Bedding Still Smells Bad

[WorryAndFret]

I had the rather unpleasant job of washing bedding of a family member who had wet the bed - the bedding had been in a bag for 2 days before washing so smelled pretty awful.

I washed it on a 60 degree wash with a biological washing liquid pod in the machine and a cap of the Dettol laundry disinfectant stuff in the fabric conditioner drawer

I did it on a short wash - though that wash still took 1 hour as it was hot water. Took it out - seemed to smell OK - took it to the laundrette, dried it in the dryer at a medium heat. Took it out and when I smelled the dry bedding it still smelled quite bad.

I put it in a machine at the laundrette - again washed it on a 60 degree wash (in the laundrette the longest wash only lasts half an hour) - put a biological pod in the machine - this time dried on the highest heat.

Bedding still doesn't smell right - I've had to bag it up and go home and am now feeling guilty in case I've contaminated one of their dryers.

If it's smelling bad does that mean it's still full of bacteria after having washed twice on 60 degrees and dried on a high heat?

Biological detergent uses enzymes to clean the laundry and are designed to be used for washes at 40 degrees or less, as heat denatures the enzymes and can make the cleaning much less effective. Might be worth washing again in a non bio detergent and see if they smell better. The bedding is unlikely to be full of bacteria but it sounds like the ammonia which causes the smell in urine hasn't been totally washed out.

Try washing in bio powder with zoflora in the fabric softener bit of the machine. Bio powder contains bleaches and also enzymes so should hopefully help

Thank you - I didn't realise that about the enzymes - I thought the higher heat would nuke everything! I'll have to go back to the laundrette another day. Now fretting about the clothes I'm wearing as the bedding rubbed against them as I was folding everything up - do you reckon the high heat will at least have killed any germs?

I have contamination OCD which I'm trying not to pander to - panicking that I've contaminated the dryer at the laundrette and the clothes and coat I was wearing got contaminated when I folded everything up after drying. Got some high stress family stuff going on atm which isn't helping!

I think I’d bin it buy new. If it happens again I’d use powder and a 3 hour wash.

Try white vinegar at 40 with your pods you need quite a big "skoosh" of vinegar you can put it in the machine conditioner bit, or direct in the drum.

You needed to wash the bedding alone. Try a longer cycle and more powder in the load along with comfort.

Do you have anywhere you can hang it outside? I would hang it out for 24hrs, even if it is raining, sunlight works magic!

I might try the laundry on the line for 24 hours - seems counter intuitive because there's a lot of rain forecast in the next few days. Then I'll try a long wash at a lower heat with maybe some vinegar.

Still panicking that I might have contaminated the dryer at the laundrette - don't really know what to do about it. Similar the clothes I'm wearing

Don't worry about the washer. Think hanging outside for a bit is a great idea- needs some fresh air!

They clean out dryers try and not worry about it

Trouble with short washes is that at least half the time is taken up with rinses. You need a long hot wash. I'd be tempted to do a 90 degrees cottons wash to be honest.

White vinegar will lift the smell out but might need doing twice.

Also try putting some white vinegar in the final rinse. (Instead of fabric conditioner, which may be holding the stink in as well…) Vinegar is acidic and helps neutralize the ammonia smell of wee because it’s alkaline. It also (reportedly) loosens up the fibers of the fabric which allow it to rinse cleaner. Personally wouldn’t be above hurling some bicarb soda in with the washing powder either.

Too late now, but if it happens again consider soaking the sheet in something like Milton at room temperature before washing. My mother & grandmother always soaked Terry nappies in this before washing and they never smelled of wee once washed. I would also avoid fabric conditioners, including all-in-one pods, as the chemicals coat the fibres of the clothing and the scents can mask underlying smells making it difficult to know if it's clean or not.

High, dry temperatures can sometimes "fix" stains and smells into fabric, which is why line drying in the sun can also be better than tumble dryers, although that's not much help with current weather conditions.

You won't have contaminated anything - the water, detergent and temperatures will have dealt with any bacteria and viruses in your other clothes and the machines. The smell will be coming from ammonia type compounds embedded in the sheet. The good news is that ammonia is volatile, meaning that it will eventually fade over time. Repeat washing and a good airing will fix this.

Powder wash, with a prewash on 40’
x 2

But if you have washed and dried at laundrette and going to do all that again

Would it not be cheaper to buy new?

Thank you, kind people! I really appreciate you taking the time to post

90 degree long wash ( mine can do upto. 3 hours) add extra detergent and some Napisan. Fabric softener to the rinse cycle. Line dry in sun if possible.

The drier nor yoir clothes are contaminated. Smells are not germs.

another suggesting rinse in white vinegar as part of wash cycle. Agree may need 2 washes with it. If still bad - chuck the lot and start with new