Adult puke smelling clothes - please help!

[Bloopbleep]

I have a problem with my denims always smelling like vomit after having been washed. I suspect they were left damp for too long once upon a time and have never recovered no matter how many times or how hot I wash them or whether they're hung out to dry or tumble dried. They go into my drawers smelling like detergent and come out smelling like puke but it's only my trousers and one jumper. Not everything in the drawer smells so I don't think it's dampness in the room and other drawers are unaffected. Before I throw every pair of denims I own out, is there some secret I'm unaware of that would remove the smell of vomit? Would washing in bicarb damage the machine or the denim itself? Would it even make a difference?

I've tried scented drawers liners and putting bars of soap in and cedar blocks and spraying with vinegar (don't try that if you plan on wearing them!) - I use a dehumidifier just in case, but there is still eau de puke on my clothes :(

Please Help!

When i was a teenager my family used ecover powder and conditioner. I had to insist my mum stop with the conditioner, as it made the clothes smell so disgusting. Could it be what you are washing them in goes 'off' after a while?

Bloop is there a conclusion as to which method worked best? DH took a beloved hoody to his sister's house last winter, and after leaving it in a damp room for 2 days we've never managed to quite shift the smell.

Janek - I tried a variety of powders all with the same result and it's only ever the denims so I don't think it's related to which detergent.

Robberbride - so far everything has worked but the bicarb wash has lost its detergent smell quicker so they may be about to turn :/

Still no puke smell from any of the clothes. I think we've sorted it. Thank you everyone for your ideas :)

HG do a textile spray that removes all unpleasant odors from clothing so this should help get rid of the puke smell.

Bloop and other vinegar people - how hot is hot? What's your technique?

I didn't use vinegar as last experience left everything reeling of vinegar for weeks. I did 3 washes and used bicarbonate of soda in one and two different disinfectants in the other. My machine will only wash up to 60 and it seems to do the job fine. Quite a lot of materials wouldn't really survive a 90wash as they'd shrink

I get this smell on DH's dressing gowns. He is very, very clean. None of his other clothes do. They are both synthetic velour. They don't smell like it after being washed, but will do after a few days. And it's a definite vomit smell.

Penelope I can't recommend enough the stuff mentioned upthread. All three things tried have worked wonders and the denims aren't smelly at all

Thanks so much Bloop for this thread - the bicarb of soda at 60 degrees seemed to work!

yay robber - we shall rid the world of puke smelling clothes one garment at a time ;)

If your clean laundry smells like vomit when you put it on, it is because your clothing is NOT CLEAN. The bacteria have not been killed. The front loading HE washers have reduced the water use so much and the push for cold water wash has combined to cause inadequate killing of bacteria.
Yes you can clean your washer and you probably should.
Yes you can and should leave the washer door open to dry out between loads.
Yes you should wipe out the gasket to prevent mold.
But, the bottom line is the washer is not significantly killing bacteria in the clothing. You must use the hot setting and you must experiment with vinegar and or baking soda with the loads until the problem is solved.
I never had the sour clean clothes smell problem with my old top loading washer, the clothes were cleaned adequately.