We all may have experienced that clothes smell bad after washing. When clothes come out of the washing machine, they must smell amazing. But unfortunately, it is not the actual scene. Smelly washing is a real problem, it’s very frustrating too. Every load costs time, money, and energy. That is why, we need to tackle it.
So, if you want a solution to clothes smell after washing, this article is for you. Here, in this article, I will wrap together common causes of clothes smell after washing, how to properly wash clothes to prevent odor, tips for eliminating odors from already washed clothes, and preventive measures to maintain freshness.
So, let’s dive into the deep!
Common causes of Clothes Smell After Washing
1. You left your clothes in the washer for a long
If you find odor in your post-washed clothes, a dark, and wet environment can be the reason for the bad smell. It is no surprise that most of us leave the clothes in the washing machine after washing overnight. A dark, and wet environment of the washing machine can be the perfect breeding ground for various molds, bacteria, and mildew to thrive.
As time goes on, these can build up in your clothing, eventually leaving them with a permanent bad odor. the solution can be setting up a timer that helps you to remember to switch your clothes from the machine to the dryer. This will help you from forgetting to switch your clothes to the dryer.
2. Bacteria build up in your washing machine
Washing machine tends to hold stagnant water for long hours. Especially front loading machines can hold bacteria, mold, and limescale. So, you need to clean your washing machine regularly to have the best wash possible for your clothes.
Once bacteria, mold, or dirt can find a foothold in your washing machine, you need to disinfect it. these can hide inside the drum walls. If you take out your clothes from the washing machine after an immediate wash, still you can find a bad odor then it’s only because of the build-up of bacteria, and mold.
3. Using Too Much Detergent
It makes sense that not using too much detergent can not rid your clothes of bad smells. More detergent means more bubbles, and that build-up of suds can trap the bacteria inside the fabric of the clothes. If you take out your clothes from the machine and you feel it is a little heavier then it can be because of the leftover detergent. This leftover detergent can cause a bad odor.
Actually, by adding an excessive amount of detergent, you are impairing its cleaning performance. Your washing machine can fail to rinse out the cloth efficiently. Thus, dirt will still be trapped inside the fabric, so the intense smell of detergent can make things overwhelming.
4. Not Drying Efficiently
You can check the smell of the clothes when unloaded from the washing machine. If your clothes don’t smell while taking out from the washing machine, the problem is likely down to the drying method. If clothes are not dried quickly enough, molds, bacteria, and mildew can develop in it. This leads to a musty smell.
this may happen when you hang up your clothes on the hangers indoors to dry up completely, but not spread out or spaced enough. If the environment is particularly humid and not well-ventilated, this may contribute to the bad smell of the clothes.
5. Insufficient Cycle
We all think why do my clothes smell after washing? However, your answer may be the insufficient cycle. If you are in a rush or want to save money or energy, you can rely upon a quick wash setting. This washes your clothes in a minimum time, taking some cycles as little as 20 minutes.
In this case, when your clothes are being washed in a reduced amount of time, so naturally your clothes are not washed out thoroughly. Thus any residual smells are less likely to be removed from the dirty clothes.
That is why, you need to stick to the standard washing cycle, it must be relevant to what you are washing. You should not shorten the length of the cycle. While the cycle of the washing will be longer, it will help eliminate any residual smells.
How To Properly Wash Clothes To Prevent Odor
Now, you know why clothes smell after washing. Now let’s dive into the solutions of how to remove bad smells from clothing after washing.
1. You can use baking soda and white vinegar to get rid of smells
A cup of baking soda is one of the best ways to get rid of odors. it absorbs smells through its porous structure and neutralizes them. You can also use distilled white vinegar, it is an amazing substance when it comes to getting rid of nasty smells.
Acetic acid in the vinegar helps in getting rid of many different types of odors including mildew smells. you can add these two substances to the washing machine during the rinse cycle.
2. Add a sufficient amount of detergent
Adding too much amount of detergent to the washing machine does not a sense. Using too much detergent for washing the clothes can be another reason for clothes smelling bad. Too much detergent may cause the residue to get into your clothes and lead to a bad odor.
So, you need to use the detergent tactfully. If you are using liquid detergent, instead of using a capful, you can only fill it halfway. It will get rid of any excess suds in your washer while still you can get rid of bad odors from your clothing.
3. Avoid mixing dry and wet clothes
Clothes become smelly if it mixed up with other types of laundry. Especially, if you mix dry clothes with gym clothes, bathing towels, or rainy clothes, then clothes get smelly. If you have a load containing dry and damp clothes, the dampness of the clothes attracts bacteria that live off of dirt and sweat. This may lead to all sorts of smells coming from your clothing.
So, you must keep them separate as much as possible to have the best results of avoiding bad smells.
4. Wash Clothes in Smaller batches
One of the biggest mistakes that we all make is overfilling the washer. large loads can limit movement in the washing machine, so it may cause odors from sweat and dirt. If you have several sweaty gym clothes within one wash cycle then it may cause a bad smell.
Instead, try to break up the loads into smaller batches so that all the clothes can get appropriately cleaned. Thus, the bad-smelling will not get mixed with others. This way, you can be sure that each load has been washed well. front load washers can help in movement than the top load washers since they use rotation and gravity to force more movement.
