Musty Smell on Clothing

RE: Musty Smell on Clothing and towels, etc... solutions Post By Your local Dry Cleaners in Ca, (Guest Post) (10/04/2008) Your local professional drycleaner can take care of this issue. If you want to diy, this is how I do it. Odors from towels. Causes: folding of towel after use and leaving within a dank environment is a breeding grounds for germs and molds. Use a towel bar and let dry without folding. How to remove odor. I use a toploader at home, Start by filling with water warm-hot temp, at largest capacity, once about half full add 1/4 cup of bleach, any type will work, then let it fill. Once it is about to go onto the next cycle, pause the unit, you can use detergent if you'd like, personally I use A&H baking soda, about a cup and a half, let the washer actuate a bit to mix then pause. Now before you handle any article of fabric change your gloves or wash hands 3 times over. You may want to wear something u care less for. Put the towels, into the washer and let them sit for about 30-60 mins then let the washer cycle. This will also keep your machine smelling nice. Try to dry your clothes right after the laundry is done. If using a dryer make sure you over dry, but always read your garment label on drying care. It is better to hang your clothes after drying vs folding, something that may feel dry, still may have steam trapped which eventually materializes back to it's solid form, and leaves you with the dreaded funk smell. So overdry, especially socks, undies, boxers, towels. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By VChenz (Guest Post) (09/29/2008) I had towels I thought I would never rid mildew smell of - one word: OxyClean! The guy on the commercial is obnoxious, but I used 1/2 required liquid detergent and 2 to 4 TBLS of this stuff along with fabric softener (not dryer sheets). I wash every load of clothes this way all the time now and don't have to worry about that smell any more. Report Spam or Abuse DAMP CLOTHES FROM DRYER Post By Anonymous (Guest Post) (09/25/2008) Make sure your lint trap and all tubes and exits for it are clear. This can cause the clothes to not fully dry and can also cause a fire. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By donald. (Guest Post) (08/24/2008) Easy! Just get a drying rack and place outside if it is possible leave out for a number of hours. Or even better an outside line And the last resort place clothing on grass outside for a whole day You would be surprised at the results. Tricks from my Scottish mother. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Lori (Guest Post) (08/02/2008) Use about 3/4 cup automatic dishwasher detergent in your washing machine. I have had to do this with musty smelling towels. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Nancy (Guest Post) (07/31/2008) I use borax and washing soda in the washer. They freshen and remove odors. Actually, I use them with half the laundry liquid called for, and have low-sudsing (and cheaper detergent) for my front-loader. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Mama-T (Guest Post) (07/05/2008) Hi there, We have a front loading washer and were having the same problems.The repair man told us to use automatic Dishwasher detergent and to start an empty load at the hottest setting. Then pause it for a awhile. Then run the empty load through. It helped, it cleans the hoses and washing machine of the soap build up. Sorry I got a front loader now:( Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Diane (Guest Post) (04/28/2008) I use Lysol Concentrate in my washing. It deodorizes and disinfect the clothing. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Cyinda (762) | (02/07/2008) Profile | Contact Yes! OZONE MACHINES work & work VERY WELL, but you have to use care! We had a home fire & the pros brought in a BIG professional size Ozone generator & they said that it was important that no one was in the house while it was running (I think it may remove oxygen?). Ozone machines remove any & all traces of smoke & other smells, but don't run a large one while your at home & never run a smaller one when your in (or near) that room! (No matter WHAT the directions may say!) * The trick the pros taught us, was to add one can of (regular) coca cola (not sugar-free) per load in the washing machine to remove smells. It's TRULY AMAZING how just one can of coke removed any & all traces of smoke from our clothes! (Wonder what it does to our insides?) Report Spam or Abuse Musty smell on clothing straight out of dryer Post By (Guest Post) (12/24/2007) There's a musty smell on our clothing and towels every time we wash them now. It just recently started doing this. How can we fix this problem? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By (Guest Post) (10/17/2007) I have a bad habit of not getting the laundry hung out right away, when it gets musty I usually wash it again with a cup of bleach added and hang it out to dry as usual. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Joan (Guest Post) (10/13/2007) For musty clothing there is a product sold called Purewasher. All it takes is soaking all your clothing and towels with a tablespoon of the cleaner for a couple of hours and no more mildew or basement smell! It'll clean fungus from your washing machine too! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Henrie Osborne (Guest Post) (10/03/2007) If the item is washable, put white vinegar in washer with the detergent, agitate a few minutes, then let soak for an hour or more. The musty smell will fanish. I suggest you use at least a cup of white vinager depending on how large the load is. Report Spam or Abuse RE: musty smell on clothes out of dryer Post By lisa (Guest Post) (07/30/2007) How do I get a musty smell on my clothes out of the dryer. