My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Feedback About This Post:

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

To remove musty smell use a detergent with color safe bleach - works every time!

Post By Carole (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I tried all the usual solutions and kept hunting, until I found that the washer was not putting enough water in the tub. It was only putting about 2 gallons in when it should be about 5 for a normal wash. I have a whirlpool duel front load. I found this web page very helpful. It shows how to adjust the water level.
http://mikes-duet.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

Post By daviddds (Guest Post)

Laundry smelling like dog or musty smell

I read all the notes and comments, but never really saw one that suggested a "cure" except try vinegar or powdered soap instead of fabric softener or liquid soap. I spent a lot of money on this washer and dryer and it makes my clothes smell!

Editor's Note: Many have said that it is the design of the washers, look up "Smelly Clothes" here and you will find a lot more information.

Post By Brian (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I have been using dry soap with darks and I have not had the bad smell lately. Even cheap powder soap seems to work. I tried this because of the feedback about liquid soap having animal fat in it. My whites don't smell bad because I use bleach with them. So i just use liquid still with whites. Try powder, it may be as simple as that. Also, I am hooked on using white vinegar as a fabric softener. Not sure if it is helping, but it is an odor iliminator, so it makes sense.

Post By april (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I think I know what causes the bad smell in clothes. A couple of weeks ago we noticed that our clothes from the dryer had a chemical smell to them. Again yesterday we had that same smell. On doing some research this is what I found out. Yesterday we had a painter in the house using oil base paint. Needless to say the oder was very strong. Now when you use your dryer it sucks air from the inside of the house and blows it outside. If you have strong fumes (paint, dog, cooking etc.) in your home these would be pulled into your dryer and through your clothes.
The painter was here a couple weeks ago when we had the problem with the bad smelling clothes the first time. I am no rocket scientist but I think what would solve some of the problems is that you don't do laundry when your house smells bad.

Post By Genie (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

X-O Odor Neutralizer really does work to honestly take any odor out of fabrics. Hunters even use it for an odor mask, so you know it's good if animals can't even detect a human smell. Use XO in your wash cycle or immerse the clothes in a diluted gallon and soak before washing. Instead of using dryer sheets you can soak a towel in some XO and throw that in. This really works for those problem clothes that come out clean from the wash initially but then once again acquire that same smell when you wear them. You can find it at Xospray.com online as well as that qvc site. Good luck

Post By Wendell (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I don't know why exactly but my clothes do stink when I receive them already 'washed'. It sucks, but, can it be that it is because of where we keep our clothes too?
The thing is, my family likes to just keep my clothes inside a big plastic bag and without putting them in the drawers.
So, I am asking, can it be the bags that make my clothes so vulnerable to 'icky' smells?
Or can it still be that it is something else?
Anything about my questions would be appreciated. ^-^

Post By StarsOnmeShoes (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

If bleach, baking soda, ammonia, vinegar, etc. don't take away the odor there is a washing machine cleaner called called "Purewasher" that guarantees to remove washer fungus odor and mildew smell from towels and clothes. One order lasted me for over a year and I've been doing monthly maintenance washes just to make sure the odor didn't come back! Their website is www.smellywasher.com

Post By Jacqueline (Guest Post)

stinky clothes and smell coming from the washer

I came here looking for help for my stinky clothes. It started out my Egyptian cotton towels smelled as soon as we got them as a gift (mom smokes). Don't know if that is relevant, but anything that comes from her house is contaminated with musty smoke. I hate getting anything cloth from her as a gift. She doesn't believe in opening windows. I used to smoke, but used the window to ventilate. Anyway that started as the first problem noticed. Then we noticed some of our shirts smelled like a sewer or something. We tried washing them as much as 3x, but to no avail. Now the whole laundry area smells like a dead animal or a sewer. We have tried every soap- febreze you name it on the market. I did the borax -vinegar-pinesol thing, it only helps a little. Maybe my clothes are too far gone now. Any help is appreciated.

Post By bassman (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Our clothes seem to have a slight chemical smell and sometimes a doggy smell (we don't have a dog.) We have a Kenmore Elite, which is a Neptune-like washer and dryer. I have tried different things like leaving the door opened when not in use, adding vinegar to the wash, baking soda, bleach, hotter water, Simple Green, Lysol, extra rinse cycle, etc. (they all help a little, although I think Simple Green makes them smell the best.)

Last week, when I was taking the washed clothes to the dryer I noticed a sock hanging out of the rubber gasket between the drum and the door. I turned down the gasket and found about six old, moldy socks that had gotten stuck behind the gasket for who knows how long. They had a terrible musty chemical smell to them. So, my suggestion is check out that big rubber gasket at the door and be prepared for some surprises.