5. Don’t leave the wet clothes to sit around
Many people leave the dirty laundry sitting until they have time later. This practice helps the bacteria to build up in the clothes and leads to unpleasant scents. You must always wash sweaty clothes such as workout clothes as soon as possible after working out.
You should not leave the wet clothes to sit around, otherwise you can have smelly clothes down the road.
6. Check Your washing machine for a buildup of Mildew
If you are suffering from the issue of clothes smell after washing, your washing machine may have a buildup of mildew. Mildew may get into the rubber gasket and can grow in the small holes in the doors. The mildew releases its spores when using hot water. If you clean up this area regularly, it will help in getting rid of any smells from trapped moisture.
Tips for Eliminating Odors from Already Washed Clothes
Most of us sometimes face the issue of the husband’s clothes smell after washing. But don’t get stressed out, here, I am providing a few tips that you can follow to eliminate the odors from already-washed clothes. These include:
Use baking Soda
baking soda has recently been promoted as one of the most effective substances that do much of the work at home. this includes washing our clothes. Baking soda can absorb odors, so you can use it in the washing machine while washing clothes. It will initiate the elimination of bad odors from after-washed clothes.
Use Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is the best way to refresh our clothes, so you can soak the dirty clothes in a solution of lemon juice and water. Then, let the clothes dry in the air. The lemon has the property to destroy the bacteria while also enhancing the aroma.
Essential Oils can be your friends
Essential oils are the most useful ingredient more than just making a room smell fresh. essential oils also can make your clothes soft and refreshed. For use, you only need to add a few drops of essential oil with water to your dirty clothes. You can use a spray bottle and spray the mixture on your clothes before washing.
Essential oils are very potent to remove bad smells from the clothes and it is also an effective way to freshen up your day-old clothes.
Use a mixture of alcohol and water
A mixture of alcohol and water can do wonders for the dirty clothes. You can combine alcohol and water in a spray bottle and spray it in the smelly regions of the clothes. You can use Vodka, and the amazing fact about vodka is it kills bacteria and eliminates odor from the clothes.
Preventive Measures to Maintain Freshness
Keeping your clothes clean and fresh is very important. It is vital to keep your hygiene well-maintained and to boost social confidence. To maintain the freshness and the fabric quality of the clothes, you can follow some effective preventive measures. These include:
1. Developing a regular washing machine maintenance routine
Sometimes, the root cause of stinky laundry lies in the washing machine itself. Over time, the components of your washer may become clogged because of build-up detergent or fabric residue. These may lead to a playground for reading the bacteria, and mildew and can cause smell.
So, you need to initiate regular cleaning of your washing machine, it may eliminate the issues. So you can have better-scented clothes. To clean your washing machine, you can use vinegar and run your machine with an empty load. Scrub the metal drum using a soft sponge and then run one empty load to wash out any debris, or something else.
2. Choose Suitable Detergent and fabric softeners
While washing your clothes, you must look for a suitable detergent or a fabric softener. The foremost reason for adding fabric softener is that it helps to keep your clothes softer yet after longer use. Another benefit is that it protects your clothes from stretching, fading, and bobbling.
Effective detergents and fabric softeners are developed in such as way that they can add mild fragrances to the after-washed clothes. The refreshing scent keeps on leaving on every touch and you can feel good.
3. Hand Them Up in the air after wash
Leaving the clothes wet in the washer can multiply the amount of bad smell. You can dry them in the dryer, but still, you need to hang them up in the air after taking them out from the dryer. The quicker you do this, the more refreshing your clothes will be.
4. Use Your Washer’s Hot Cycle
most bacteria can not survive in hot water. So if you wash your clothes using your machine’s hot cycle, your clothes come out refreshing. However, first, you need to check your clothes tags to make sure the fabric can withstand the hot temperature.
FAQ
What to do if clothes still smell bad after washing?
Ans: If your clothes smell bad after washing, you can follow these below tips to remove bad odor from clothing. Including:
- Put your dirty laundry in the washing machine
- Then put a good Laundry sanitizer in the fabric softener compartment
- Wash the laundry using your favorite detergent
Why don’t my clothes smell good after washing?
Ans: If you are using too much detergent or something that does not rinse out easily from your clothes, it may leave residue in your clothes. This residue can leave a funky smell while wet. You can dry them in the air after taking them out of the dryer. Thus, the smell may go out.
Should I wash my clothes again if they smell bad?
Ans: There is no need to wash the clothes again. Instead, you can use some drops of essential oils in the smelling areas, thus the smell may go away. However, you can take some preventive measures during the washing process to avoid bad smells after washing.
Conclusion
We all are busy between school, work, and family. So, we don’t have so much time left in the day to tackle an ever-growing list of chores. So, if you struggle with the bad odor coming out of your washed clothes, don’t get stressed. It is natural.
Here, in this article, I have wrapped together every possible reason for your clothes smell after washing, as well as I have provided a few tips that you can follow to avoid this issue. You can follow these tips from my guide and hope you can experience a fresh and good fragrance from your clothes after washing.