Why don't my clothes smell good after I wash them?

Question

I have tried a few different detergents but can't really afford the name brands like Tide all the time.

My clothes never really smell "clean and fresh" after I wash them. Any tips?

It's not like they are really dirty when I wash them, now if I wash my whites and use bleach, they smell great but thats the only way ANY of my clothes/towels smell good.

Answer 1

Gain detergent smells really good,but if money is a problem then I would try some liquid fabric softener in the rinse.

Answer 2

This is a easy solution to this problem, first let me tell you your washer tub is dirty this is why your clothes are coming out smelling bad, you have to run your washing machine empty with a cup of White Vinegar to the wash water fill it up then put your washer through a wash cycle, let it rinse as well, okay now that part is done, when you wash your clothes the next time, use 1/2 cup of Vinegar to your rinse water to remove the residues built up on your clothes from using store bought detergents, your clothes will be really fresh and clean and soft you will not need any fabric softner, and remember to keep your washer clean by using the hint I previously gave you about every 3-4 weeks and your washing will be odor free. Good Luck !

Answer 3

Fabric dryer sheets should help you out. Also add 1 cup of white vinegar to the wash along with your detergent which will sweeten your clothing and add to it's cleaning power. Don't over load your machine if you can and put them in the dryer when the washer is done. With even a short time, the clothing will smell sour. Good luck and have a great year.

Answer 4

Like you, I used cheap laundry soap & bleach for quite awhile. And I had problems with feeling as if my clothing was clean or fresh.

Until I started using Tide, Clorox Bleach for Colors & Clorox Bleach. I have also noticed that my clothing lasts a lot longer, making those three products well worth the little extra!!! I also use shout for hard to get out stains, which works very well.

I've noticed that I have saved money just on my underclothing!! I spent approximately $75 on my underclothing. However, I've had to replace all my underclothing almost every 6 months. Until I started using the Tide & Clorox, that is. I have had this set of underclothing for almost 2 years....... that means I initially paid out $75 but I've saved $225 because I haven't had to replace any to date!!

Tide runs about $5.50 for approximately 20 loads PLUS Clorox runs about $4.25 for approximately 20 loads & shout runs about $4.50 for approximately 20 loads. That's about $14.25 for 20 loads OR 71 CENTS per load.

So, I guess it depends on what you are looking at as far as saving money?? Because I have saved about $210 during the past 2 years by using Tide & Clorox. And have not had the problem of my laundry smelling clean & fresh since!!

Answer 5

When I've had that problem it's because I overloaded the machine. Also using too much detergent prevents the clothes from rinsing properly and can lead to them not seeming particularly clean. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

I recommend using the small load cycle so it doesn't use as much water and use some extra fabric softer. This helps my clothes. How I learned this is because recently I used my mother-in-laws front load washer that use less water makes clothes smell really really good because the clothes don't soak in alot of water. Really this seriously works.

Answer 7

bleach can help your laundry smell clean after, but then, you can't use it in colored clothes. maybe there's a problem with your detergent. the Arn & Hammer detergent says it eleminates odor using baking soda, i tried it, and it does smell good after. also, using fabric softener, like Downy or Snuggle (those are the brands that smells great!) helps

Answer 8

towels can sometimes get an awful smell to them. You can use vinegar in your rinse cycle and not only will that help the smell it will sanitize the clothes too. also you can pre-wash using baking soda which whitens and cleans also removes smells

Answer 9

I have a front loader washer and my clothes were smelling bad to after I washed them. I did not realize that we had a filter. After I cleaned it they smelled great. So make sure to check if it has any kind of filter.

Answer 10

we had the same problem using gain the towels would smell musky or soured a friend had the same problem and had fixed it by switching to tide liquid so we tried it and sure enough solved the odor. we didnt like the price increase either but youll wish you had done it sooner.