The Laundry Lab: Odors
There’s nothing worse than stinky, smelly laundry. Maybe you’re potty training your toddler and you’re dealing with the “accidents” that come with that. Maybe you’re dealing with urine soaked bedding either from a child who wets the bed or an incontinent older adult. It could be as mundane as damp towels that accidentally got dropped in the laundry hamper or your husband’s work clothes have too much of that “work” smell. Regardless of the problem here are two ways to tackle it.
- Vinegar Wash
Run the clothing or bedding through a complete wash and rinse cycle using cold water. Don’t use any detergent or fabric softener. Instead, use 1 cup of white vinegar in the wash cycle and nothing in the rinse cycle. When it’s done, run the wash again using your usual detergent. You can add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to this wash cycle if you like but you will definitely want to add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Your laundry will come out clean and smelling fresh. - Ammonia Wash
Another option to help get the stink out is ammonia. Set your wash cycle to run with the hottest water possible according to garment washing instructions. Add your laundry detergent as usual. Once the wash tub fills with water, add 1 cup of sudsy ammonia. I prefer the lemon scented sudsy ammonia but unscented will work just as well. Let the washer do its thing, working through a complete wash and rinse cycle. When it stops, turn the washer on again but this time, just set it for the rinse cycle. Your laundry will be snuggle soft and odor free.
I have added one of my favorite laundry lab videos. If you want to see step-by-step then check it out.
