Hi lovelies,
We’ve all been there. You put a wash on, go back to it when it's finished and everything smells worse than when it went in. It’s one of the worst-case fashion scenarios you can face, especially if you were planning on wearing one of the washed items in an hour or so!
Plus, it’s bad for the environment as you end up putting another wash on. What a waste of electricity and water. Why do clothes smell bad after being washed sometimes? Better yet, how do you stop this from happening ever again?
It’s a common problem, which means there are plenty of solutions out there. Let’s look at a few ideas to make your clothes smell nice once more, so you can look good, feel good - and avoid multiple wash cycles!
Separate your laundry
Start by taking your clothes and separating them. Not just by colors, but by…how should this be phrased…freshness?
Some clothing items may be a lot dirtier than others. If you live with someone who plays sports, they might have muddy clothes in the wash. Likewise, you could have heavily stained clothing items from spilling food on them. Whatever the reason, some clothes will be dirtier - and they will smell pretty bad. If you mix these with less-soiled clothes, the smells can transfer and make the rest of the load smell bad.
Instead, wash the dirtiest items separately or give them a nice long soak in water beforehand. Add a bit of washing detergent while soaking, along with baking soda. This can neutralize the odors and your dirty clothes are ready to be thrown in with the rest.
Don’t overcrowd your washing machine
It’s so tempting to fill a washing machine right to the brim. After all, this is technically better for the planet as you do one load instead of two. Unfortunately, an overcrowded washing machine will become a stinky one.
Why? Because the clothes have less room to move, the machine is unable to run a thorough rinse cycle. It means any smells linger and doesn’t get washed away by water or detergent. Every washing machine is different, so look through the instructor’s manual to see how heavily loaded yours can be before it becomes a problem.
Or, stick to the 75% rule. Fill your washing machine three-quarters of the way up, and you’ll leave ample space for movement and a good rinse cycle.
Transfer wet clothes out of the washer immediately
Okay, okay, it’s hard to remember when your clothes have finished washing. You put the load in, go and do a hundred other things, and before you know it they’ve been sitting in the drum for an hour. Even worse, you put a wash on in the evening and forget about it until the morning.
Leaving wet clothes bundled up together will create a terrible smell. They don’t get a chance to dry and the wetness lingers, creating a damp smell. It’s like when you have a really musty smell in your house, only on your clothes and you can’t get away from it!
Set a timer on your phone as soon as your wash cycle begins. Most washing machines will tell you how long it takes, but if not you should be able to guess. It’s usually anywhere between 1-2 hours depending on the settings. When your timer goes off, take the clothes out of the washer immediately. Don’t let them sit on one another for more than maybe half an hour at most.
Learn how to dry clothes correctly
Yes, there is a correct way to dry your clothes - which also means there’s a wrong way.
We’ll begin by going over what NOT to do. Do not leave your clothes in the washing machine when wet - we covered this already - and do not hang them close together. You can dry clothes indoors using a wire rack, but they must have ample space to breathe. If you hang clothes too closely to one another, they don’t dry efficiently, and the damp smell returns.
Ideally, the two best ways to dry clothes and keep them smelling fresh are:
In a dryer
Outside on a washing line
If you use a dryer, there are two things to keep in mind. Firstly, use a proper dryer, not a washer-dryer. Washer-dryers are space-saving, but the drum will be wet from the wash so they never dry quickly and you run the risk of wasting energy or shrinking your clothes by drying them at high temperatures. Secondly, don’t neglect dryer vent cleaning as dust and lint can build up from drying sessions, which causes a huge fire safety hazard. Clean your dryer vents every week to stop this.
Place your clothes in the dryer immediately after the wash and throw in some scented dryer sheets. These aren’t “essential” but they do add a lovely fresh smell to the clothes. It’s better to dry at lower temperatures for a longer time than at high temperatures for a short time. Now, you’ll have perfectly dry clothes that smell amazing.
If you dry outside on a washing line, be sure the weather is dry and that all clothes are afforded enough space. Ideal conditions are slightly windy, so the clothes flap in the wind and dry quicker. Here, you get a lovely fresh scent when you bring them back indoors.
Clean your washing machine
Finally, your clothes might smell bad because your washing machine is dirty. That’s right, you need to wash your washing machine! The easiest way to do this is by running a short cycle with no clothes and pouring bleach into the machine. It’ll clean away any dirt or grime that might be causing bad smells.
If your machine is too dirty - and there’s mold growing inside it - then it’s probably time for a new one!
If you constantly wash things and then can’t wear them because they smell so bad, these tips will help you take better care of your clothes and avoid walking around in things that smell funky.
