Anyone got a good technique for washing them to get the odor out?
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Replies
Have you tried adding baking soda to the wash?
Borax
in the washing machine. Also helps to let the stinky shirts dry out before washing. Dry on a clothes line if possible.
Depends what made them stinky (I'm assuming sweat and work dirt).
I'm a fan of a bit of bleach. Most of today's fabrics are not affected by it. Besides, they're just old work shirts, right?
My wife just washes mine separately in hot water and regular detergent. To be honest, this summer has been the hottest in Japan I can recall, and most days my work clothes are just soggen lumps of cloth by the end of the day, but she manages to get the sweat/odor out without problem.
I guess I have stonger sweat glands than the rest of you. Of those listed the only thing my wife hasn't tried is borax. I've had some success with hydrogen peroxide (a little pricy in the drugstore bottles), but far from perfect.
Can get a shirt fresh out of the laundry, put it on after showering, and it's stinky in 15 minutes.
>Can get a shirt fresh out of
>Can get a shirt fresh out of the laundry, put it on after showering, and it's stinky in 15 minutes.
hmmmm, maybe it's not the shirt that needs the special treatment.........;-)
I knew there'd be a crack about that. ;)
The problem is that the shirt can seem fresh, but heat/humidity from the body activates the malodorous chemicals in it.
Yep, couldn't pass it up.
Know what you mean though. Used to do search & rescue. Frequently ended up in the same clothes for a couple or more days. Only thing I found to get the odor out of them was just multiple washings.
Remember one search. 106 deg in August; out in a swamp; looking for a downed airplane. I walked back into the command post & you could see all the noses in there start twitching. People started looking around to find out what that awful smell was that just walked in.
Okay, gotcha. This summer has been one of the three hottest on record here in Japan, and my wife also complains about my smell during the course of the day; I don't think it can be helped by any technique in washing the shirts. Aside from the sheer heat issue, it probably has to do with stuff I eat/drink, hormones, and age. Only solution I can think of is showering and changing clothes once an hour.
Okay, gotcha. This summer has been one of the three hottest on record here in Japan, and my wife also complains about my smell during the course of the day; I don't think it can be helped by any technique in washing the shirts. Aside from the sheer heat issue, it probably has to do with stuff I eat/drink, hormones, and age. Only solution I can think of is showering and changing clothes once an hour.
Add some white vinegar to the wash water and soak a while before washing, washing soda won't hurt either.
My granny used to boil them in a washtub over a coal fire outside, using her homemade lye soap. Must be something about using hot water to kill bacteria, because she was pretty knowledgeable about household and living type things.
Wif'e's tried vinegar, though not washing soda.
I think the peroxide would work if I could find some stronger stuff -- where does one buy industrial H2O2?
Polyester or cotton
I have found that cotton washed in hot water with regular detergent comes out smelling clean, but polyester manages to retain some of its bouquet unless it's been washed a few times. Hot water helps a lot. Like, really hot.
These are mostly pure cotton shirts.
Give This a Try
I add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Pine Sol (Lemon Scented) to a load of wash - Warm Wash/Warm Rinse. Everything comes out smelling fresh. The residual Pine Sol scent vanishes in the dryer.
SteveVA
Give This a Try
I add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Pine Sol (Lemon Scented) to a load of wash - Warm Wash/Warm Rinse. Everything comes out smelling fresh. The residual Pine Sol scent vanishes in the dryer.
SteveVA
Try a chemical supply house for 35% technical grade. Also medical supply houses sell 35% medical grade. I would not order it because if you buy over 8% H202 there are hazmat charges which are rediculous for small orders.
Re: Bacteria
If you think bacteria remaining in the cloth is the culprit...
When cleaning industrial kitchens, they have discovered that bleach only kills about 28% of the bacteria.
Using white vinegar kills some as well. I don't remember hearing a percentage.
But, using a solution of one cup of white vinegar and one cup of bleach in one gallon of hot water, results in almost 100% bacteriacide. (I think I just made that word up. LOL)
If you are going to do that, I think I would actually make up the gallon of solution, separate. Wait for the washer to start agitating. Pour the solution in, slowly. Let it agitate for a bit. Then turn the washer off, and let it soak for at least a half hour. Before starting the washer again, to let it finish.
Pretrty sure it's not bacteria. I suspect it's chemicals related to butyric acid, produced by the body. The chemicals soak into the cotton (other fabrics aren't as bad) and won't wash out easily.
Chlorine is poisonous
It also can release chloring gas. Which is poisonous.
KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN, ITS THE DYE
I think that it is something to do with the the shirts that have color in them. My white work t shirts don't get that same smell. My wife thinks that I am crazy, but I can put on a fresh shirt and 15 min. later after I get hot it will have this funny odor to it. My other shirts don't do that, its just my work t shirts and the ones with color. Tell me I am not crazy!
