Sour Smelling Clothing?

Wash them with a cup of vinegar added to the washing machine. Vinegar also kills germs.

whozis333

December 26, 20101 found this helpful

The sour smell is butyric acid; it's water soluble, but some fabrics take a long time to diffuse out the stuff. One wash cycle isn't always enough. Soak the garment (overnight in a bucket of water) and maybe change the water and give it a second day. One pound of clothes, ten pounds of water, means you diminish the odor maybe 90 percent with every change of fluid.

The problem eventually will go away with just regular washing, too (but each wash is fifteen minutes of water contact, versus fifteen hours of contact if you leave it in a bucket overnight).

busbycellars

August 14, 20170 found this helpful

How much ammonia should I use for a full wash load of stinky sewage or rotten egg smelling clothes?

 

tranvumanh

March 1, 20210 found this helpful

You're my savior, the nasty that ruined my stuffs for years. Vinegar, baking soda etc... Nothing helps. I tried soaking my shirts in plain water for 24 hours, and a delicate wash cycle, the smell is gone.

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This should be in a book.

 

Mattie

August 1, 20081 found this helpful

I have alot of pets and large wet dogs...their blankets and quilts they lay on get stinky...i soak over night in 1/4 cup baking soda and a lil odo ban in hot water...then i drain washer and refill and wash in hot water & detergent then rinse twice, i put 1/4 cup vinegar in the first rinse then dry in the hot sun...it helps alot...hot water seems to set stains but helps stinky stuff,with baking soda it seems to loosen up anything caught in the fabric fibers...i love odo ban...i use alot of it...it is not that expensive,alot cheaper than frebreeze because it is consentrated,a gallon last me nearly a year.. a lil goes a long ways if it helps these doggy blankets maybe it will help your clothes...hope so...

Try adding some vinegar to your wash load. Usually helps.

Try drying them outside instead of in the dryer.

For any foul smell in any cloth, I soak the piece in hottest water the item can take, and a cup of Dollar store "febreeze". I refuse to buy the regular Febreeze laundry smell remover thats over $5.00 a bottle. If my husband brings home gassy or oil smelling clothes, and this doesn't fully remove the "aroma" I have also soaked the item in the bath tub with about 1 cup of cheap laundry softener and a half cup of salt, with just enough water to cover the item, either method, then wash as usual.

Just another laundry tip from my grandma's days, you can whiten whites or remove smells by soaking in a little detergent and water, rinse, then lay items out on the grass until dry (works best if there is dew). Don't know how this works, but grandma always did it and she had beautiful laundry that smelled great.

Here's a few tips that helped me -

- Firstly, check your lint filter regularly to make sure its not blocked and the water is draining properly.
- Dont overload your washing machine.
- To get rid of 'sour-musty' smells, I sometimes do a pre-wash and soak with very hot water and 2 of cups of white vinegar and a big dash of bicarb-soda. Then I drain the water and wash as normal.

Good luck and remember the smells never go away 100%.

This is common in my house (unfortunately)! The sour smell is due to either bacteria growth when wet clothes sit around a while or the over use of detergent. The solution I have found that works for soured wet clothes is to add a little bleach. For the overuse of detergent it is obvious....don't use so much detergent! I haven't tried the vinegar yet, but will definitely try it the next time I have a problem to see if it works.