Carolyn J. Braden • 2 Minute Read
How To Remove Bad Smells From Laundry
Before I moved to Southwest Florida, I was told Florida was like a damp basement. This suggestion proved to be true. Things mold and get smelly more quickly in Florida due to dampness, humidity and heat and this includes my clean laundry. Then I found a hack that helped. Read on to learn how to remove bad smells from laundry.
This battles stinky towels
The Problem
I moved to Florida from Kentucky in 2020. Kentucky got very hot and humid in the summer months, so I was slightly prepared for Florida. Years before this, I made a switch to using many plant-based cleaners like Method (love their scents and I get them at Walmart, Target and Amazon), detergents like Seventh Generation (I adore their tiny concentrated bottle of detergent if you can’t lug a big bottle, Target), and rarely used any bleach sprays. Then Florida (and the Covid pandemic) threw me off.
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer
Cleaners I Never Thought I’d Use
While I still use my plant-based cleaners, detergents and many cruelty free brands to keep my house clean, I started seeing mildew in my tub jets, on our porch railings and my newer towels, no matter how clean and dry they were, smelled moldy too. I had to grab some Clorox Bleach spray (Walmart) for my shower and porch railings and it really worked. I tested many, many things and this battled mildew like nothing else.
Try using a UV light to really get things clean in your house. Our less than 1-minute video below will show you how or watch it via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
To keep my pets safe, I only use it as necessary and away from where they hang out. I got my father-in-law loving Method floor cleaner for his vinyl floors during our Hurricane Ian evacuation at his house (we were there for about 4 months while Sanibel Island, Florida and our lives began recovery) and he now buys it on his own at Target. I use the Method hardwood floor version on our acacia floors at our home and it’s so easy to use (it’s no-rinse) makes them clean and smell like almonds.
I keep this in my laundry room
Stinky Laundry Solution: Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, $6.97, Walmart or get it on Amazon too
I was still stuck on my stinky towels until Influenster sent me a small bottle of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer (you can find it at Walmart) to test. I tested it on a load of towels that were freshly clean, yet smelled a bit moldy after being rolled up and stored for a while.
Tour our tiny current laundry room + storage below or via our website article here.
You can pour a bit into your fabric softener drawer OR add it to a rinse cycle, use your regular detergent and it truly sanitized and deodorized those towels! Read more about why your clothes may stink after washing them here on healthline.com.
I add it to my washer’s fabric softener drawer
I rolled the towels and opened one after a while and they still were stink-free. The product has no bleach in it, yet is a color safe bleach alternative because it kills 99.9% of bacteria without the harshness of bleach. I’ve used it on sweaty clothes too (oh…think about those teenagers that play sports!) and it got them to be stink-free too.
Now my towels smell better
Other Stinky Laundry Solutions
I’ve tried vinegar rinses and many other things and the Lysol Laundry Sanitizer really was the most effective at long-term stink-removal. I do like to use white vinegar in my laundry softener drawer for my delicates and workout clothes to help them smell better and to not break down their elasticity. I also do a hot water/vinegar or bleach rinse to my washer on occasion when it smells and taught this to my father-in-law too.
If you have another solution that works for you, let us know in the comments below…we love to hear your clean life hacks too!
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: What Your Cleaning Style Reveals About You
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.