Son's clothes stink

[Knittingsavesme]

My son has come back to live with me and his clothes really smell. I think it stems from not being able to dry them properly when he lived with his DD and DSM. There were lots of rows about washing and how long his clothes were on the clothes airer so I think his clothes became stinky because they were stored damp.

Now he's living with me and I'm really struggling with the stink when his clothes are washed (not to mention the smell from them when they are hanging up to dry). Even new clothes seem to have become tainted by the old clothes. You can smell the horrible smell when he wears them. It's definitely not the washing machine because my clothes and my DP's clothes all smell lovely when washed!

Can anyone suggest anything that might help? I've tried using Dettol cleansing liquid that you add along with your normal washing liquid. It helped very slightly but not much and didn't solve the problem.

I'm wondering about soda crystals? Any advice would be very welcome.

Is he washing the clothes at the correct temperature? Different fabrics sometimes need different temperatures.

Is he using the correct amount of powder - too much is just as bad as too little.

Some fabrics (man-made synthetic ones) seem to hold on to smells more than others, eg sports kit, fleece hoodies, etc. It must be bad if the Dettol laundry cleanser isn't shifting it because I've found it gets rid of practically anything, including the smell of wet dog.

You could try vinegar in the wash or soak them in cold water (the longer the better) with soda crystals and then wash as normal.

When he hangs his washing on the rack how long does it take for them to dry? Sometimes if they are left to dry at a low temperature for a long period of time that can make them smell musty. I have a rack in my utility room for items which can't be put in the tumble drier - they dry really quickly because of the heat from the radiator beside the rack and the heat given out by the tumble drier.

Don't wash clothes with liquid - it doesn't contain the same bleaching agents as powder. Powder is more effective at killing bacteria.

I would wash all his stuff at as high a temperature as possible with a prewash, intensive wash and extra rinse with disinfectant in all three sections of the detergent compartment. Then tumble dry or dry outside on the line.

White distilled vinegar! It's in supermarkets for dead cheap for a big bottle.

Put about half a mug full (I use 2 of those rubbery cup things you get with laundry liquid) with the clothes in a cold wash.

Then do a normal wash with your normal laundry liquid/ powder etc.

Is amazing! All our towels had that smell, and after a wash after one use the smell would somehow reactivate. I was going to have to chuck them away til I tried the vinegar wash.

Have you tried hanging them up outside? Even if they don't dry then at least they should get aired.

Few drops of zoflora in the rinse cycle works for stinky student washing here.

Sounds like bacteria due to not drying properly.

Biological powder at 40 degrees & dry properly.

When husband has been away on business his clothes sometimes smell like this when hotel wash his clothes

Does the vinegar smell wear off before you wear things?
I use Soda Crystals dissolved in hot water to presoak some things, it's great to de-grease (my theory is : the oils and grease from the human skin should dissolve ) and no after smell.

IME washing at less than 60 will not get the foisty smell out. Once it's gone you can wash at normal temperature again.

Could be a build up of washing powder/deodorant in it which prevents them from washing effectively. Put them through a wash cycle with no detergent at all, and check to see if the water runs clear. If there are suds, it's a build up problem and they need stripping.

You could also try sports wash if a hotter wash with powder and/or vinegar doesn’t work.

Thank you for your replies.

I have an airer next to the radiator in my utility room. When they feel dry I transfer the clothes to the airing cupboard in the bathroom. They get very dry in there but the smell is awful. It's not a sweaty smell just stale and horrible. The clothes definitely get dry now but I think the problem is that they have t in the past.

Today, I got him to add a third of a packet of soda crystals to the wash and that really seems to have made a difference! They still whiff, but only slightly compared to usual. He gets very defensive so I'm treading carefully. He knows they smell but can't afford to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. (He works but doesn't earn a fortune.)

I'll add some white vinegar as well as the soda crystals to his next wash. He washes at 40 degrees and I am tempted to get him to do them at 60 degrees but I'm worried the clothes won't take that high a temperature.

As a one-off I would risk it - they are ruined anyway if they stink. That was the attitude I took when I had a foisty t-shirt. 50 degrees didn't work, 60 degrees did.

A good prewash with bicarb or washing soda with a good rinse in plenty of water and white vinegar as above. Airdry if possible but ensure it’s all properly dry. Shannon Lush shannonlush.com has more information if you choose.

Oh, yes, the vinegar smell does dissipate while drying. I use the method often. It’s particularly useful on towels and nappies instead of softener.

He washed at 60 with a third of a pack of soda crystals - hardly any smell left at all! Virtually indistinguishable in fact. I would have added white vinegar but didn't have any, despite thinking there was some in the cupboard.

Another wash in the same way will do it I think. I'll add white vinegar too. Thank you all for your help. This was really getting me down as I'd tried a number of things (as said in my OP). This has been going on for twelve months so I am indebted to soda crystals and your advice.

Do you have hard water? Soda crystals help to soften the water and make the detergent more effective because it dissolves better so that may have something to do with things too.

Wowfudge no, we're in a soft water area. Also my own clothes and those of my DP don't smell in the slightest. The problem, I think, has arisen because my son's clothes weren't dried properly in the past.

There’s a product called Halo which is amazing for getting smells out of clothes. It is designed for sports kit but is generally a brilliant product. Might be worth a try.

Thank you SunnyUpNorth. I'll have a look for it.

I use white vinegar in every wash. My other half had work shirts that stunk. I read up and tried loads of things, and the best thing that worked for me was white vinegar. I use it all the time now. Added bonus was when we had a guy round to fix something in the machine, he asked what I was using in our 7 year old machine, because the pipes were completely spotless, and I had no mould on the seal, or gunge that he was used to seeing! The machine still looks brand new! I pop the powder in, and squirt white vinegar down near the pipes, and start the wash straight away. The smell is never there after I take the washing out :)

To those using vinegar, where do you put it, in the drawer or straight into the drum?

I put the vinegar in the drawer. Then it cleans that too where the sludge usually appears. I still do a clean of the drawer now and again

How much vinegar do you put in?

A cupful.

Sorry, that should be 1/2 a cup. I put it in where the fabric conditioner normally goes.