We do our laundry with the help of the best washing machines. Whether you have a stained shirt, smelly sportswear, or delicates that should only be washed by hand, your washing machine will have the right setting for the job. Items should come out clean and fresh, with no smell left behind from our sweat or stains. Even if you have one of the best clothes dryers for the finishing touches, this isn’t always the case.
Even though the stains may have been washed out, it can seem like no matter what we do, our clothes always come out stinky, sometimes even stinkier than when they went in. How is this possible if it was just washed? To help you figure out what’s going on, here are 7 reasons why your clothes smell after you wash them. It could be because of how you load the machine, what you use to wash the clothes, or how you dry them. So, you can figure out what’s wrong with your laundry routine and fix it quickly so things smell fresh again.
1.Putting too much on the machine
First of all, one of the worst things you can do when doing laundry is to put too much in your washing machine. This is a huge no-no, even though it seems like a good idea because it helps you get through the hamper faster and saves money on extra cycles. If there are too many clothes in the drum, they won’t be able to move around as well, which makes it harder for the clothes to get clean. Also, the detergent won’t be able to get into all of the clothes. Because your clothes aren’t being washed right, they are more likely to keep any stains or smells.
Your clothes are likely to come out not only stinky but also drenched. If a washing machine is too full, it might not spin because the extra weight throws it off balance. So, even if you try to use your washing machine less and put less pressure on it, you’re making things worse. Stick to the maximum capacity for the best cleaning results and to help your washing machine last longer.
2.Not enough cycles
It’s easy to use the quick wash setting when you’re in a hurry or want to save money on energy. This doesn’t take long at all to wash your clothes. Some cycles take as little as 20 minutes. The problem is that a quick wash setting isn’t always the best choice. When you think about it, your clothes are being washed for less time, and the rinse and spin times are also shorter, so it makes sense that they won’t be as clean. So, any smells that remain are less likely to be completely gone.
For regular loads of laundry, use the standard cycle that is made for what you are washing and don’t shorten it. Even though this will take longer, it will help get rid of any smells that are still there. If you’re worried about how much energy you’re using, eco settings are becoming more common. These settings cut the amount of energy and water used in exchange for a longer cycle. You can also save energy by lowering the temperature of the wash, but keep in mind that this will affect how well it cleans. A hot wash (as hot as the care label will let you) may be needed to clean and get rid of any lingering smells in the laundry.
3.The wrong amount of soap
The more detergent you use, the cleaner your clothes are, right? Wrong. If you put too much detergent in your washing machine, you actually make it less good at cleaning. If there are too many suds, the clothes won’t move around as well. Tide says, “Too many suds make it hard to get clothes clean because they keep them from rubbing against each other.” This rubbing is what helps clothes get as clean as possible.
On top of that, your washing machine might not rinse out enough of the detergent. This can make your clothes feel stiff and “crunchy” and make sensitive skin more likely to react to them. Even though your clothes will still be dirty because the wash didn’t work well, the strong smell of detergent can make things worse. In the end, you have stinky clothes that you won’t want to wear.
4.Not keeping your washer clean
Even if you don’t believe it, your washing machine needs to be cleaned from time to time. Every time the machine is used, soap and water are left behind. This causes soap scum, mildew, and limescale to build up. Over time, this makes the washing machine smell bad. This smell can then get on your clothes when you wash them, so if you have smelly laundry, you might want to check the state of your washing machine.
It’s pretty simple to clean a washing machine. You can either buy a cleaning product made just for washing machines, like Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner ($10 on Amazon), or use things you already have around the house. White vinegar or bleach will do the same thing, but you should never mix them together because that will make a deadly chlorine gas. Before running your chosen solution through the machine, you also need to clean the filter, the detergent drawer, and the rubber gasket to get rid of any dirt. See how to clean a washing machine for a full list of steps.
Remember to let the machine air out between uses by leaving the door and detergent drawer open. This will make it stay clean longer. Also, you should deep clean your washing machine about once a month.
5.Not drying well enough
If your clothes don’t smell when you take them out of the washer, but they do when they’re dry, the problem is probably how you dry them. If clothes don’t dry fast enough, mold and mildew can grow, which makes them smell musty. This often happens when clothes are hung up inside to dry but aren’t far enough apart. If the environment is very humid and doesn’t have enough air flow, that can also make it smelly.
Make sure you don’t put too much on your clothes rack and that each item has enough room to dry. Don’t stack anything, and put thicker items on more than one line so that air can flow better. Open the windows to let in more air and buy one of the best dehumidifiers to get rid of excess moisture.
If it’s nice enough, you can dry things outside to get the job done faster. If items still feel damp after going through the dryer, you can hang them up to finish drying them before putting them away. That musty smell should go away now.
6.Leaving it too long in the machine
We have all left our wet clothes in the washing machine for too long. Mold and mildew have had a chance to grow, so the load of laundry smells musty. Not only does this make your laundry smell bad (which means you’ll probably have to wash it again), but it can also leave residue in the machine that can spread to other loads of laundry. You should stop doing this as soon as possible. Mold can grow on clothes and make them smell musty. It can also damage the clothes and make it hard for people with allergies or breathing problems to breathe.
Set a timer so you always know when your washing machine will be done. When the alarm goes off, move the clothes to the dryer or hang them up to dry as soon as possible. Don’t turn it off and forget about it, because the load will start to smell in just 12 hours. For the same reason, you shouldn’t leave wet or damp clothes in your dryer. As soon as it’s done, take the load off and take care of it.
7.Putting softener on clothes
We use fabric softener to make our laundry smell better, but it might make things smell even worse. This is because fabric softener works by coating our clothes with a waxy layer. This is how it makes things feel soft, but it also makes it harder for water and detergent to get into the clothes. That means that fabric softener makes a barrier that slows down the washing process.
Because of this, the stains and smells are basically locked into the fibers. With each use, this layer gets thicker and harder to get through. So, when you wash something very dirty, like sportswear, the added scent will be there, but the smell of sweat will probably still be there too. This is just one reason why fabric softener is bad for you and your washing machine. Stop putting fabric softener on your clothes to make them smell better.
Instead of fabric softener, use 14 cup of white vinegar that has been distilled. It will still soften the load, but it won’t affect how well the wash works, and there won’t be a strong smell of vinegar at the end. Just don’t put bleach in the washing machine if you’re going to use vinegar.
