whiffy washing

mudgekin

Hi

I have been drying my washing inside as I can't manage the stairs to hang it out and of late I have found that my clothes and even the room has a strange whiff :eek: I had used Lenor and changed to comfort as I thought the lenor was the culprit

I use ariel and usually comfort. The clothes come out of the washing as soon as they are done and are hung up on a clothes dryer in the spare room. I have the window open and usually switch on the dehumidifier until the next day.

Recently I have noticed this really off smell, it isn't the smell of something damp that has soured like you sometimes get with washing cloths. It is just a kind of stale smell, it reminds me of when I was a child and my friends mum used a pulley and then cooked underneath it. It is just an odd smell. There is nothing else that is smelling and the room isn't damp. It is just my laundry and it has just been happening the last couple of months.

I have checked all of the washing machine, there is no mould and if I stick my head inside it just smells of washing. The seals all look fine and I had the drawer out and scrubbed after each wash.

I would try vinegar as a fabric conditioner but haven't a clue how much to use.

Help please before my clothes turn rancid :eek:

short_bird

Washing powder or liquid?
30 or 40 degrees?

karren

shove vinegar in the next wash with it and crank up the temp as bacteria could be in clothes if washed on too low a temp for so long apparetly

mudgekin

Thanks for the replies

I always use Ariel powder bio and I usually wash at 40 or 60 . Every 4 weeks DH has his white T shirts done at 90 to make sure they stay white along with towels.

How much vinegar should I use and does it go in the fabric conditioner part?

trolleyrun

I don't know about the washing, sorry, but I've got a top tip on keeping whites white: use Napisan with your normal detergent. Works like magic, even on 40C I've got white work shirts and even the ones that are several years old are bright white

happy35

I have been putting white vinegar in my washing instead of lenor, I think the washing smells much fresher than when I used fabric conditioner

I have been buying fabric conditioner for 20 years and wish I had tried this earlier

mudgekin

trolleyrun wrote: »

I don't know about the washing, sorry, but I've got a top tip on keeping whites white: use Napisan with your normal detergent. Works like magic, even on 40C I've got white work shirts and even the ones that are several years old are bright white

Now that is a great idea. I will try that


With regards to the vinegar, I have another stupid question, I can only see distilled malt vinegar although it is white vinegar. I can see 5L containers but is that what is needed? I don't want to end up smelling like a chippy :eek:

whitesatin

After reading about how washing at low temperatures can mean not killing off bacteria, I have started putting a couple of capsfull of Dettol in each wash as well as the usual stuff. I figure it can't be doing any harm. The washing doesn't smell of Dettol.

I see Dettol have brought out a product to put in the wash. Not sure if it is combined with detergent.

My mum used to put dettol in our bath water. Didn't seem to do us any harm but wouldn't do it now. Mind you, my mum used to wash our hair in Persil. I think she may have put that in the bath too.

Might account for my white hair though, lol.

I hope you sort your washing out, there is nothing worse than feeling like you have wasted your time in washing it!

Raksha

Ive started using the dettol laundry disinfectant and its great. You add it to the conditioner draw, I use it instead of conditioner, it smells lovely and fresh

I_luv_cats

Have you tried upping the spin speed?

Thick clothes / towels etc. start to whiff if they are left too slowly to dry.

I have to put the heating on to dry indoor washing or place towels etc. on the radiator, as the weather cools.

cornishchick

I think some of the issue is having the windows open while using the dehumidifier. It will be drawing moisture from out side. They work better and more efficiently in an enclosed space..