Laundry.. just want to smell nice and fresh

[catindahat]

Hi there,
I've noticed that my laundry doesn't smell as fresh as it should, and my children have mentioned that their friends' clothes always smell amazing. I don't feel comfortable asking their parents what laundry brand they use, so I thought I'd ask here instead. Can anyone recommend a laundry brand that leaves clothes smelling great? Does fabric softener play an important role in achieving this? Thanks in advance for your help!

Do you line dry? I find there's too much emphasis on fabric softeners and 'smelly' detergents which only smell artificial, when there's nothing nicer and fresher than washing that's had a good blow on the line on a sunny day.

We just use Aldi's non-bio powder but have had a couple of people ask what it was cause the liked the smell. Are you remembering to run your machine's washing cycle regularly too?

I think the key is in how you dry it , I know space & cost is an issue , but either line dry or tumble dry . Leaving washing to dry slowly indoors unfortunately does produce a less than fresh smell quite often . I do use fabric softener with every wash and am partial to lenor gold orchid which is vanilla based . ( Yes shoot me I use it for towels too).

When washing bedding I dilute some of that Zoflora and put in the machine tray.

If you have to dry indoors the outdoorables fabric softener is really good! I also change my softener every time so you don't get used to the smell.

My son's friend always smelled really strongly of a lovely detergent. I thought sod it and asked his mum at the school gates.
It was Bold 2in1 Gold something or other gel.
Now I use it and my laundry is strong smelling and lovely for days too.

I think several things make a dofference;

Use powder not gel or liquid or capsules.
Use a full dose, or less if you get too manny suds, but you should have some suds.
Spin on the highest speed possible so they dry quicker.
Dry outside on a line or inside with a dehumidifier. Key is to dry as fast as possible.

Blue lenor is what makes mine smelll nice

I just use pods and clothes always come out smelling fresh. I'm not a brand snob but I will only buy branded laundry products such as Bold, Ariel, Fairy or Persil because I've found shop's own brand don't have much of a scent and just aren't as good. You might need to put things on a hotter/ longer wash. My shortest cycle is 25 mins and it isn't enough to clean more soiled things.

Pods leave a stronger smell although I those big boxes of Ariel powder from Costco as it's cheaper and better for the machine. I also use fabric softener (yes, I am going to the fiery pits of hell) - usually the blue Lenor, but love the lavender Comfort (or maybe it's Lenor too..) when I can find it.

I find drying it quickly over the clothes horse on the landing where the heat rises and dries everything in no time, or outdoors on a warm day keeps the smell lasting longer.

Lenor unstoppables is a recent discovery of mine. It goes in the wash itself.

Washing things that are a bit more smelly on a hotter wash, don’t leave anything in the machine for too long after its been washed, line dry when possible, alternate between powder and liquid, give your machine a very hot cycle wash once a month to clear out odours. I use Ariel powder and liquid tabs and a lavender soft rinse .

I rotate fabric softeners every time so that we don't get used to the smell. I'm tempted to have two different detergents on the go too.

I love the giant pink boxes of surf powder. It smells lovely. I use the scent balls too. Love the smell of laundry

are they a bit musty?

Don’t overload the machine, do a hot wash when needed. I’m not a fan of fake laundry detergent smell myself but the outdoorables mentioned up thread might be worth a go.

I wonder how others do this too. We use powder and line dry but never have that smell

Fairy non bio pods and Outdoorable. Dried indoors or outside smells fab

I only use Bold 2 in 1 gel or Fairy powder. These are the only two I like the smell of.

I never use softener.

Always tumble or line dry. Or put over the radiator if the heatings on.

What's the best outdoorable scent?

Use a powder, always. The best is Ariel biological powder the smell is incredible and lasts for ages

I use Persil colours liquid with the new Fairy Outdoorables
Gentle and gorgeous scent

Think it’s called Spring Awakening? It’s in the blue bottle

Was coming to say this. The original and best. I've used all sorts over the years but come back to this.
Powder better than pods, though I have all in one pods for dh's work wear.
I'd also say temperature matters. I tried 30 degrees and it just doesn't smell clean.

I actually don’t like the strong smell of clothes. Surely those products must leave chemicals on the clothes. I think best is drying outside, and as quick as you can.

You'll prob find it's the huge amount of fabric conditioner, scent boosters and tumble drying.