If you ever experience clothes that smell after washing and drying and want to know how to remove odor from these clothes, this DIY solution will get rid of the funky laundry smells once and for all.
From body odors to gym clothes, it’s no secret that smelly clothes are the WORST. And when those bad smells hit, you want to find the easiest way to get rid of them fast to start breathing in that fresh air as soon as possible.
The Funk. The whole Funk. And nothing but the Funk. irty clothes and bad odors can seriously be the worst. The good news? There are ways to get rid of those unpleasant smells!
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We recently moved into an apartment while our new house is being built. And the water here smells, for lack of a better word, Funky. It isn’t a problem in the kitchen because we filter it for drinking and cooking. And you don’t really notice it in the bathroom. But our laundry smells Funky, a sort of musty mildew smell. To make it worse, I have this laundry-forgetting problem. I leave loads in the washer for hours (ahem, days) and it only makes the Funky laundry smell stronger.
Being cramped into this little apartment means the Funk smell is everywhere. It taps you on the shoulder in the morning. It slaps you in the face when you walk in the front door.
Funky-water problem + Laundry forgetting problem = Crazy Funky Laundry Smell. Crazy Funky laundry smell + Sensitive-nosed-husband = Unhappy Home
I needed a way to overcome the musty mildew Funky laundry smell quickly, but without using something that would set off my infant daughter’s really aggressive eczema.
How to Remove Odor from Clothes that Smell After Washing
Method 1: Remove Tough Odors from clothes with Vinegar
Most natural remedies focused on vinegar, like this one from Meaningful Mama and another from Living on a Dime.
I already use vinegar for most of the cleaning I do around the house. And I have used vinegar to wash out the mildew smell from previous laundry-forgetting. But it just wasn’t doing enough in this apartment.
I started experimenting with various combinations of laundry solutions.
Method 2: Remove Odor from Clothes with Vinegar & Dish Soap
First I tried vinegar with dish soap. I’ve used dish soap in my laundry to remove biological stains – like oil or grease or baby food – and it works great. But that didn’t really work for the Funk.
Method 3: Remove Laundry Odors with Vinegar & OxiClean
Next, I tried vinegar and OxiClean. Again, no real improvement here either. I did manage to bleach some spots on my husband’s t-shirts though. Sigh.
I’m thinking that I may have understated the severity of the Funk.
Method 4: Remove Laundry Odors with Vinegar, Dish Soap, OxiClean and Bleach
Then I tried all of them together. I mean, why not right?
Since I tossed the bleach into the mix again, it worked, though had the added “bonus” of blue spots on my whites courtesy of the dish soap. However, I can’t use this formula on anything besides my white clothes.
There didn’t really seem to be a good answer here. And putting the laundry straight into the dryer, which we know is a herculean task for me, made a (very small) difference. The Funk was still hanging around our home.
It got so bad that I was spraying our clean laundry with our all-natural bug spray. It’s a family recipe using water and a combination of the following essential oils: lemon, lime, orange, citronella, and lavender. We love the smell of the bug spray, and it’s phenomenal at repelling bugs.
After a recent bout of food poisoning sickness with our kids I needed a deFUNKifier spray for their mattresses and bedroom. I took our bug spray and swapped out the citronella with grapefruit. It worked and it smelled glorious.
Method 5: Remove Odor from Clothes that Smell After Washing with “The DeFUNKifier Mix”
And then it hit me. I could use the deFUNKifier mix with vinegar on the laundry.
I grabbed an empty mason jar (and lid) and added four cups of white, distilled vinegar.
Then I added fifteen drops each of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, and lavender essential oils.
Closed it up and shook it to combine. I may or may not have done a bit of a conga line with my kids while shaking and singing “Shake, shake, shake Senora.”
Then I added a quarter cup, or so to my wash. Okay, let’s be honest, I didn’t measure. So, I added a “splash” to both the bleach dispenser and the laundry softener dispenser on my washing machine. I told the machine to pre-soak and extra rinse and pushed go.
The verdict? No Funk! Not even a hint of Funk. Hooray! I definitely did a happy dance when I pulled the laundry out of the washing machine!
Now every time I do a load I add a splash or two to each compartment – after a little bit of a shake to recombine, of course. I’m calling it my Laundry DeFUNKifier. And it’s awesome.
Preventative Tips for getting rid of that awful musty smell and stink odor on your clothes
Keep in mind that you need to make sure that you’re on top of changing out the wash load right away and putting it into the dryer. Musty clothes and musty towels can happen quickly if they’re left in the washing machine for too long after the rinse cycle is done. One of the most common reasons for sour smells and mildew odor is that we just forgot that we’d added a load of laundry to the machine!
If you want that fresh scent of your favorite detergent, be quick about putting the fabrics into the dryer to avoid odor issues. That’s one of the best ways to avoid having to do the wash cycle over and over again.
