Nasty smelling laundry

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where is the dryer located? if in the basement or garage, look for source of mold or other pollution under or around it–moving your dryer (like we had to do last week to service the water heater) can be a real revelation. ick factor, very high. source of persistant odor was dead mouse.

check the vent as well to make sure there is not a bird nest or something, and use one of those vacuum attachments to clean the vent hose

start with the washer, and clean it well (front loaders need to have that rubber seal clean around the inside–more icky sticky there)

check the drain is not clogged with something growing in the clog (that has happened to us before, too)

sterilize your hampers and laundry baskets, too.

then check the linen and clothes closets–its that time of year for a good clean out

you may also need to treat your water–call your water company or county extension to find out what is in it–rust, iron, sulphur, calcium etc. and treat accordingly. Water softener in our former home worked absolute wonders, well worth the cost

finally “free” detergents and softeners aren’t always entirely scent free, they still can have additives, so when you change, either they are stripping your clothes and removing lingering scents, or the scent you are used to is no longer there. use less detergent and see what happens, there may be a buildup if you are using too much. I don’t care what anybody says, you need to wash towels, sheets, sox and underwear in hot water, for one thing residual detergent and other residue will not totally disolve without it–either will residual body wash, hand soap, lotion, dish soap etc.

when towels get funky, even after you double wash them, try hanging in the sun to dry, that usually gets them back to normal
 
Shin–our water is from a well. Gets run through a water softening system. So it could be buildup from the water. Color safe bleach sounds like a good idea. I will also try switching (eventually) to Tide Free, it sounds like others have had good experience with that. A friend of mine recommended the Bounce sheets with Febreze, she said her DH likes them because they’re not overly perfumey but help with smells.

I can’t stand over-scented laundry detergent or softener; i have a neighbor who uses something on her laundry that makes me gag. I can smell when she’s doing laundry (and our houses are in a semi-rural area, so we’re NOT close together!) and when her kid comes over, his clothes just make me cough!

So i don’t want over scented stuff, but neither can I take this weird smell on my clothes anymore, or my sheets!
 
puzzleannie said:
when towels get funky, even after you double wash them, try hanging in the sun to dry, that usually gets them back to normal
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We usually do hang our laundry–all of it–to dry, during the spring, summer, and fall. It’s just winter when we use the dryer, because nothing gets completely dry in a day out there when it’s cold and soggy. :o Maybe it’s just house-winter-smell building up on my laundry and depressing me!
 
There you go, it’s probably the well water.

I have a well, and have had the same problem in the past, and a little chlorox cured it every time. 🙂

Benedice!
 
samcarter14 said:
We usually do hang our laundry–all of it–to dry, during the spring, summer, and fall. It’s just winter when we use the dryer, because nothing gets completely dry in a day out there when it’s cold and soggy. :o Maybe it’s just house-winter-smell building up on my laundry and depressing me!
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This could be part of the problem too - if your dryer sits for months without being used, and it’s in the garage, it could be getting mighty stinky just from sitting.

I’m thinking you have a combination of things you need to do - here is your official “diagnosis”:
  • Stop putting damp items in the dryer and letting them sit
  • Switch to Tide Free when you can
  • Start using the Febreeze sheets
  • Check your water softener system and maybe replace your filters
  • Run the dryer at least twice a month in the off months for a bit with a load in there to make sure it’s staying clean inside
    I think that’s everything!! 😃
~Liza
 
My money’s on the well water diagnosis.

We have this water filter installed on our kitchen tap, and one time we didn’t change it soon enough. Even my HANDS stank after washing them!

I thought it was a new, scented liquid hand soap I had placed in the bathroom, but the stench got onto the kitchen towels, so that wasn’t it. As soon as we changed the filter the problem went away.
 
I would still get the water tested to find out what is in it before using additives. If it is rust, bleach will make it come out on clothing with indelible stains, and so forth.

I would use additives in the water softener (rust remover, or whatever else the mfg. recommends for your problem) rather than the laundry because if the problem is the water it will also affect drinking, cooking, other appliances etc.

Your water softener company often tests for free, and if special salt blends or other additives are recommended it can save you money in the long run.

there is also a treatment you are supposed to run through the softener every few months to clean up buildup as well, worth a call to the company

note: if you have switched recently from regular detergent to Free types, be aware that for several wash cycles, the residue that has built up in the clothes will be slowely washed out–color, scent, softeners, optical brighteners etc.–and as this happens, for a while the clothes will look dingier and even smell funny for a while. You are working toward the time when only the Free product remains, and it is leaving no residue (not all productes labeled Free are entirely w/o such additives, depends on the brand–the only one I know completely Free is Amway, but I think more are coming on the market).

also drinking water;; depending on what you use in the softener, you may feel better running your drinking water through and additional filter, either at the sink or Brita or similar product.

I think Lizannes answer is very comprehensive and good advice (have had country water, softeners, and laundry problems in most places we live). Esp. problem is softeners and other appliances that are then when you move in, you don’t know about filters, maintenance etc. so some research is essential. MIL had a new water heater installed that has a filter that must be checked periodically, that is new to me.
 
puzzleannie said:
I would still get the water tested to find out what is in it before using additives. If it is rust, bleach will make it come out on clothing with indelible stains, and so forth.

