Are you sick of re-washing the same garment over and over again, just for a lingering smell to get worse? When it comes to stubborn odors, your usual washing routine doesn’t always cut it.
This is especially true for odors that originate from moisture. When water gets trapped in the fibers of a fabric, bacteria can form quickly, leaving behind a musty, damp smell. But don’t worry—with the right products and routine, you can lift even the smelliest odors.
Here’s how to get a damp smell out of clothes with our top smell removal laundry tips.
Laundry tips: how to get a damp smell out of clothes
Pre-soak with Borax
Plenty of pre-wash products are designed to tackle odors, but borax is the simplest, most effective solution we recommend.
To maximize its cleaning power, dissolve one cup of borax in a gallon of warm water. Add your garment to the water, then allow it to soak for 30 minutes to one hour. This will also help brighten the garment’s color!
Choose the hottest, longest cycle you can
After your borax soak, you can return it to the washing machine.
If you’ve been using cold water, temperature may be the culprit. You’ll have much better luck using the hottest water you can with a longer cycle!
However, colored clothing can bleed in warm and hot water. If you’re dealing with a non-white garment, be sure to only wash it with clothing of similar shades.
Don’t overdo the detergent
Have you been adding extra detergent every time you try to tackle the odor? Using too much soap can actually hurt your cause because it forces the water to break down the excess detergent instead of the smell itself.
So, use only a tablespoon (or less!) of detergent this time around! If you’ve already run the garment through a few soapy washes, you can actually skip detergent entirely for this wash.
Add laundry sanitizer, oxygen bleach, or vinegar
You can also upgrade your detergent’s cleaning power by adding laundry sanitizer or oxygen bleach (or both!). This will help target the odor-causing bacteria directly.
Do you feel like the smell is almost gone, but may still be lingering?
You can defeat it once and for all by running one last rinse cycle, this time with half a cup of vinegar instead of detergent. This will also soften your garment!
Don’t machine dry until the smell is gone
Finally, don’t run your garment through the dryer until you’re confident the smell is gone. Adding heat can actually lock the odor in further, so either keep it damp or air dry it between washing attempts.
Smell removal isn’t easy, so if you’re stuck, reach out to your local WaveMAX team for professional dry-cleaning help! Your washing machine itself may be the culprit, so simply trying our top-of-the-line laundromat machines can help, too.
To find your closest location, search WaveMAX laundry near me or visit our website.
