Have you ever forgotten about a load of laundry and left it sitting in a damp, dark, tangled mess for hours before finally becoming aware of your neglect? If so, you have undoubtedly encountered that pervasive moldy musk that accompanies it. And you have likely also noticed that rewashing the load doesn’t do much good... unless you do this.
Adding a generous cup of white vinegar to the normal soapy cycle works wonders when it comes to removing musty smells. Combine that with a good air dry in direct sun and your laundry will be back to smelling fresh. So next time your loved one ditches a damp towel on the floor, crumpled into a ball, or when you absentmindedly leave your clothes at Auntie Maytag’s overnight, at least you will have a clear course of (affordable) action to remedy the stinky situation.
As per usual, vinegar to the rescue!
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Rewashing the load always solves this problem. Even after the week+ I forgot about a load in the washer still. I've never rewashed and still had a smell...
same as above. rewashing has always worked for me.
Thank you for the tip! I left a load in the washer overnight last week and though I have re-washed (and dried) the clothing TWICE it still smells, well, terrible. I will definitly try the vinegar!
I put about 1/4 cup of vinegar in every load of laundry, and have never had an issue with a lingering smell...
Vinegar also removes pet odors (including cat urine) and the smell of tobacco smoke.
Lemon juice can also take out the "forgot about the laundry" smell.
Rewashing always worked great when I had top-load washers... but now that I have a front load? Rewashing does nothing! So thanks for the vinegar tip... I can't wait to try it.
Is the direct sunlight necessary? We live in Seattle where direct sunlight is hard to come by.