I am not sure this totally solved the problem. These front loading washers make the clothes fibers and colors look better, I agree, but this smell thing has really got me puzzled. I will take the advice of some others now and stop using the Tide HE and maybe try reconstituted dry powder detergent. I am not giving up!

Post By Coco (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

We moved to Germany, where almost all washing machines are front loaders like the Neptune. Yes, there is always some water in the bottom. I do a 90° Celsius (almost boiling) was every once in a while to kill any bacteria/fungus, etc. We had a problem with only certain items, like workout and yard work clothes, and I washed them, long cycle, with detergent and 1/4 c. baking soda, and a vinegar rinse cycle. (one extra rinse, too). That really helped. Borax is OK, but can fade clothes and seems to be tough on the fabric fibers. Good luck. Oh, and ALWAYS leave the washing machine door open when not using it.

Post By Kare (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Use powdered soap, the animal fat in liquid detergents turns rancid. Use less that 1/3 of a cup of soap (use a kitchen measuring cup).

Post By help from an appliance store (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I googled "smelly laundry" and found the complaints for many are the musty or dog smell. I have a Neptune and it is just about 3 years old that we bought with our newly constructed home. So everything attached is new too. From day 1, if we don't IMMEDIATELY put our laundry in the dryer, we get the musty smell. So we always try to be on top of it and avoid that. BUt our smell has now moved on to a worse and a more disgusting problem. It smells like dead fish. But it is baffling us, because it doesn't seem to be associated with getting it into the dryer right away. At first the washing cycle would finish and you would open the washer and you would smell the dead fish smell immediately. Then we ran a bleach/vinegar/dishs oap cleaning solution through the machine 4 times, as well as flushing out our water softener and we have had some improvement and for awhile, thought maybe we cured our problem. But now we will do a load and we don't smell it until the clothing gets wet after being washed and dried. So my workout clothes smell good going on, but as soon as I start to sweat, they smell like dead fish! The same with our towels after using them out of the shower, hang them to dry, the smell like dead fish. We have called the City we live in thinking maybe it is the water. The dishwasher doesn't have that smell and the water coming out of the showers don't smell either. The puzzling thing is that it doesn't happen with EVERY load. I am ready to call in a professional, but which professional? The maytag repairman? WHO? Thanks for any input.

Post By RH (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Please check out "washing machine smell" listing on Thrify Fun. The stinky clothes are cause by mold and fungus that is not accessible to remove by hand (see postings that go into this in detail, and explanations of what may cause this). I've tried bleach with no luck, and regularly use vinegar. I've been reading about a product called Purewash http://www.smellywasher.com that I have not tried but am going to order. Several people on the link above say it has solved the smelly washer/clothes problem. Worth a try seeing as a new washer is much more expensive!

Post By erika b. (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I think I have finally found the answer to my bad smelling towels. Tide HE. I have several homes and I am know experience bad smelling towels in all the houses. The only thing in common is I have changed to HE from regular Tide and am going to switch back to regular tide.

Post By LisaHawkins (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Not sure if this is is the problem, but when I used my mother's Neptune while on vacation, I could still hear water around the drum if I turned it after the cycle. I think it's possible that there is water that sits in between cycles.

Post By Tab (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

before anyone spends money on borax and vinegar, i just want to say, it helps but doesnt eliminate from everything. now i am also adding regular dish soap and pine sol. that was another recomendation. i am beginning to wonder if there is a cure. to the guy who said to buy new clothes and get them dry cleaned, that would be nice but not very practical, for my family anyway! if anyone else has found a miracle cure for the musty smell, please post it. it may not even be "musty" its just not the right smell for clean clothes. thanks!

Post By april (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Hey I have the solution to your smell clothes problem. Buy new clothes and when they get dirty get them dry cleaned.

Post By john boy (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

And all along I thought it was just me smelling the "musty" odor, like it was something stuck in my nose. Then one day at work someone walked up and asked me if I washed my clothes or just rinsed them in water from day to day. What a great feeling?!

I am going to try the Borax and Vinegar this week and see how that works out. Heck, I am willing to wash my clothes in gasoline if it gets rid of the smell... J/K of course :)

Post By Mark (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

We too had the "musty, dog smell" on our laundry. we bought a new washer & dryer, changed out the venting & water lines & even threw out all the towels & sheets, starting fresh & new. But, alas, we still have the smell.... we then started to look at the actual item that was the problem & found that more times then not it was something made out of cotton & produced outside the US. Has anyone else found this to be true? Is it possable for cotton grown outside the US, (or grown here & shipped outside for production,) maybe using a different process/chemical production then before?
Anyone heard of this?

