Question about armpit smell in clothes after washing

[Flamingoose]

Are man-made fibers more likely to retain BO smell in clothes? Should I look for cotton or wool instead?

Or is it likely to be my washing powder? Could try a fiercer powder?

Or time to get a new washing machine?

Help!!

I have this and it is all in cotton tops, so I don't think fabric type makes a difference. I'm sure someone will have some tips for washing it away.

I use detol antibac in wash liquid...tbh I bought it as it was on bargain offer at Costco and thought it might be good for teen school shirts and socks! It is pretty good and it does really help.

I’ve not this but I do tend to use napisan in all my washes.

Is detol antibac the same as Zoflora? I tried a wash with a cap of zoflora in and you can still smell the armpit. It's very slight, but the trouble is once I wear it for an hour and warm it up, I fecking reek.

Just spray a bit of white vinegar or rub some soap on the spot before washing.

I don't know tbh, it comes in a big bottle like fabric conditioner but it is much thinner liquid. It goes in with the fabcon (similar kind of quantity) so just rinses through at the end. It is specifically designed for putting in with clothes, and I have definitely noticed a difference with freshness of the clothes I use it with.

bio powder & vinegar (the clear distilled kind) in the softener compartment works well.

don't really notice much difference in the kind of fabric. apart from being able to hot wash (60 degrees) pure cotton which kills the smelly germs all dead.

plus drying quickly, not leaving it festering.

White vinegar in the drawer. Makes a big difference.

And yes to drying it quickly.

Bio powder and vinegar it is.

Will also investigate how hot the washes currently are.

Thank you all.

I find some polyester fibres are the worst for this. Maybe try soaking it in the dettol for a few hours pre-wash?

I use bio and started doing so whilst using washable nappies as non-bio didn't kill the smell of wee!!
Drying outside also helps smells to dissipate.
If you sweat a lot try Perspirex which stops it.

To prevent in future, try swapping from shower gel to real bar soap. (you might have already done this)
It's made such a difference to my whiffy pits.

Make a thick paste with white vinegar and bicarb, leave on overnight, wash.
Avoid synthetic fibres.

I've found that sythetics and tightly-woven cotton (my Muji rcycled cotton tops were infamous) are the worst for retaining armpit odour. I put a capful of liquid detergent on the pits (tops turned inside-out) and let them sit a while before washing. Only do this if your detergent is mild (I use Ecover) as some fabrics can lighten where straight detergent has been applied. I tried the vinegar thing and it didn't work for me but horses for courses.

Are you getting a waxy film on the pits from deodorant? That can sort of seal in the odour. I never found a way to remove the film (had to throw out the tops) but now that I use a non-aluminium deodorant it doesn't happen anymore.

Are you using enough detergent, according to pack instructions?
I use 2 Persil capsules in my wash, as it's a large capacity machine.

I have never had this anyone's clothes not even dh's gym clothes and when he gets home his t-shirt is very damp with sweat. Do you think your problem could be leaving it to festa in the laundry basket to long before washing? I am fortunate as I have time to empty the wash basket daily.

If you use fabric softener ditch it. All it does is put a thin slimy film over the fibres, giving the illusion fabrics softer whilst allowing bacteria to breed and smell to build up.

Bio powder (not liquid), 40°C wash is best for getting clothes truly clean.

White vinegar (the clear, distilled malt type) in the fabric softener draw is great when washing anything particularly smelly (and has the added bonus of preventing your washing machine from developing mould). Don't worry you can't smell the vinegar on clothes once they are washed.

For white clothes I also add soda crystals to the wash (straight in the drum). I don't do it on a colours wash though, unless I've got something extremely smelly as soda crystals can dull/fade colours a little.

I used to have this and sprayed the pits (on the clothes!) with Vanish, before washing.
Like a pp, it hasn't happened since I started showering with bar soap.

A lot of my clothes are 30 degree wash only and we use non bio due to sensitive skin so lots of my dresses had underarm smell. Using dettol laundry cleanser has stopped it completely. Tesco and Morrison’s do their own versions which seem pretty much the same. It kills the bacteria which I believe is what causes the smell. Definitely worth a try!

Wash on 60 degrees sorts it out for me. The type of powder makes no difference.

I have this problem too, but it's only with 1 top

Obviously its the one that i like and wear all the time

Just seconding a number of suggestions.
Wash armpits with proper soap.
Fabric conditioner coats the fabric and causes weird smells.
Vinegar in the wash is great for refreshing (there will be no odour).

My dd’s school jumpers and dh’s work top retain their smells I found putting a cap of zoflora in with the normal detergent stops it. I expect white vinegar would work just as well.

Spray a tiny amount of vodka on to the inside underarm area of the garment to get rid of any odours.
This also gets deodorant stains off tops too.
This has been suggested by MNetters on past threads as vodka has antibacterial properties.
I have a mini spray bottle filled with neat vodka that lives with the rest of the laundry stuff under the sink.