Why Do Clothes Smell After Washing Them?
It used to happen quite frequently to me. I’d open my dryer door and get a whiff of dirty laundry. Usually, this would happen before the clothes were completely dry and the combination of damp and warm laundry made the smell very obvious. It made me wonder, why do clothes smell after washing them? Below are 6 reasons this may be happening to your laundry.
Pinpoint The Problem
There is most likely a simple reason why your laundry is still dirty after you washed it. We’ve listed six of the biggest reasons below. Work through this list and check off the ones that may be an issue for your laundry. Once you get your list of possible reasons, then you can start to try each one until you find the solution that works for your laundry.
Dirty washer
A dirty washer may be the culprit of dirty clothes. If you are using a laundromat, this most likely isn’t an issue. However, many times home washers are neglected and should be cleaned on a regular basis.
Overloaded washer
A washer should be filled lightly with dry clothes, and never packed. Check out our article on properly loading a washer.
Wet clothes left in the washer or dryer for too long
Wet laundry is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Don’t leave wet laundry in the washer or dryer because it could cause mold or mildew problems.
Cheap detergent or even the wrong type of detergent
Buying a quality detergent is very important to save you both time and money. Also, depending on the type of laundry you are washing (Sports clothes, dress shirts or pants, sweaty socks, bed linens) you may need to use a different type of detergent. Our laundry is usually heavily soiled from barn work, and I found that Tide Hygienic detergent gets the job done right the first time.
Too much detergent
This is a major issue and one we see quite frequently. Always follow the manufactures directions for the proper quantity of detergent to use. Check out this article to learn more about using too much detergent.
Water temperature
There is a lot of hype about cold water washing, but keep in mind that this also requires certain types of detergent. Plus even the experts will tell you, that cold water can’t clean as well as warm or hot water can, and the energy savings aren’t really there at all. Unless your washer is from the 90s.
Try working through this checklist and finding the right solution, but always remember that just dumping scent beads into the washer will not get your laundry clean. If clothes smell dirty after washing them, they are probably still dirty.