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Babyface (Guest Post) (07/06/2007) I have tried the whole baking soda and vinegar thing, but I did something different that I hope will work for you. I washed my canvas backpacks about 5+ times with the vinegar and baking soda and it didn't work. So I added the baking soda to the wash and quickly after, the vinegar. It still smelled musty, even when wet, so I added 2 capfuls of Downy Lavendar and Vanilla fabric softener to the first rinse cycle, then another capful on the second rinse cycle (I did a powerwash) and the smell is gone and the backpacks are nice and soft! Good luck! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Julie (Guest Post) (07/03/2007) I get a big plastic bucket, big enough to hold a load of laundry, fill it with water and pour in about 2 tablespoons of bleach mix it around then put the moldy smelling clothes in it for about an hour or so then wash as normal. Works like a charm. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell in my clothes dryer Post By Jennifer (Guest Post) (06/08/2007) My electricity went out and my dryer was running with a load of clothes in it. When I went to take out the clothes everything smells musty and I cannot get the smell out of my dryer. Any suggestions? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Julie (Guest Post) (05/26/2007) Thank you everyone. I moved in my new house 2 years ago. I have been having escalating problems with my clothes and towels smelling really moldy. It would even actually transfer to my skin. Sometimes a washcloth would smell fine then once it got wet, oh ish. It was driving me crazy. I even had to start allergy meds. I repeatedly tried vinegar. I wanted to pull apart my washer but my husband poo-pooed it because the washer seemed fairly new (came with the house). Based upon the postings here, I went ahead anyway and pulled my washing machine apart. What the heck, it if I damaged it, so what, I would need a new one anyway. I knew I was on the right track when I pulled off some parts and got a snoot full of air coming from the inside. Sure enough, lint, soap residue and mold all over in the space between the drum and thing that holds it and the upper ring. Cleaned it up and put it all back together. It is still the first day but I can already tell that worked. Next time I will try the smelly washer stuff. I have switched to powder deter. Thanks again Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Nancy (Guest Post) (05/25/2007) For years I have struggled with washing and drying my clothes in the dryer and still feeling a light "dampness" to them. If not caught, the clothes smell musty. Then I became "hyper" sensitive to even the smallest amount of moisture on clothes, sometimes even drying them two or more times, but still getting the musty smell!! I will try the white vinegar and baking soda and will adjust the humidity in the house. Pray this helps or I quit being a sane mom!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Cleo (Guest Post) (01/12/2007) I wash all of my clothes using the recommended amount of detergent then I add 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar to the wash. Not only does this remove all odors from your clothes, but it has better whitening results than bleach or non-chlorine bleach. Good Luck! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Camilla (Guest Post) (12/03/2006) Odo-Ban from Sam's..............use as directed on label. Safe, effective and economical. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By ERP (Guest Post) (12/02/2006) Try washing those things that can be washed, in a vinegar wash. I have added washing soda to the wash cycle as well. Rinse with normal fabric softener rinse. Report Spam or Abuse Request: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by lewis_admin (1329) | (11/30/2006) Profile | Blog! | Contact I have some clothing that was in storage and became damp. So far there isn't any mold just a musty smell. Is there a way to get this smell out? Debra from Wilmington, NC Answers: RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Easier than you could ever imagine. I had some sleeping bags that smelled very musty from storage. I tried all kinds of laundry supplies, then I told my brother what I was doing and he told me to add 1/2 cup baking soda to the wash water, and 1/2 cup white vinegar to the rinse water. It worked and it was cheap and already on hand. (02/14/2006) By brenda thompson RE: Musty Smell on Clothing A method I have used with clothes that are not washable is to hang the clothes out of doors for days at a time. Recently this was successful with a sheepskin jacket which would have been very expensive to dry clean. (02/15/2006) By Julia RE: Musty Smell on Clothing I live in Indiana and don't have this problem. However, it seems to me that all those silicone packets (usually labelled don't eat) might be a help as they are good at protecting electronics, they might help keep moisture off clothes. (06/04/2006) By eresatay RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Put offensive clothes in plastic bag put cotton balls dipped in pure vanilla AROUND but not on clothing tie bag up and leave this way for several hours. This idea is best used after washing clothes in vinegar and 22 mule borax wash and vinegar rinse. (11/27/2006) By marisa Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Buckets (Guest Post) (02/01/2005) A trick I've used to freshen the smell of anything like clothes, a room, the car, the entry way in the house, a drawer, etc is to use a dryer sheet. Put it near by, under a rug or chair, or in the item. It really smells good! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Beverly in TN (13) | (02/01/2005) Contact If it is a washable fabric, try putting vinegar in the rinse water, even let it set in it for awhile. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post By Terry (Guest Post) (02/01/2005) When I have this problem (which is fairly frequent since I shop mostly second-hand shops), before I wash the clothes I let them soak in the machine with vinegar (1 cup per full load) for about an hour. I then drain the water, put in my detergent and wash normally. During the rinse cycle I add 1/2 - 1 cup of vinegar (if the smell has not totally dissipated). I prefer to hang them outside weather permitting, as the fresh air blowing through the cloth takes the rest of the smell (if there is any) away. Hope this helps. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Cavelady (32) | (01/31/2005) Contact Well, first off, what is the material made from? If it is a polyester blend, cotton, spandex, etc. you can machine wash it. Add some vinegar to the wash cycle, about a 1/4 cup. If the material is rayon, silk, wool, cashmere, etc., then the outfit needs to be drycleaned. Both methods of cleaning should bring the garments back to life! Report Spam or Abuse Archived Request: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by ThriftyFun (3739) | (01/31/2005) Profile | Blog! | Contact Request: My mom just bought an outfit from a store that was having a closing sale. The store smelled musty as they are having a problem with water leaks. When we got home we realized that the smell was in the clothes as well. I believe the outfit is washable but I am not sure, does anyone know a way of getting this smell out? Thank you in advance. Answers: RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Buckets (Guest Post) A trick I've used to freshen the smell of anything like clothes, a room, the car, the entry way in the house, a drawer, etc. is to use a dryer sheet. Put it near by, under a rug or chair, or in the item. It really smells good! RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Beverly in TN If it is a washable fabric, try putting vinegar in the rinse water, even let it set in it for awhile. RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Terry (Guest Post) When I have this problem (which is fairly frequent since I shop mostly secondhand shops), before I wash the clothes I let them soak in the machine with vinegar (1 cup per full load) for about an hour. I then drain the water, put in my detergent and wash normally. During the rinse cycle I add 1/2 - 1 cup of vinegar (if the smell has not totally dissipated). I prefer to hang them outside weather permitting, as the fresh air blowing through the cloth takes the rest of the smell (if there is any) away. Hope this helps. RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Cavelady Well, first off, what is the material made from? If it is a polyester blend, cotton, spandex, etc. you can machine wash it. Add some vinegar to the wash cycle, about a 1/4 cup. If the material is rayon, silk, wool, cashmere, etc., then the outfit needs to be dry cleaned. Both methods of cleaning should bring the garments back to life! Report Spam or Abuse Archived Request: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by ThriftyFun (3739) | (10/18/2004) Profile | Blog! | Contact Request: I have a musty smell on some of my clothing. I have tried washing them in different stuff such as ammonia, borax, bleach works to get rid of the musty smell however I cannot use it on the dark items. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Answers: RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Nicholas Cody (Guest Post) I bought knit hats that have a musty smell but planned to donate them so I can't wash them. Any ideas on how to get rid of the smell without washing? RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Connie (Guest Post) I use Borax added to the regular wash load to get rid of musty odor. RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by Jo Bodey Pre soak in nappy soaker before washing. You people must think I have shares in a nappy soaker company as I recommend it for all laundry problems(!) but its all I use and it seems to work for anything, stains, smells, excessively dirty work/gardening clothes, etc. I only use a small amount in a bucket with just enough water to cover the article(s) so a container lasts a long time. Regards Jo RE: Musty Smell on Clothing Barb (Guest Post) To get rid of musty smells in clothes I wash them in baking soda first...about two cups per load, then wash again with your preferred detergent. Barb RE: Musty Smell on Clothing paisleypunk (Guest Post) use white vinigar and soda Report Spam or Abuse Archived Request: Musty Smell on Clothing Post by ThriftyFun (3739) | (03/05/2003) Profile | Blog! | Contact Request: I moved into the country 3 years ago and we are having a problem with our clothing. Family Members have mentioned that we smell. Our clothes smell like something wet that has been sitting around. Even when they are washed it seems like the smell is still there. We tried everything to get rid of this smell but nothing works. Hope we don't have to move in order to get rid of the smell. Can you please recommend