Tell me I am not crazy!
Even crazy people speak the truth every now and then.
This may sound silly
But three things:
I seldom do laundry just like my wife seldom mows the lawn. So I have very little knowledge of the day to day operations of my own laundry room.
Are you sure she's washing them in HOT water every time?
It took me a while to figure it out but I can tell the difference between when they are washed in HOT water and when they are washed in COLD or COOL water.
Are they getting moved from washer to dryer immediately? Just because the don't smell musty like they sat in the washer all day doesn't mean they haven't developed a little smell of their own that's just waiting to be released.
My work T-Shirts are all 50% Cotten 50% Rayon or some such fabric. No matter how they get laundered they never seem to have that smell. When I run I wear some 100% Cotten NIke T-Shirts. They are the most comfortable ones I own............but if I don't wash them in HOT water on the Extra Rinse/Heavy Soil cycle and use double the amount of detergent? They do just what you're talking about. A little sweat hits them and the smell.
This may sound silly
But three things:
I seldom do laundry just like my wife seldom mows the lawn. So I have very little knowledge of the day to day operations of my own laundry room.
Are you sure she's washing them in HOT water every time?
It took me a while to figure it out but I can tell the difference between when they are washed in HOT water and when they are washed in COLD or COOL water.
Are they getting moved from washer to dryer immediately? Just because the don't smell musty like they sat in the washer all day doesn't mean they haven't developed a little smell of their own that's just waiting to be released.
My work T-Shirts are all 50% Cotten 50% Rayon or some such fabric. No matter how they get laundered they never seem to have that smell. When I run I wear some 100% Cotten NIke T-Shirts. They are the most comfortable ones I own............but if I don't wash them in HOT water on the Extra Rinse/Heavy Soil cycle and use double the amount of detergent? They do just what you're talking about. A little sweat hits them and the smell.
I had a couple of shirts that went stinko too, both were from the GAP. As soon as I started sweating even a little they would reak of mustyness (like they sat wet for too long). I tried everything with them, but I figure some kind of mold took up residence in the fabric. I finally threw them both out.
Really hot water and a bit of tsp
REALLY hot water. I have one of the new efficient front loaders, that has what it calls a sanitary cycle. It heats the water up to about 170-degrees. I add about a teaspoon of tsp to the first wash cycle with the detergent and Chlorox 2, the second wash cycle is straight Chlorox 2. The whole wash cycle with two washes and two rinses, takes almost three hours.
Nothing survives. Things smell clean the next day.
I googled to be sure I wasn't
sorry. I can't reply properly on this forum. This was supposed to be in response to Luka.
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modtd/33339740.html
Chlorine bleach + vinegar would seem to be an OK combination, unless of course the folks at Michigan State University are trying to create some pro dishwasher job openings.
See "Dishwashing"; 6, b
I know that chlorine bleach + ammonia are a big no-no.
Can't comment as to whether this will get the stink out.....
Where did you google that bleach + vinegar was not a safe mix? Just curious for future reference......
Jim
You right!
Thanks for that link.
See, it is a plot by MSU to create openings for professional dishwashers.
Would that count as a stimulus plan "Job Created or Saved"?
Probably not.......
Jim
Acid mixed with Sodium Hypochlorite releases chlorine gas.
From one quick google search:
There is evidence that vinegar lowers the alkalinity of diluted bleach, making it a more potent bactericide. Diluted household bleach has a pH which is quite high (i.e it is quite alkaline). Adding vinegar lowers it and makes the bleach a more effective killer of bacteria.
Is this mixing of vinegar and bleach safe or necessary?
The short answer is "No!".
For domestic use the dangers are too great. When acids are mixed with bleach chlorine gas is given off. This is quite toxic and can be a considerable health risk.
One lady who tried this as a child spent days coughing and choking afterwards and felt lucky to have fully recovered from the effects after a few weeks.
Vinegar is a fairly potent bactericide in its own right. If you feel the need to use bleach too, then separate them out. Use bleach in small quantities, diluted in water to top up your cleaning programme.
Vinegar and bleach is only an option in emergency situations and is best left to professionals.
Why People Mix Bleach and Vinegar
Monday February 2, 2009
View ImageIf mixing bleach and vinegar releases toxic chlorine gas, then why do people do it? There are two answers to this question. The first answer is that vinegar lowers the pH of bleach, making it a better disinfectant. I'll explain how that works in a bit. The second answer to 'why people mix bleach and vinegar' is that people don't know any better or underestimate the risk. They hear mixing the chemicals makes them better cleaners and disinfectants, but don't realize it isn't going to make enough of a difference to justify the considerable health hazard.
