Stale Sheets? Laundry additives?

[lab80]

The last 2 times we have changed the sheets on our bed and our pillow cases they smell kinda stale...:

We use Charlies for all our laundry and our clothes don't get this way, nor do our towels or diapers. We do keep our sheets in a linen closet with the door always closed, could that be the cause?

They smell fine after being washed but by the time we put them on the bed...it doesn't smell awful, but it is annoying. I would say we more or less change the sheets once a week, but we have 4 sets we roate through so some sit in there longer than others.

I'm trying baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the rinse on them now in a hot wash and then rinsing in cold to make sure the vinegar is gone (is that necessary?), we have a 3 week old and I am just now getting caught up with laundry.

If that doesn't work is there something else I could try, borax or something? Since we use Charlies would using borax or oxiclean cause build up in the washer that would cause them to leave residue on our diapers? I recently soaked our diapers in oxiclean to help with stains and stripped afterwards and had lots of suds because of the oxiclean.

We are used to everything not having a scent so I don't really want to use a fabric softener.

[rainyday]

It sounds like they're picking up a stale smell in the closet. I don't think a laundry additive would solve that problem, unless it's from washing not getting rid of all the body oils on the sheets.

We have one closet that left all our towels smelly kind of funny. We finally lined it with cedar panels (that you can buy at Lowe's for that purpose), and it solved our problem.

You could also take everything out and scrub down the inside of the closet. That might help, especially if you use something like Dr. Bronners peppermint.

If scrubbing doesn't help, you could paint the interior of the closet with an odor-blocking paint.

I also keep some soaps that have strong scents in with my sheets to help give them a nice, subtle fragrance.

[catnap70]

It does sound like it might be the closet or something else in the closet. You could also try some sachets in the closet. Something like lavender flowers tied into a hankie or bandana might work. You could also add just one or two drops of essential oils, especially oils that are nice for bringing on the sleepies like lavender or roman chamomile.

[littlelessons]

Hang up your pillowcases outside for the day before you put them on the bed?

[lab80]

I asked DH for his imput on the situation and he said he likes the smell...

Not sure if I should deal with it since he likes it (reminds him of his childhood) or start trying different things to fix the smell from the closet.

All of the sheets are cleaned but still in a pile on the guest room bed, I haven't had time to fold and put away anything lately. There are some plastic bins in the closet too, maybe the smell of the plastic is the cause.

I think I will try leaving the door open unless we have guest using the room, as my first attempt. I used to leave a dryer sheet in there with them but we switched to Charlies and don't buy them anymore. I'm pretty sure they didn't get this smell when a fresh sheet was in there. Maybe I will get some cheap ones just for that...

ETA: We can't put laundry outside at my complex

[kdabbler]

I have to agree with the others. It might be your linen closet. My mother's closet is damp. I hate using her towels and linens. So check the humidity in there too.

I like freshening my linens and towels up sometimes with linen spray. I use store bought stuff from Target, but you can also make your own with essential oils.

[Marni]

I like the sun idea best -- but you can also toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes to freshen them up.