I would use additives in the water softener (rust remover, or whatever else the mfg. recommends for your problem) rather than the laundry because if the problem is the water it will also affect drinking, cooking, other appliances etc.

Your water softener company often tests for free, and if special salt blends or other additives are recommended it can save you money in the long run.

there is also a treatment you are supposed to run through the softener every few months to clean up buildup as well, worth a call to the company

note: if you have switched recently from regular detergent to Free types, be aware that for several wash cycles, the residue that has built up in the clothes will be slowely washed out–color, scent, softeners, optical brighteners etc.–and as this happens, for a while the clothes will look dingier and even smell funny for a while. You are working toward the time when only the Free product remains, and it is leaving no residue (not all productes labeled Free are entirely w/o such additives, depends on the brand–the only one I know completely Free is Amway, but I think more are coming on the market).

also drinking water;; depending on what you use in the softener, you may feel better running your drinking water through and additional filter, either at the sink or Brita or similar product.

I think Lizannes answer is very comprehensive and good advice (have had country water, softeners, and laundry problems in most places we live). Esp. problem is softeners and other appliances that are then when you move in, you don’t know about filters, maintenance etc. so some research is essential. MIL had a new water heater installed that has a filter that must be checked periodically, that is new to me.
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We actually just got a new water softener–the old one wasn’t working properly and we did get rust on the towels. The new one is working like a charm. And we drink bottled water, not the well water.

Today it is sunny and breezy, so i am hanging out the laundry on the line. We’ll see if that helps. 🙂
 
samcarter14 said:
We actually just got a new water softener–the old one wasn’t working properly and we did get rust on the towels. The new one is working like a charm. And we drink bottled water, not the well water.

Today it is sunny and breezy, so i am hanging out the laundry on the line. We’ll see if that helps. 🙂
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I still like the suggestions above about cleaning out the dryer and washer, filters, hoses, and underneath. today’s appliances are not meant to be left unused for long periods of time, so my guess is the dryer is the problem
 
We have sensitivity issues here, and use a detergent called Sport Wash. It is designed to remove all scent, so hunters use it on their hunting clothes, and you can buy a small bottle in the hunting section of WalMart to give it a try. Anyway, it rinses entirely away, and has no additives at all. It does not attempt to mask scent, just removes it. I started using it for fleece diapers, and ended up using it for everything.
 
I’d like to give a word of CAUTION about dryer sheets. To any of you who have pets… dogs, cats, rabbit… whatever.

Dryer sheets can be lethal, if your pet gets hold of one. A dryer sheet ended up in our dogs bedding… and it put his epilepsy into “over drive”. He suddenly started having massive seizures… and died about a month later.

Please do your research regarding use of dryer sheets.

I’ve switched to those plastic, spikey dryer balls instead. You just put them in your wet laundry… and they do an amazing job fluffing your towels and sheets… with ZERO chemicals! 😃 The only drawback, is that they’re noisy in the dryer. They make a loud PLUNK noise, as they go round.
 
MarieVeronica said:
I’d like to give a word of CAUTION about dryer sheets. To any of you who have pets… dogs, cats, rabbit… whatever.

Dryer sheets can be lethal, if your pet gets hold of one. A dryer sheet ended up in our dogs bedding… and it put his epilepsy into “over drive”. He suddenly started having massive seizures… and died about a month later.

Please do your research regarding use of dryer sheets.

I’ve switched to those plastic, spikey dryer balls instead. You just put them in your wet laundry… and they do an amazing job fluffing your towels and sheets… with ZERO chemicals! 😃 The only drawback, is that they’re noisy in the dryer. They make a loud PLUNK noise, as they go round.
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Oh, I’m so sorry about your poor dog! That must have been awful!
 
CB_Catholic said:
Oh, I’m so sorry about your poor dog! That must have been awful!
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Thank you, Carolyn. Unfortunately… it was too late for my little Jack. Hard lesson, learned. No more dryer sheets in our house. :nope:
 
FWIW, back in my cloth-diapering days (a good 10 yrs ago!), I used laundry balls from 7th Generation (or possibly Natural Baby). They cost quite a bit up front but lasted for so many loads that the per-load price worked out well enough. It’s been so long, I don’t really remember the product details, but the balls were filled with something that ionized the water to bind soils, etc., and metal bits (copper, silver?) that were supposed to kill germs.

I tried it on the cloth diapers, just to see whether it worked. It didn’t really remove stains, but it definitely got them clean. Since I didn’t rinse the diapers before putting them into the diaper pail (just shook out any solids into the toilet & kept some baking soda in the bottom of the pail liner - hey, with a baby and a toddler in cloth, that’s all I was good for!), I would run the diaper load through a pre-rinse or soak cycle to remove the main mess and leftover baking soda, then normal wash & rinse. The laundry balls took care of any and all odors by the time the cycle finished. I was impressed.

Don’t know whether they’re still available. If 7th Generation (I think it’s called Gaiam now?) isn’t considered an evil pagan whatever company to deal with, it might be worth searching out.

I’d totally forgotten about those things until reading this thread. Maybe I’ll get some for sheets & towels…
 
sam, whenever I have an odor issue, be it in clothes or in the house (pet pee, kids pee, on carpet or mattresses etc.) I use borax. I’ve just not encountered anything that get’s rid of odors as well. You might try adding it to your laundry if them smell lingers even after you make the aforementioned changes.
 
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