something? Joanne Answers: RE: Musty Smells on bath towels Shelby (Guest Post) I washed a load of bath towels that someone must have had some wet ones in that were a few days old. I didn't notice anything at the time of laundry. I washed them as usual and dried them folded them and put them away. We never noticed any odor till we went to dry on them. It than smelled to high heaven. Please help this was a large load of towels. Please help me as soon as possible RE: Musty Smells on Clothing gator10tx (Guest Post) For people who air-dry their clothes indoors, it's easy to keep down musty smells and mold: use a fan while the clothes are drying! Aim it towarads the heaviestly-wet items; changing the fan's direction helps, too. Used here is a small box fan on a counter. Windows can remain shut or open. If towels begin to smell mildewy anyway, just spray 'em w/Febreze. Works. Since i'm allergic to the pollens, most of my clothes are dried indoors. Used are two homemade wire clothes lines attached to the ceiling of a spare bathroom, plus a wooden clothes rack. W/o the fan on, heavy things, like towels, will begin to smell, and grown mold, shortly. For people who don't have a dehumidifier, keep a floor fan going; circulating the air helps to dry it. In Fla. to keep down mold inside closets, we always kept the closet doors open so air could circulate. From a website, i've learned that ordinary charcoal used in outdoor grills help absorb the smell and moisture in closets and pantries. They're placed in a recycled coffee can with many holes poked into both ends of the can; mine are in concentric circles. For times when all this seemingly fails, just spray everything w/Febreze or one of its clones. If you buy the large bottle for washing machine use, you can dilute it down to your preference and use in a spray bottle. Years ago while training a certain puppy, anything and everything was used to eradicate the smell and carpet stains. What worked best was sprinkling baking over the stain, or wet spot, then dousing it w/a solution of white vinegar and water. Let it sit several minutes. Heavier stains, and some carpet smells, also need a few drops of 'enzyme'-containing wash detergent sprinkled on, as well. Since I like to 'overkill' the stains and smells, after all that, things would be sprayed w/Febreze and/or any other handy spray room deodorizer. Sorry this is so long. Stains, odors and allergic reactions just happen to accompany my pets, so i've had to learn about removing them. RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Trevor. (Guest Post) I heard of something called a Damp Ring. Does anyone know about it and how to get it? RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Natalie (Guest Post) Wait, so how can one get rid of the musty smell on the clothes? I live in London, and most people air dry their clothes, however, in the summer, this is quite difficult, and so clothes can adopt a real pungent mould smell. The problem is that most of my favourite clothes have this small and I don't want to just throw them away - any solutions? RE: Musty Smells on Clothing J.Buckely (Guest Post) What you're smelling is the result of spores in the air. Previous postings referred to using a dehumidifier which is a good start. You also have to locate the source of the spore supply. Have ducts cleaned and sanitized with an anti-mildew agent. Crawl spaces are notorious sources of spores. You may need to have a professional spray your crawl space and or ducts with a solution of Jomax - Bleach and water. All humans and pets must be out of the area while this is being done and remain out of the house until it is aired out. The person doing the application needs full nose/mouth respirator protection as-well-as eye protection (I use tight fitting prescription swimming goggles and a 3M charcoal canister mask). As for crawl spaces; check the vents. The "automatic" ones Don't Work! You need to manually open them during the Spring and Fall (when it's cooler and less damp) and CLOSE them during the winter (except in South Florida) and hottest (most humid) months of the summer time (closed). Attic spaces should be well insulated and ventilated. Wood roofs containing a lot of Moss should be either cleaned (if they're not too far gone) or torn off and replaced with a non-wood roofing material. The underside of your roof deck (the side you see in the attic) can also contain a lot of mold. You can test for this with straight laundry bleach. If an application to a small spot produces a spot that looks New it's Mold and needs a Jomax/bleach/water spraying. Causes of attic space mold are mostly from poor air circulation (venting) and/or bathroom vent fans that aren't ducted THROUGH the roof to the outside. Bathroom/Kitchen fans that dump their air into an attic are a Definite NO-NO! Walls can also be a problem if your exterior is a synthetic stucco material and poorly caulked. Your county health department or local building inspector can steer you toward more help with those issues and their remedy. Take a good look at the exterior of your home. If the ground pitches TOWARD your home you should consider bringing in soil and grading it in such a way that rainfall will migrate AWAY from your home. Make sure that you don't place soil against any siding materials as this will cause rapid ROT. If you have NO Gutters you might consider installing some; just make sure that they don't drain right against your foundation but, instead, direct the water AWAY from your home. Heavy tree branch overgrowth is handy as a sun shade but too much will