What Happens When Bleach and Vinegar Are Mixed
Chlorine bleach contains sodium hypochlorite or NaOCl. Because bleach is sodium hypochlorite in water, the sodium hypochlorite in bleach actually exists as hypochlorous acid:
NaOCl + H2O ↔ HOCl + Na+ + OH-
Hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidizer. This is what makes it so good at bleaching and disinfection. If you mix bleach with an acid, chlorine gas will be produced. For example, if you mix bleach with toilet bowl cleaner, which contains hydrochloric acid:
HOCl + HCl ↔ H2O + Cl2
Chlorine gas attacks mucous membranes, such as your eyes, throat, and lungs and can kill you, so causing that reaction isn't in your best interest. If you mix bleach with another acid, such as the acetic acid found in vinegar, you get essentially the same result:
2HOCl + 2HAc ↔ Cl2 + 2H2O + 2Ac- (Ac : CH3COO)
There is an equilibrium between the chlorine species that is influenced by pH. When the pH is lowered, as by adding toilet bowl cleaner or vinegar, the ratio of chlorine gas in increased. When the pH is raised, the ratio of hypochlorite ion is increased. Hypochlorite ion is a less efficient oxidizer than hypochlorous acid, so some people will intentionally lower the pH of bleach to increase the oxidizing power of the chemical, even though chlorine gas is produced as a result.
What You Should Do Instead
Don't poison yourself! Rather than increasing the activity of the bleach by adding vinegar to it, just buy fresh bleach! Chlorine bleach has a shelf life. This is particularly true if your bleach has been hanging around for several months. It's far safer for you to buy fresh bleach than to risk releasing a chemical weapon on yourself by mixing bleach with another chemical. You can use bleach and vinegar for cleaning, just make sure you rinse before switching products.
In other words...
In short...
You take precautions when you use bleach.
For example, you don't use it full strength, in a tight space, with little or no ventilation.
Take the very same precautions when using the bleach and vinegar mix.
You should be in no more danger than if you were using plain bleach in the same situation.
Actually, with beach sand you should be cautious - and not with breathing it.
It's been found that bacterial contamination lasts longer in the sand than it does in the water. So sand on your food can be potentially more harmful to you than not washing your hands.
I think I've got it licked
Was in Gander Mountain (sporting goods store) about a week ago and found "Scent Killer Clothing Wash". It's for washing hunters' clothes to eliminate odors that will scare the game. It's a powder that comes in a clear jug. A little pricy (I think $16 for the jug) but a little goes a long way.
Anyway, I washed a small load in hot water with about 1/8 cup of the Scent Killer, 1/4 cup of "Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator", and 1/4 cup of standard liquid laundry detergent. Several shirts in the load were such that they'd begin stinking as soon as you put them on clean, but after this wash they were all OK.
I don't know if the Febreze is needed, but I had it so I used it. (Febreze alone didn't do the job.)
I've also fairly well determined that hydrogen peroxide will do the job, but it's too effin' expensive in drug store bottles, and I've not been able to find a "industrial" source.
Oxyclean?
I think a powdered oxygenating bleach like Oxyclean would be a lot less expensive. I would also check the actual temperature of your hot cycle. It might be worth it to invest in a new washer with a built-in heater and sanitary cycle.
Actually, I was in the grocery a few days later, and products like Oxyclean weren't much cheaper.
Hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in Clorox2. I add about 1/2 cup in addition to my regular detergent. I live in West Humid Arkansas and ALL of my work clothes were stinky before this. I think that the hydrogen peroxide concentration isn't very high though because if I don't use it in every wash the funk slowly returns. So, it may also take a couple of washes to get it knocked out the first time.
shirt
20 mule team borax and tide
I'd like to drift a bit, into the 'what made them stink' direction ....
Ever meet someone who simply stank, even minutes after bathing? Well, you might be surprised at the cause: fungus.
That's right. Sort of an 'all-body athletes' foot.' The solution can be as simple as some Desenex powder in those sweaty spots.
Naturally, the next causes are our bad habits - smoking, drinking, eating certain foods in excess.
As for the clothing, a lot matters on both the material and the laundering. Synthetics like polypro thermals are the worst - and if the instructions say 'air dry,' then one trip through the dryer can 'fix' the stink right in them.
If you have spilt something -say, minor amounts of diesel- on them, add a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide to the wash. It's the original 'color safe bleach.'
I came to the conclusion that the likely culprit is butyric acid and related compounds produced from fatty acids in the body. The situation is probably worse in my case since I have a metabolism problem related to the production of ammonia in the body.