others as everything is smooth plastic/metal but I will google the machine and check.

Thanks for suggesting other filters though as I hadn't thought of it and had forgotten about the fire risk. I've only used university dryers and my Mum's before, all of which were normal and easy to open or cleaned for me.

You may need to clean the condenser as well as cleaning the fluff filters and emptying the tank. The condenser is a thing with lots of metal layers. Sometimes you can pull them out and blast them under the shower, sometimes you need to hoover them in situ. Google the instruction manual for your machine. If it is taking a long time to dry things it is likely the condenser needs cleaning, rather than anything to do with the fluff filter or the water reservoir.