Mumsnet users' tips for making clothes smell great

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It can be difficult to ensure that clothes always smell good - especially if you have messy toddlers or teenagers that leave P.E kit in bags for weeks. Fairy Non Bio would like you to share your tips for making sure your clothes smell great.

Here’s what Fairy Non Bio has to say: “At Fairy Non Bio, we know that even if you have very sensitive skin, you still want that freshly washed smell on your clothes and fabrics. We have perfected our formula on our detergents and fabric conditioner so that you don’t have to compromise on either. We want to know your tips for great smelling clothes!”

Do you have a way of storing your clothes that means they don’t pick up nasty odours between wash and wear? Maybe your family has a laundry routine that prevents clothes from ever reaching a smelly stage? Perhaps you have a favourite product that’s become your family’s signature clothing scent?

Whatever tips for making sure clothes smell great, share them on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Keep your washing machine clean and dry your washing outside on the line.

I never leave clothes for longer than an hour (max) in the morning washing machine after the load is done. Otherwise they begin to smell stale. I always prefer line drying where possible.

Dry on the line outside in the fresh air & when storing clothes or hanging them up in a wardrobe always have some bags of lavender with them. They then smell very fresh

We had a terrible problem with our washing machine leaving clothes smelling awful, no matter what we used (and we tried a lot of things). We changed the washing machine, and I always spray the seal with antibact spray after each use to avoid mildew (the supplier recommended this). I use a non-bio washing liquid, and line dry if possible, tumble dry if not. Occasionally I use a fabric conditioner or one of those tumble dryer sheets. Laundry always smells nice (In fact, I returned a borrowed item to DD's friends mum, and she commented on how much she liked the smell of our laundry!

i hunt out pe kits every weekend so that they definitely get washed
swimming kits have to be emptied out same day or responsible person gets banned from the wifi
all clothes get put into the basket at the end of the day on dire warning of maternal retribution (don't piss off the person who cooks the dinner)

I try really hard to take things out of the machine as soon as they're finished (use the timer and alarm so I'm definitely in).

If anything is damp or mouldy-smelly before it goes in teh machine it gets washed with bio stuff, then washed again with non-bio because I don't actually like the smell of the bio but it kills the mould smell.

i don't line dry (wish I could), but don't add anythinng to the tumbled dryer. the only time I've ever left stuff wet in teh tumble dryer, I put a cloth steeped in bicarb of soda into the dryer and dryed it with that on, so the drum stopped smelling and the washing wouldn't "catch it".

for stuff that smells sweaty before it goes in (hello DH) i've sometimes used stain remover on the armpits before it goes in.

Line drying - lovely and fresh!

We make sure we keep the washing machine clean by doing a hot wash with white vinegar every few months. Most clothes go in at 30 or 40 degrees but I have to use hotter temperatures for things like gym clothes or bedding.

Line drying and folding them away helps. But I do keep changing my washing liquid and softener in the search for that elusive amazing smell everyone else seems to have. My laundry smells quite rubbish in comparison.

Drying outside makes such a difference

Don’t leave wet clothes for too long in the washing machine otherwise they smell musty. Line dry where possible.

Hang outside
In winter if drying inside try and turn frequently.

My son does his own washing and has since he was about 12 - I got fed up of finding clean clothes thrown across his room so he’s become very domesticated. So I avoid his room! Football boots go in a shed by the front door until they get cleaned!
I’d love to dry on the line as it can smell fresher but I’m disabled and struggle to take it out so use the dryer (and we suffer allergies!)
We use comfort pure to keep clothes smelling fresh longer

The wind seems to add the fresh scent of the outdoors. I only just recently learnt that line drying also continues the cleaning process - more stain gets 'bleached' out by the sun. Best thing I do is to allow plenty of time for drying a load (and to allow me plenty of time to get round to hanging it out too!). My partner will put a load on and then leave it there for at least a day, the record is 3 days so far! Urgh, I 'broke' in the end and re-washed and hung them for him as I needed the machine!

Drying outside wherever possible - can't beat the fresh off the line smell.

Drying washing on the line outside or on a rack in the conservatory.
If things make it to the airing cupboard or wardrobes (rather than staying on the drying rack for 3 days until they are needed) then we have plenty of lavender bags and drawers/doors are kept slightly open to allow the air to flow around.

Always hang out the minute the machine has finished if possible. If left damp they can start to smell. I use the timer so that it finishes at a convenient time. If I do forget, run a quick rinse cycle to freshen them up. As pp have said, line drying is best. If I hang them indoors I use the dehumidifier so they dry quicker.

Keep the washing machine door open between washes.
Don't leave the clothes in there too long after a cycle ends.
Line drying.
Home grown lavender, dried out, made into drawer sachets! Lush.

In the summer it’s good old fresh air. In the winter I put the clothes hanging in the airing cupboard or on the heated airer. I also spray my clothes with vanilla spray and it takes the horrible damp smell away.

Agree with line drying, a bonus of this weather

Get the clothes out the machine as soon as it finishes. Leaving them damp before drying just makes them smell musty.

Fabric softener, laundry cleanser, scent boosters and line drying on a sunny day x

Thanks for your comments - the winner of the prize draw is @ThenBellaDidSomethingVeryKind