Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Wash your clothes to get rid of a mold odor
• Method 2 of 3: Using other methods
• Method 3 of 3: Prevent the mold smell from coming back
• Warnings

Damp clothes that are left too long can become musty and smell unpleasant due to mold. Mold in your washing machine can also leave the same odor in your clothes, even if you dry your clothes immediately after washing. Fortunately, there are some simple tricks you can try to keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Wash your clothes to get rid of a mold odor

1. Use 250 ml of vinegar instead of your normal detergent. Plain white vinegar is a safe and natural way to get rid of bad smells, including mold odors, from your laundry. Not only does it kill the bacteria that cause the odor, but it also largely removes the residues of products that keep clothes from stinking.
   • If you prefer, you can use half as much detergent as you normally do with vinegar, as long as the detergent does not contain natural soap as an ingredient.
   • Vinegar breaks down the fats in natural soap like castile soap, so that both agents are useless when used together.
2. Wash your clothes with 1/2 cup of baking soda if they still smell. Vinegar and baking soda both kill fungus, but they target different strains of the bacteria that cause bad smells. If you've already tried vinegar and your clothes still smell like mold, put 120 grams of baking soda in the washing machine and wash your clothes with water as hot as possible.
   • It may help to add some vinegar to the detergent dispenser as well so that your clothes are rinsed with baking soda and vinegar after washing.
3. Use oxygen bleach or borax if you prefer a commercially available product. Regular laundry detergent may not help kill mold, so if you prefer a stronger commercially available detergent, choose something that contains oxygen bleach. You can also dissolve borax in hot water and put the mixture in the detergent dispenser.
   • You can use oxygen bleach in place of your regular laundry detergent, but borax is usually used in combination with laundry detergent.
   EXPERT TIP

   Use an enzyme cleaner if the mold odor is caused by sweat. If you accidentally left your wet sportswear in your gym bag, the combination of mold and sweat odors will make it very difficult to get the smell out of the fabrics. Choose an agent that contains enzymes to remove the odor and put it in your washing machine.

   • Some commercial detergents contain enzymes that break down bad smells. You can also buy a bottle of detergent enhancer to use with your regular detergent.

Method 2 of 3: Using other methods

1. If possible, let your clothes dry outside. After washing your clothes in the washing machine, hang them on a clothesline outside with clothespins and let them dry naturally in the fresh air and sunlight. Sunlight can kill some of the bacteria that make your clothes smell bad, which is why clothes dried outside on the clothesline smell so fresh.
   • This method works better on clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton and wool than on clothes made from synthetic materials such as spandex and nylon.
   • Your clothes will eventually fade if you keep them in the sun.
2. Put your clothes in the freezer if you don't want to wash them. By exposing odor-causing bacteria to a very low temperature, you may be able to kill them and make your clothes less strong or no longer smelling of mold. Simply put the garment in a resealable plastic bag and put the bag in the freezer overnight.
   • It may seem unusual, but freezing clothes is a secret weapon for denim enthusiasts who want to make their jeans last longer.
3. Spray the garment with white vinegar or vodka and let it dry. You can use both white vinegar and vodka to kill the bacteria that cause a mold odor. Because both products are odorless after evaporation, you can spray them on your clothes. Simply pour the liquid into a spray bottle, soak the garment in it and let it air dry to keep it smelling as fresh as possible.
   • If you're in a hurry, put your garment in the dryer instead of letting it air dry.
4. Put the garment in a bag with activated charcoal. Activated carbon has a strong filtering effect and is therefore also used in water and air filters, anti-poisoning agents, cosmetics and more. Place the garment in a resealable plastic bag along with several tablets of activated charcoal and let it sit for at least overnight. In the case of a very strong odor, you may have to leave the garment in the bag for up to a week.
   • You can buy activated charcoal at pet stores, health food stores, and some department stores.

Method 3 of 3: Prevent the mold smell from coming back

1. Hang damp clothes to dry immediately. Whether it's the towel you used after showering or your workout clothes you wore at the gym, don't just throw your damp clothes on the floor or in the laundry basket. Instead, hang your damp clothes over the edge of the laundry basket or shower rod to let them dry before putting them in the washing machine.
   • Stuffing your clothes in the laundry basket will keep them wet longer and give molds a better chance to grow.
2. Use the amount of detergent recommended on the package. Using too much detergent can build up detergent residues in your clothes that are never completely rinsed out of the fabric during washing. These residues can then feed the bacteria that cause foul odors, making even your cleanest clothes smell musty. Accurately measure the correct amount of detergent each time you do the laundry to make sure you don't overuse it.
   • Follow the directions on your detergent packaging so you know how much to put in the washing machine. When in doubt, use a little less detergent than you think you need.
3. Do not use fabric softener on your sports clothes. Fabric softener makes your clothes soft and leaves them smelling fresh, but when you use fabric softener for sports clothes made from stretch synthetic fabrics, the slippery residue that is left behind can be almost impossible to remove. These residues prevent water from penetrating the fabric, which means that your clothes will smell bad even if they are clean.
   • Fabric softener residue is also more likely to grow mold in your clothes, just as it happens if you use too much detergent.
4. Dry your clothes immediately after washing. Leaving your clean clothes in the washing machine will cause them to get moldy after a few hours, or even faster when the weather is hot and muggy. After washing, try to put them in the dryer or hang them on the clothesline as soon as possible.
   • If you accidentally leave your laundry in the washing machine for too long, wash it again with a little vinegar to get rid of the smell before drying.
5. Do not store your clothes in damp areas like the bathroom or basement. If you store your clothes in a damp basement or a damp room like the bathroom, the fabrics will absorb the moisture from the environment. This will cause mold to grow in your clothes. Instead, keep your clothes in a well-ventilated wardrobe or chest of drawers.
   • Plastic dry cleaning bags also trap moisture and can cause mold to grow in your clothes.
   • If the air in your room is very humid, put a desiccant such as silica gel sachets in the drawers of your chest of drawers or at the bottom of your wardrobe. You can buy these bags at department stores.
6. Clean your washing machine if your clothes smell even more dirty after washing. Some washing machines, especially front loaders, can grow mold and get onto your clothes. If you think the washing machine is the problem, dip a cloth in hot, soapy water and clean the rubber ring around the door and detergent compartment with it. Then pour 250 ml of bleach and 250 grams of baking soda into the washing machine and run the washing machine for a normal wash or cleaning program.
   • If you want, you can add 1 cup of enzyme cleaner to remove the odor even better.
   • To prevent mold from growing in your washing machine, always leave the door ajar after washing so that the washing machine dries. Always remove wet clothes from the washing machine immediately.

Warnings

• In the case of a large amount of mold, wear a breathing mask to avoid inhaling mold spores.