Remove unpleasant odours from clothing: Here’s how you do it!

A simple wash cycle is not always enough to completely remove odours from clothing. And sometimes they even arise from washing in the first place. A targeted approach is needed, especially for very foul-smelling textiles. Here are our 5 tips that can help you get rid of strong odours and make your clothes smell fresh again.

Vinegar and baking soda are among the most effective household remedies for cleaning clothes and removing odours from laundry. While baking soda absorbs excess moisture and binds unpleasant odours, vinegar has an antibacterial effect and neutralises odours. So, they are a real power team.

Simply pour half a cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine. You can add baking soda directly to the laundry in the washing drum. Just a tablespoon is enough to remove the musty odour from clothes that is usually caused by too much moisture. Now wash your clothes as usual.

If you only have a few smelly items of clothing, you can also soak them overnight in a mixture of warm water, vinegar and baking soda and then wash them in the washing machine. The good thing is that both agents are gentle on clothes and ensure that they smell fresh and pleasant again after washing.

Fresh air also works wonders when it comes to removing odours from textiles. If your clothes smell unpleasant due to cigarette smoke or other superficial odours, it can help to simply hang them outside. The exchange of air helps to dispel odours and freshen up the textiles.

It’s also particularly effective to hang up your clothes in high humidity – for example after showering in the bathroom. You can also steam your smelly clothes. The hot steam kills bacteria, binds the odours and transports them out of the fabric.

If bacteria are the cause of the unpleasant odour of your laundry, disinfection can help. Hygiene sprays or special disinfectants for textiles are ideal in this case, as they eliminate the gems that are responsible for unpleasant odours. They also often leave a fresh scent.

If you want to do without any chemicals, you can simply use alcohol for disinfection. Clear, high-proof varieties like vodka reliably kill bacteria. This type of treatment is particularly useful for clothing that has come into contact with sweat, such as sportswear or workwear.

A somewhat unusual but very effective tip: Put your bad-smelling clothes in the freezer for a few hours. This is particularly useful for items of clothing that can’t or shouldn’t be washed as often, such as jeans, thick jackets, coats or woollen jumpers.

The cold kills the bacteria responsible for the unpleasant odour and neutralises it. Put the clothes in a clean bag and place it in the freezer. After a few hours, you can take the clothes out and let them air briefly. You will notice a difference.

Hygiene rinsers are a simple and effective way to remove odours from your laundry and ensure hygienic cleanliness at the same time. They have a disinfectant effect and are therefore ideal for eliminating bacteria and germs. For heavily soiled or odourous laundry, you can use hygiene rinser as a supplement to normal detergent. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to achieve the best results.

The best way to remove odours from clothes is to prevent them from developing in the first place. With a few simple steps, you can ensure that your laundry stays fresh and bad odours can’t develop in the first place.

A clean washing machine is the key for fresh laundry. Residues of detergents, fabric softeners and dirt can accumulate in the machine and develop an unpleasant odour over time, which is transferred to the laundry.

Therefore, clean the drum, lint filter and rubber seals regularly and run a wash cycle at 90 degrees once a month. Do not add any clothes but special washing machine cleaner or vinegar to get rid of and prevent bacteria and mould.

After each wash cycle, you should leave the door and the detergent compartment of the washing machine open. This allows the residual moisture to evaporate and the machine to dry out completely. This prevents mould from forming, which could cause unpleasant odours.

Damp laundry that remains in the machine for a long time or doesn’t dry completely can quickly develop a musty odour. So hang up your clothes as quickly as possible after washing and allow them to dry completely before sorting them into the wardrobe. Make sure that the clothes have enough space on the line and are well ventilated to speed up the drying process.

Every item of clothing is different. To avoid unpleasant odours, you should therefore always check the care label. While some materials require particularly gentle care, other items of clothing can be washed at higher temperatures from time to time. In any case, the wrong washing method can lead to your laundry developing unpleasant odours or not removing them properly.

Too much or too little detergent can also lead to odour problems. Too little detergent doesn’t remove dirt properly, while too much detergent leaves residues in the clothes, which in turn can cause unpleasant odours. Therefore, always use the recommended amount of detergent by adjusting it to the degree of soiling, the water hardness and the load of the machine.

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