How to remove smell from clothes left in washing machine

How to Remove Perfume Scents From Clothing

1. Make a Baking Soda Solution

   Fill a large sink or bucket or your washer with cool water. Dissolve one cup of baking soda in four cups of hot water and add the solution to the cool water.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

2. Soak the Garment

   Completely submerge the garment and allow it to soak for at least four hours. Overnight is fine.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

3. Wash Normally

   Wash as directed using a heavy-duty unscented laundry detergent.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

4. Repeat as Needed

   Check the garment for odor. If you can still smell the fragrance, repeat the steps.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

5. Dry the Garment

   If the odor is gone, dry as directed by the care label or dry the garment on a clothesline in the fresh air.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

   Tip

   For at-home odor removal from non-washable fabrics, hang them outside on a breezy day. Or just sprinkle some baking soda all over the garment, let it sit in the tub overnight, then shake it out the next day.

How to Remove Sweat Odors From Clothing

A shirt may look and smell clean after washing. But an hour or so into wearing it, here comes the sweat odor.

Removing Sweat Odors From Washable Shirts

For shirts that have been washed but still have an odor, mix a solution of two cups of baking soda in a washer tub of lukewarm water. Add the shirts and allow them to soak for at least 24 hours. Then wash as directed.

1. Scrub the Armpits

   If the deodorant build-up has left the fabric stiff and a heavy sweat odor is present, mix a one-to-one solution of white distilled vinegar and water and use a soft-bristled brush or an old toothbrush to scrub the armpits before soaking.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

2. Make a Vinegar Solution

   Fill a washing machine, large bucket, or sink with cool water and add one cup of white distilled vinegar.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu 

3. Soak the Shirt(s)

   Add the garment and allow it to soak for at least 30 minutes. Drain the vinegar/water solution.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

4. Wash as Usual

   Wash as usual in cool water with a heavy-duty laundry detergent (Persil ProClean or Tide).

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

Removing Sweat Odors From Gym Clothes 

Working up a sweat can be a good thing, but that sweat (and the smell) can be difficult to remove from today's high-performance fabrics, like those found in workout clothes. 

1. Add White Distilled Vinegar

   For daily laundry, add one cup of baking soda or white distilled vinegar to your wash water each time you wash exercise clothes. The baking soda or white distilled vinegar will help neutralize odor and make your detergent work more efficiently.

   The Spruce / Erica Lang

2. Air-Dry Garments

   Do not machine-dry fabrics. The high heat can bind any body oil and its bacteria to the fibers. Hang fabrics to air-dry.

   The Spruce / Erica Lang

Tips

• Do not wear exercise clothes again until they have been washed. Each wearing adds layers of body soil and bacteria.
• If you are not able to wash activewear daily, invest in a "diaper pail" for the gear. Any plastic container with a lid will work. Fill it with cool water and one cup of baking soda. Drop soiled exercise clothes in the pail and let them soak until it is time for laundry. Squeeze out the water and wash as usual. Fill the pail with clean water and baking soda and you are ready for another round of exercise.

How to Remove Gasoline Odors From Clothing

Whether you work with fuels or simply have a gas pump splashing accident, gasoline and diesel oil odors can be difficult to remove. 

These steps will work well on small fuel stains. If the fabric is heavily stained with gasoline, it should be discarded. You must take great care because the fuel is flammable, so never place garments that even faintly smell of fuel in a clothes dryer.

If the garment is labeled dry clean only, point out and identify the stain to your professional dry cleaner.

1. Pretreat Stains

   Since fuel is an oil-based stain, use an enzyme-based stain remover or a bit of heavy-duty liquid detergent to pretreat the stains. Work the stain remover into the fabric with your fingers and allow it to work for at least 15 minutes before washing the garment.

   The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytksa

2. Wash in Hot Water

   Wash the item in the highest-temperature water appropriate for the fabric. Repeat as needed before drying if odor persists.

   The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytksa

3. Soak Clothes If Necessary

   For lingering odors, soak the stained clothes in cool water with one cup baking soda for at least four hours or overnight.

   The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytksa

4. Add Ammonia (Optional)

   If the baking soda doesn't remove the heaviest odors, fill the washer with warm water and add one cup of household ammonia. Soak for 2 or 3 hours. Drain the soaking water from the washer and wash as usual.

   Warning

   Do not use any chlorine bleach during the ammonia soaking or washing process, as dangerous fumes can form.

How to Remove Cooking Odors From Clothing

Any home cook who fries food or fast food worker will tell you that fabrics can quickly absorb odors and hold onto them even if there are no stains. There are microscopic grease particles from frying in the air, and they embed in the fibers.

If you've gotten trapped next to the fryer or grill when wearing dry clean only clothes, point out the odors to your dry cleaner. If the odor is light, hang the non-washable garment outside on a breezy day for several hours.

1. Wash the Clothing

   Wash on the normal cycle in the hottest water recommended on the care label for the fabric.

   To successfully remove the oily molecules, use a heavy-duty laundry detergent like Tide or Persil. Boost the cleaning power of any detergent by adding one cup of baking soda or one-half cup borax to the washer.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

2. Presoak If Needed

   If washing correctly does not remove the odor, presoak the clothes for at least two hours in a solution of hot water with two cups of baking soda. After presoaking, wash the garments again.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

How to Remove Musty and Mothball Odors From Clothes

Musty and mothball odors can be difficult to remove, but several things can be done to speed the process.

Removing Musty and Mothball Odors From Washable Clothes

1. Wash With Baking Soda

   Fill the washer or a large sink with water and detergent and add one cup of baking soda. Mix well and allow the clothing to soak for at least one hour before completing the washing cycle.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

2. Add Distilled White Vinegar

   Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse to cut through any remaining product residue.

   The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

3. Hang to Dry

   Hang the freshly washed clothing on a clothesline outside to dry. Fresh air is perhaps the best refresher of all.

   The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

Removing Musty and Mothball Odors From Dry-Clean Only Clothes

1. Place Clothing and Baking Soda in a Container

   Place the smelly garment in a large, sealable plastic tub or bag with an open box of baking soda. Let the container remain sealed for several days as the baking soda absorbs the odors. Repeat the process several times (with a fresh box of baking soda each time) until all of the odors are gone.

   The Spruce / Michelle Becker

2. Hang to Dry

   Dry clean only clothes can be hung outside—away from direct sunlight—to air-dry, but most will require a trip to the dry cleaner to remove the odor. 

   The Spruce / Michele Lee

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