Post By BowdenBunch (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

i was looking around the internet and came across a site that someone mentioned using detergent designed for Hunters-- i looked around and saw a couple but i wondered where i could pick this stuff up locally TODAY without having to order online-- the stuff is called "Scent-Away" go figure... has anyone used this stuff?

Post By pvsully (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Can someone help me with the smell in my dryer? I just bought a Kennmore dryer 7 months ago and about 3 months ago I started noticing a dirty dog kind of smell coming from the dryer. My home is new and so is the dryer so what could be causing this oder? The clothes don't smell clean like they do when they come out of the washer. We use tide original laundry soap and snuggles liquid fabric softener. How can I clean the inside of the dryer? service address is suthrngurrrl AT yahoo.com for reply.

Editor's Note: Check the hose, there may be a lot of lint that is blocking the exhaust keeping the dryer from really drying the lint that collects there. Take a shop vac after removing the hose and vacuum as much as you can where the hose connects to the dryer and the hose itself.

Post By Cindy (Guest Post)

my dryer stinks!

hello all.

i've been a dogwalker for a few months and after my first week there was an incident involving my coat and a lot of diarrhea. we got most of it off before i got home, but i obviously wanted to clean it further. since that wash, the dryer always smells like dog, and the clothes do too. if i take them out immediately, it's not as bad but i often turn the dryer on at night right before i go to bed just due to lack of time for waiting.

does anyone have a solution for getting a smell out of a dryer? if so, i would love it if you emailed me at jessimocha (at) gmail (dot) com

Post By jessie rose (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Our clothes no matter what smell like wet musty towels. We do not have any type of water softner system in our home. We have no problem with our water smelling or tasting bad. I think it is coming from the dryer. I use tide liquid soap, and bounce dryer sheets. I don't let the clothes sit in the washer or dryer and immediately after I take the load out, it smells like dirty clothes. The smell gets in your skin. Even after they are folded and put away, the smell is still there. When you get out of the shower and grab a clean towel to dry off, I don't even want to use it. If I do, the smell sticks to my skin and hair. Why is this happening and what can I do to figure out if it is the washer or the dryer causing this and fix it? HELP

Post By Shannon (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I add ammonia along with the detergent. It is a degreaser and deodorizer so it breaks down oils and removes any odors. 1/4 cup would be enough for everyday laundry, and I have used one cup for very greasy work clothes. It leaves the clothes clean and fresh.

Dishwasher detergent instead of laundry detergent can be used on clothes worn working in restaurants. It breaks down oils as well.

Post By Linda (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Thank you so much everyone who gave me advice! I used 1/2 cup borax with 1/2 the normal amount of detergent. Then I used white vinegar in place of fabric softener. A little less than recommended, I was scared my clothes would smell like vinegar. They smell just fine now. Thanks again!

Post By April. (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Add vinegar to the rinse cycle instead of fabric softener - it acts as a disinfectant and helps to clean out anything that has accumulated in the pipes of the washer.

Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

We recently brought a Maytag last year and I noticed that the inside of the machine was stink, but not the clothes. However, I was concerned because I did not like the way the machine smelled. At first I would let it air dry, but that did not seem to work. I have started washing every load that I have in One Cup of White Vinegar, One Cup of Baking Soad, and One half Cup of Borax, not only are my clothes nice clean and white, but I do not have that stink smell in my washing machine, and I can close the lid. Also, if you have a softner dispenser, instead of putting fabric softner in there, try using a little white vinegar and water this will soften your clothes and keep the stinky smell down as well.

Post by 1bigmama

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Dear April...you may have a "trap" somewhere in your plumbing where water is gathering and creating that "musty" smell.
Does your water smell? You probably would benefit from a water condtioner, or at least having your water tested.
All the other things will help, but I think I would want to get to the root of the problem and then go on with what can correct it.

Post by fauxpaslover

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Hi, I am interested in talking with the "poster" who said they had the Maytag Neptune, the model after the problems.
I just got the Maytag Neptune and have some questions for her, if you please.
Please email me at sewer44bonnie at go.com
Thank you so much!!

Post by fauxpaslover

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

VINEGAR! Works like fabric softener. : )

Post by superwoman

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

Try cleaning out the fabric softener dispenser. Mine pulls off the agitator. I used a paint stick to clean it out and I must have had a half cup of gunk! Smells better.

Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)

RE: My Clothes Don't Smell Good

I live in the humid south (Alabama) and I have this problem also. What I do is one a week run Pine-Sil through it. It seems to work for mine.

Post by debbes

Disclaimer: ThriftyFun.com cannot accept any responsibility for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice given on this site. Read the full disclaimer: http://www.thriftyfun.comdisclaimer.ldml If you find any information on ThriftyFun.com or in our newsletters that is either erroneous and/or potentially harmful to others, please Contact Us, immediately.