Old bedding smelling funky even after a wash.

[FatAndFiftySomething]

As the title, really. It gets washed in a machine at 60 degrees, line dried, washed with powder, no fabric conditioner.

Machine does regular 60 degree washes so is clean. Other fabrics eg clothes and newer bedding doesn’t have the same problem.

The bedding I’m talking about is maybe 20ish years old or possibly a bit older. I don’t want to get rid of it because there’s plenty of life left in it.

Any ideas?

And, apologies for such a dull post.

Just because its old, it does not mean it needs to smell or be get rid of. Most of bedding in my family is older than 20 years. Some are inherited after my grandmother and greatgrandmother I think, meaning its over 70 years old. Lives in a countryhouse that is not lived in during winter.

I wash poly cotton on 30 degrees and it’s fine. 60 sounds too high.I only use that occasion for cotton towels and tea towels.
OP do you empty the filter at the bottom of your washing machine occasionally? That can harbour smelly water.

Also, give any old towels and bedding you don’t want to your local animal sanctuary, they can never get enough.

Soak in Oxy or similar for a couple of hours before washing. For some reason I was finding bath mat smelling nasty and not totally gone after normal wash a pre-soak in Oxy and all smells gone.