Why do my just from the laundry pants smell like sweaty socks?

Question

They just came from the laundry, and they stink! This is just out of curiosity

Answer 1

Did they stay in the washer too long and sour? I had a pair of pants that smelled after I washed them and they smelled horrible, never could get the odor out and I tried everything, finally pitched them.

Answer 2

For several reasons:

1. Not enough detergent was used? If you live in an area where the tap water is very hard or your clothes are very soiled, you will need to use more detergent in the wash load than what is recommended by the manufacturer of the detergent.

2. Did you over stuff the washer? This is a common error when people wash clothes. They over stuff the washer. If you over stuff the washer the clothes won't move around properly or get clean, especially if you have a conventional top loading washer with center post agitator

3. A deodorizing agent such as ammonia, baking soda, or borax was not used. I use baking soda or borax for my rough and tumble fibers and a little bit of ammonia for delicate items.

4. Did you mix fabric types? You are not supposed to wash your funky socks that you play football or go to the weight lifting gym with, with your dress pants, or any pants for that matter. White socks get washed with white underwear, white t-shirts and white socks...period. Besides the possibility of ending up with pink underwear, not separating your clothes can cause lint and odor transfer.

5. Did the clothes stay in the washer too long? If clothes stay damp in washer too long they can develop mildew and mildew odors.

6. The laundry load was not soaked? Soaking isn't necessary all the time, however soaking is effective at removing odors and stains and obtaining more thorough cleansing.

Answer 3

Did you wash the pants with stinky socks? Don't do that, silly! Wash your really offensive laundry, such as workout clothes, separate in a smaller load, or let them accumulate (in a well ventilated area) until there is enough to wash all together.

If this wasn't the case, I bet the washer could do with a good cleaning, you can run it empty with hot water on its largest load size, to fill up the whole drum, and a gallon of vinegar, and or lemon juice, and or tea tree oil. This should remove both odors and any residues from products or body soils that trap odors.

To get the smell out of your pants, you can try adding a box of baking soda to the wash cycle, let them soooooooak, a quart of vinegar to the rinse cycle, and let them soooooooak. Then spin them out, and give it a whiff. NICE? Dry outside in the sun, unless you have something stinky in your area like a factory or farm smells. The sunshine will do wonders for your clothes. Then tumble dry to knock the wrinkles out and your clothes should smell a lot better.