Cola. Really. I regularly use baking soda in the wash, then vinegar in the final rinse. This combination works for your average, garden-variety, I-wore-this-shirt-today odors. But for really tough odors, add a can or two of cola to the wash water and launder as usual. I picked up this tip here on Thrifty Fun and have been using it ever since.
The thread where I first read this is called "Homemade Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator". Type that into the search box; it's the first entry listed.
If you need to get bo from under the arms use alcohol on the shirt & etc, no need to wash it. Let dry, if it still has to then you need to wash it as the others suggest. Good luck.
Buy some FRESH-WAVE. It comes in a liquid to add to laundry. It is a great odor remover for anything in it's other forms like crystals or spray. Some ACE hardwares have it, but most pet stores have it. That is where I buy it.
I swear by Arm and Hammer Washing Soda...... 1 cup to load along with the detergent. Let the washer aggitate for several minutes, then turn off the machine. Allow your wash load to soak for at least an hour in the washer. Turn the washer back on and let it finish.
I would also suggest (if at all possible) line dry the clothing. Fresh air and sunshine are wonderful natural deoderizers.
I helped with flag uniforms for our local high school marching band. We had a girl that had body odor really bad and we used peroxide in the laundry. The odor was gone. We used this after every show and there were no odor at all! Hope this helps
I agree with the vinegar solution. I had some plastic containers that were stored for a long time with the lids on and had an objectionable odor. I sprayed them with my bottle of vinegar and water and was able to rinse and use them a few minutes later. I also always put vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser in my washer and don't use dryer sheets. Hooray for vinegar!
To remove any nasty smells & odors from your wash, especially smoke from campfires or cigarettes add 1 can of regular Coca-Cola (not sugar free) to your load of was along with your laundry soap. I don't know if a less expensive knockoff brand of Coke will work but I don't see why not!
I've also found that you can add about a quarter of a cup of white vinegar to your wash or just spray Febreze on it when it's hanging up later on, but the most effective way to remove odors from clothes & laundry is to hang up your things in the sun... This not only freshens them, but you'll save money on power & the UV rays also kill germs too!
Besides vinegar for sweat - try Fabreze fabric spray - works very well on all sorts of fabrics - even those that are normally dry cleaned - and it goes a long way.
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Request: Removing Body Odor From Clothing
Archived on 11/25/2008
I have some great t-shirts that have over the years picked up sour arm pit smell. Washing the shirts doesn't seem to get rid of it. Well, it smells okay at first, but at the first body warmth from me, the sour smell is re-activated! Any advice?
Beth from Harrisburg, PA
Answers:
RE: Removing Body Odor From Clothing
Try putting a cup of white vinegar in the last rinse. (08/26/2008)
I'd wash them in vinegar (instead of the regular detergent) in hot water and rinse in hot and not use fabric softener. As you can see from this and previous posts, vinegar ranks high on our preferred odor removers. It worked for my towels that smelled good coming from the dryer but got funky smelling when damp from shower time. (08/26/2008)
Are they part polyester? If so, I'd toss them and only buy
100 percent cotton hereafter. If cotton, should be able to throw baking soda in wash. Then wash again with plain white vinegar and hot water, maybe a cup or two to load. Wash a 3rd time in a little borax or try borax and baking soda together. Borax is at Walmart for about 2.68 per box. Best price and borax is great in laundry. Polyester isn't meant for humans for many reasons I am convinced. Odor, stains, and holding in heat are 3 reasons. (08/26/2008)
Obviously white vinegar and bleach. But another option is to add a cup of lemon juice to hot water and soak before washing normally with detergent, bleach and fabric softener. Then place in dryer with dryer sheets. (08/26/2008)
I have the same problem but only with my hubby's shirts. After trying many of the other less expensive remedies I had to break down and just buy some bleach for colors and add a cupful to the wash with his shirts in it. This seems to work well. Good Luck! (08/26/2008)
To prevent it from happening to future T-shirts, make sure to launder them well before drying them. Once any stain (including underarm stains) gets set in, it's hard to remove them.
Please don't take offense, but perhaps your current deodorant doesn't work as well as another brand might. Different people's body chemistries work differently with various products (shampoo, deodorant, etc.). If regular products don't work for you, discuss the problem with your doctor. Sweating problems can be a symptom of some ailments.
Good luck! (08/26/2008)
I read where a capful of ammonia in the wash helps. It breaks down proteins. I've tried it, and it seemed to work! (08/28/2008)
By Karen
RE: Removing Body Odor From Clothing
I buy generic white vinegar in large amounts if on sale and also generic baking soda.
I would suggest 1 cap of white vinegar and 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda.
Then let the clothes agitate and stop the machine letting it soak, the longer the soak the better. I sometimes let soak all day or all night then
run the machine again. (08/30/2008)
