Clean Clothes Smell Bad

Also, you can clean your washer by running a load with just water and a cup or two of white vinegar.

I use 1/3 cup borax in my frontloader. No smells ever.

I have a feeling that the problem is in the washer. I ran the washer with half a bottle of clorox yesterday. I read a suggestion for that, someone also suggested taking the wringer out, but at my age that is impossible. The washer is old don't remember when I purchased it. I also removed that part where you put fabric softener in, after cleaning it in clorox it still smells. I also bought gain, someone suggested that. the problem is not with the clothes being dry. I think the problem is in the washer. I have towels washing now will see what happens. Thank you for all your suggestions.

You must be new to TF or you'd know this is a problem many, many people have. I used to have this with my towels which smelled clean after washing and drying, but smelled like mildew when they got damp again. Now I use vinegar in my wash instead of fabric softener and make sure they're dry before removing from the dryer. This cured it for me.

Seasonal temperatures and humidity changes in your home will cause clothing to begin to mildew much quicker. I've had to rewash clean clothes to get rid of the smell as well. I started adding 1 TBS of baking soda to the wash and that helped; transfer to dryer immediately and dry thoroughly. I also use Febreeze liquid in my wash sometimes. Changing to a front load washer was the best solution. Clothes are air-tight in a front load vs the lid gap in a top load.

When you go to wash your clothes, towels, etc., put 3/4-1 cup white vinegar in the water with the detergent and fabric softener. This will get all the leftover detergent out of your items and keep the fabric softener fresher, longer in your clothes. And it doesn't hurt the items at all.