stinky laundry!

[Grivas]

...specifically, my husband's laundry and our towels. We use Charlie's Soap, and it's fine for my clothes, our 2 year old dd's stuff, AND diapers. But my poor dh has smelly shirts and pants, and our bath towels smell the same, just like, I don't know, not clean. He complained for a while and I thought he was crazy, but he's right. They smell, right out of the dryer or right off the clothesline. I have tried white vinegar in every load, washing in hot water, 1 oz. of Dr. Bronner's, sometimes all of these things together, sometimes separately. When I use them all together, it helps a little, but I'm afraid to see our hot water bill, and it seems so wasteful!

Any ideas? Obviously, I don't want to switch to Tide or something like that. That's why I'm posting this here

[artemis33]

Bac Out is what I use for anything stinky and it works well for me!

You could also try a long soak with baking soda (or just adding that to the wash).

[Grivas]

oh, Bac Out. I never thought of that. great idea! I'll try the baking soda, too. It can't hurt. Thank you!

[sunnysandiegan]

I add a big scoop of baking soda to all sheets and towels loads.

I save my Bac-Out and Nature's Miracle for specifically gross loads because it is a lot more expensive.

[Katie T]

How long have you been using the Charlies? For the first bag and a half we had stinky clothes and towels but sheets were fine. It then went away and I think it was because it had gotten all of the build up out. For diapers I stop the washer on the hot wash with soap and let them soak. I let them sit for 30 minutes or until I remember to start the washer again. Works like a charm.

Also do you have a top loader or front loader?

[ReadWriteRunMom]

White vinegar, about 1/4-1/2 cup when you add soap. I do this all summer to combat musty towels in humid weather.

[Grivas]

We have been using Charlie's for 2+ years. The diapers smell fine! We have a top loading washer. The 1 cup of white vinegar I've been using just isn't working, even though I put it in every load. I think I washed dh's clothes in cold water for too long and they just didn't get clean. That's my theory, anyway.

[Katie T]

Does your hubby work somewhere where he gets oil on him? I know my dh comes home covered in oil and those clothes smell like oil forever. Hoping your theory is right!

[Grivas]

No, he works in an office! I just learned something interesting, though. The vinegar goes in the rinse cycle! That might be obvious, but I never knew. I was putting it in with the detergent. This seems to make a difference.

[Adamsmama]

I have found pouring a cup of baking soda with the detergent at the beginning of the cycle does wonders for smell!

[Ruthiegirl]

Does he use antiperspirant? Our clothes used to STINK and then we made a switch to a natural deoderant. Whatever was in the antiperspirant left a residue on our clothes that didn't wash out. So, the clothes stunk of old chemical and BO.

I used to soak my t-shirts in dish soap and hot water. I would squirt a bit on the pits and let them soak for a couple of hours. It helped.