Follow the simple steps above on how to get your workout clothes and your sweaty clothes to smell like amazing clean clothes should! In no time at all, that musty odor will be a thing of the past from just one wash!
Course, you should check out this post on how to get sweat smell out of clothes if that’s the issue you’re having or this one on how to remove mildew smells from kitchen towels! The product she uses for both of those is fantastic!
How do you remove laundry smells from your clothes, especially when clothes smell after washing?
For more smell-fighting tips, check out the following ways on how to clean away the odors:
Grandmas House DIY says
Such a great idea! Saving to my green recipes board 🙂 Our To grandma’s house we go link party starts over at our place tomorrow morning, would love to see you there!
Katelyn Fagan says
Thanks so much!
Kari Wagner Hoban says
I am pinning this because with a teenager, I will need this.
Now, if you could only help me with smelly shoes for my eight year old….
Katelyn Fagan says
Ha. I will see if I can figure it out. I think some type a of shoes hold onto the smell more than others. We once had a pair of shoes that were supposed to be anti stink and they smelt terrible after a while!! False advertising!
Leigh says
Thank you! My teenager is a runner and the FUNK is a way of life for athletic clothes. Pinned!
Blessings, Leigh
CrystalB says
I love this stuff. If you mix it with water instead of vinegar you can spray it all over. Some days I spray the whole house just because I love the fresh, fruity scent.
Cristine says
We use essential oils in our home. But somethings cannot be remedied with nothing but old fashioned original Pine sol. I made this discovery when my child got fish oil supplements on their t-shirt. So if you gone through all the natural remedies, try original Pine sol. I’ve used this on my son’s stinky sneakers and smelly bath towels. Pine sol works exceptionally well for removing the funk smell in your clothes that sometimes come from HE front load washers.
CrystalB says
Thanks for the suggestion! My kids are young still so I think I have to yet experience true Funk. So far this trick is working for us!
Kathy says
How much Pine-Sol do you add to your washer? Sometimes my towels get a funky smell that I have had a devil of a time getting out. I think Pine-Sol just might do the trick, Lord knows, I’ve tried everything else.
Nell says
I’ve been looking for something that will take the “thrift store” smell out of used clothes purchased at thrift stores and also clothes that have been stored in moth balls. I have inherited some of both clothing items and nothing I’ve tried (even real Bleach on colored clothes–I was desperate!) has worked. Any idea if your formula above will work on these?
William says
This is amazing! I purchased two Chicago Bulls hooded jackets at a garage sale to sell on Ebay. When I got home I put them through the wash like I always do with items I plan to sell. When they dried I noticed they had a funky smell from apparently being stored. I went online looking for ways I can get the odor out. I tried the vinegar method twice. Still funky. I tried the baking soda. Still funky. Tried everything The internet had to offer. Still funky. Must have washed them at least five times. Then I got to your site. I used your method. Vinegar, 15 drops each of Lavender,Orange, and Sage Citrus essential oils. Couldn’t find any Lemon. Poured it into the fabric softener dispenser, bleach dispenser, and directly into the washing machine. No detergent. Hot water and hot drying setting. IT WORKED! No funk. Thanks for the super tip.
Crystal Barnes says
I’m so glad this worked for you!
Debbie Fisher says
It is not a good idea at all to mix chemical together, they can produce deadly gases…NOT GOOD!
Jenny D. says
After trying everything you tried (except the vinegar / EO mixture), I stumbled upon some blog (don’t remember where) that recommended a soak in Borax. I don’t use it for anything except this since I can’t be sure it isn’t toxic, but it works perfectly! Just wash in the hottest water recommended (based on the type of fabrics), add a few CUPS of Borax, let it agitate (takes a few extra mins in my HE top loader) for a few, then PAUSE or hold the cycle. I usually let it soak overnight, then let it finish cycling in the morning. Funk’s gone. Works every time.
Katelyn Fagan says
Interesting!! Great tip! I may have to try it with some borax I have on hand.
Science Matters says
Bleach + acid (vinegar) yields free chlorine gas.
Bleach’s cleaning method, the production of chlorine into water solution for containment, is halted because the Oxyclean oxides the chlorine.
It’s not just ineffective, counterproductive, and wasteful, it’s downright dangerous.
These are things we learn in our first chemistry courses. The information above has been vetted by a MS Physical Chem, and also by me: former commercial cleaning company owner.
Message to author: You’re going to hurt someone and probably have already.
Adele says
Its quite possible that if you refularly leave washing in your machine there could be a build up of mildew in the inner workings of the machine. May be good to do an empty cycle on your mqchine to clean it thoroughly. I normally use vinegar and bicarb when i do this to give it a good clean and stops a lot of the smell. Another thing that helps is leaving your machine door open when the load has finished or if its empty, Stops the build up of mildew and hense the smell. X
Elle says
This post needs to be edited or removed before someone gets hurt, vinegar and bleach can kill!
Rachel says
I came here to say the same thing!!!! So incredibly dangerous!