Removing body odor from clothes

[cruisnfamily]

I started a similar thread and got all kinds of people telling me their clothes didn't smell. Ever. So I don't know what to say because apparently it's just you and I that have this problem.

Vinegar, baking soda, "oxy" type products, febreeze laundry odor eliminator.....all of these things have done absolutely nothing for the body odor smell that seems to stick in certain fabrics.

Would amonia bleach something? Can you use it with colored items? I have some from one of DS's science projects, I could try that. That's about the only thing I haven't tried.

 

[Poohforyou]

Use white vinegar in place of fabric softener when you wash their clothes.

I use it with every load of laundry and it works great to great rid of odor and make things fluffy.

 

[spacemountainmom]

To those of you who use vinegar instead of fabric softener, do you have HE machines?

 

[Imzadi]

I love the Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator! It is so pricey, though. work differently from the spray bottles of Febreze, as you pour a capfull into the laundry, instead of spraying each individual shirt (and then smell like Febreze.)

I do have to use 2 capfulls the first few times, twice as much as they recommend. It really got rid of embedded odors. I have a thyroid & iodine problem, and it causes a stinky odor.

Then sometimes I cut down to 1 capfull or I have tried switching to vinegar or baking soda. But, the vinegar or baking soda just doesn't do it for me. I've actually poured in almost a full quart bottle of vinegar in, and it doesn't remove enough of the odor.

So, I end up going back to 2 capfuls of the Febreze. I should just stick with it. I don't have a Walmart nearby. So I end up getting it at Drugstore.com. They now have free shipping all the time for orders over $25, so I order a couple bottles. Here are the reviews at Drugstore.com:
http://www.drugstore.com/febreze-laundry-odor-eliminator/qxp198085?crpg=2


I saw this tip once, that I thought about doing for particularly stinky stuff, adapting it to the Febreze, of course. (It was originally about pet odors or stinky towels.) Soak the laundry overnite, if you have a top loader or:

"I put the soiled clothes in a trash bag, poured in as much [Febreze mixed with water] in as I could, tied the top shut, and let it "marinate" for about a day, rolling the bag over every hour or two to distribute the [Febreze mixture] thoroughly. They came out great. "​

The only other thing that I have found that works, but not as well as the Febreze for Laundry, but is a bit cheaper is using a combo of equal parts Oxiclean + Twenty Mule Team Borax. But, I have to boil water to dissolve the Oxiclean, then once that is dissolved, add in the Borax powder and dissolve that. It becomes a paint to do that before each wash.

 

[StitchBuddy]

My DD14 runs track and let me tell you, her uniform stinks! I poured vinegar
directly on the armpit area and it worked pretty good. But, even then it had a little smell. I am going to do it again and see if it get rid of it altogether.

 

[Maybelle]

how much vinegar or oxy clean? Just dump it right in??

I put the vinegar into a downy ball and throw it into the wash. I use it in my husband's clothes and it takes out the odors. I do not have an HE machine.

You can also fill a spray bottle with diluted white vinegar (50% vinegar, 50% water) and spray the pits and collars before washing and it helps to get some of the perspiration stains out.

Do you notice the smell when you are not ironing? It is probably just the heat from the iron bringing out the residual odors. I second the opinion...don't iron.

 

[Imzadi]

Do you notice the smell when you are not ironing? It is probably just the heat from the iron bringing out the residual odors. I second the opinion...don't iron.

The problem is that when the boys sweat, the body heat ALSO releases the residual odors again. Residual odors are residual odors. They end up building up over time and basically it's a stinky shirt ALL the time. Don't ask how I know.

 

[mjantz]

My DDs ballet school does The Nutcracker every year. The costumes cannot be washed or dry cleaned for various reasons. Apparently one of the wardrobe mistresses a few years ago was spraying them with vodka (straight vodka) to get rid of the smells. DD has worn several costumes & never smelled an alcohol smell so I guess it dissipates.
Just another idea.

 

[SAHDad]

DW and I use Sportwash for all of our running gear. It generally does the job, although eventually the odors seem to catch up - fortunately, that's usually about the point where I am retiring the gear anyway.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

This will only work for odors that haven't "set" for months or even weeks, but go buy some pet enzyme - the kind to get rid of cat and/or dog urine smells. Nature's Miracle is one brand, but they're all the same. You're looking for any with the enzyme and the odor eating bacteria.

When you wash clothes, toss some in with every load. I sweat like nobody's business when I exercise (clothes drip and can be wrung out) but never have any smell.

If you don't want to put down money for the enzyme, or the stink has been in the clothes a while, then vinegar, vodka or febreeze are the only other options I know of.

 

[scrapquitler]

I am convinced alcohol is the main ingredient in that Nature's Miracle pet stuff.

I think the same thing every time I have to use Nature's Miracle. It smells like alcohol.