reduce sunlight and air circulation around your roof and siding. Lots of heavy shrubs around and close to the house can also prevent adequate fresh air circulation and may need to be trimmed back considerably. If you're in the south you also need to keep your air conditioning set to no Lower than about 74 degrees F. It's common for some homes to air condition to settings around 65 degrees F which creates condensation around the airconditioning supply tubes. These get wet and generate mold growth adjacent to them if they don't have a chance to cycle off for reasonable periods of time. IF you find that your Air Conditioners are running constantly you should consider a lighter colored roof, more insulation in your attic space and the addition of some ceiling fans. Finally, you can invest in an ion generation air purifier. Search for << XL-15 // Alpine or Eccoquest >> on Ebay or visit http://www.ecoquestintl.com/ for more information on these units. I don't sell these but have had great success using one of these myself. Hope this helps! RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Stephanie (Guest Post) I need help too! I live in the tropics where there is a lot of humidity. My closets smell musty, and therefore my clothes smell musty. I have tried damp rid, but the smell is so strong that it attaches to my clothes and I smell of the product. Borax on the carpet is not enough. I have a lot of money invested in work clothes and really need some help.... fast!! RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Ebay addict (Guest Post) I recently bought a lot of wool fabric at auction on ebay, it was mentioned that the fabric was rescued from a wet basement, but i can't remember what method my grandmother used for removing this odor from wool. These are uncut pieces for sewing, can anyone help? This was posted as a new request. RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Frank (Guest Post) I bought 3 pairs of brand new slacks on the web. They arrived completely sealed in plastic, but one pair had a very pronounced mildew or musty smell. I had them dry cleaned and this helped a little, but I'm not sure what to do next. They are expensive (for me) silk and wool slacks. The care tab says I can hand launder them, but that dry cleaning was recommended. I'd rather not return them if I can avoid it. Any suggestions? RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Post by JSRS443 dampness... I would like to share something that happen to us with our cars through the storm Allison that hit Houston. I got DampRid and put it into the car which had gotten water in it after taking a wet vac to the inside of each car. I left them in the car for a couple of days an could not believe all the water that DampRid had collected. There are different types of DampRid but I have found if I get the type that you can refill (comes like a cottage cheese container) it is much cheaper. We now keep one in each closet an each room. Just refill when the beads are gone. RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Post by Been-there I had a dampness problem in a very old home I once owned. Here's what I did to help it successfully: - we always used had to use a de-humidifier at some point during the day. It was a great investment, as we would literally discard buckets of water daily from it. - always be sure your clothes are COMPLETELY dry thru and thru before putting them away or even hanging them in your closets, since air is not much circulated in closets and not at all in drawers. - open shades and drapes in your home to let in as much sun as possible which helps a lot to eliminate mustiness and dampness. - I tried the closet dehumidifier hang-ups and found they didn't work at all for a serious problem. The electric dehumidifier did an outstanding job, though. - Use a fresh scented laundry product (some of them are SSOO scented), as opposed to unscented or scent free --- I know many times, depending on the laundry soap I use, my clothes still have the fragrance on them days after they've been laundered. Smelling like the "fresh rain scent" or "spring flowers" scent is much better than smelling like mildew! Hope these hints help, they helped me tremendously. - Been-there RE: Musty Smells on Clothing Post by Thrifty_Fun Sounds like your house has a dampness problem. Your house probably also smells musty which can transfer to the clothes. To get the musty smell out of the house and the clothing, I recommend using borax. Sprinkle it on your carpet and floors (vacuum and sweep it up after 10 minutes or so), use it in your wash water, and add it to each load of wash. It works very well to freshen and remove odors. But the first problem is the musty smell. You need to find the cause of it. If you live in a very humid place talk to your county extension agent about it. They may have some remedies. There may be a leak in the roof or around the foundation or some part of the house isn't properly ventilated which lets the moisture accumulate. Have someone (a friend or family member) come in with a "fresh" nose, someone who isn't living with it and see if they can help you find where it smells the strongest. That might help you find the cause of the problem. If it is just excess humidity in your climate, you can get DryZit crystal holders to put into your closets. They are usually sold anywhere you can buy supplies for trailers or campers. You can also buy a dehumidifier. If all else fails, find someone who inspects houses for a living to find the source of the problem. Hope this helps. Susan Report Spam or Abuse