Why does bed linen smell and how to get rid of the smell?

Causes of bad aroma

Even the cleanest housewives can develop an unpleasant smell after washing in a machine. To get rid of this problem , you need to find out the cause of the unpleasant phenomenon.

The washing machine has not been cleaned for a long time from residues: lint, powder, bacteria.
The machine is left closed.
They put the laundry in the drum and keep it until washed again, then it acquires a musty smell that is difficult to get rid of.
Soaked laundry remains in the powder for a long time.
Laundry is dried in the bathroom, not in the fresh air.
An item with a nasty smell got into the wash, ruining the aroma of all products.
They put in a powder or conditioner with an unpleasant aroma.
Incorrectly connected drain, water smells like sewer.
A lot of detergents are provided.

Watch a video about what to do if your clothes smell stale:

Washing with conditioner

The need for conditioner for washing duvet covers, sheets and pillowcases raises questions among many. Representatives of previous generations managed normally without such products and their home textiles for the bedroom always remained fresh.

Conditioners often give a good effect after washing:

Textiles become softer;
Dirt and liquid are better repelled from fabrics;
The color retains its brightness;
Static electricity is removed and textiles do not cause electric shock;
Things start to smell nice.

All these wonderful results can be achieved thanks to surface-active components that remain on the textile, thereby forming a protective layer that prevents dirt from entering the fabric structure. As a result, stains will be easier to remove the next time you wash. Manufacturers often add silicone to high-quality air conditioners. Such components make textiles relatively soft and delicate, pleasant to the touch.

Ways to get rid of the problem

How to get rid of this problem? The first thing you need to do is thoroughly clean your washing machine. Many housewives use soda or citric acid, or better yet, all together:

Place the contents of 6 small packs of citric acid in the powder compartment (if the packs are large, then 3).
Add half a pack of soda.
Start the machine by setting it to the highest heat setting. After such washing, the unpleasant smell will go away, and at the same time the scale will go away. It is advisable to carry out this procedure once every 3-6 months, depending on the frequency of washing.
You can only use soda, pouring half a pack into the compartment.
Wash the rubber rim located between the drum and the door with a cloth soaked in diluted vinegar. Blot water behind the seal by slightly bending it towards you. To wash, you can use dish gel, then rinse with clean water.
The rubber rim, drum, and powder container can be wiped with a soda solution (1 tablespoon per glass of water).

After washing, do not close the washer door; leave it half open to allow any remaining water to evaporate.

Avoid soaking dirty items for several hours to avoid creating a sour stench that is difficult to get rid of. If the power is turned off and things remain in the drum for a long time, then soak them in water and vinegar for 15 minutes . The vinegar will help remove any nasty stench. The vinegar solution is prepared as follows: pour 1 tbsp. spoon per liter of water.

Storage rules

So that you don’t have to think about how to get rid of the smell of bed linen, you can prevent the development of this problem. It can be solved without much difficulty if you store your bed linen correctly.

Let's consider a few recommendations:

Tip 1. There is no need to put bed linen in the same closet where clothes are located, since odors are most often transferred between such items. In the absence of a separate chest of drawers, it is advisable to allocate some kind of shelf for only bed linen.
Tip 2. It is advisable to periodically ventilate the closet in which home textiles are stored. To prevent your laundry from giving off an unpleasant odor, you can use a proven method - put cosmetic soap on the shelf. Instead of such soap, you need to use bags of aromatic herbs and flowers. For such purposes, ground coffee, which is famous for its absorbent qualities, will be suitable. If you place an open package of coffee in the closet, you can quickly and effectively remove the smell.
Tip 3. It is not recommended to place ironed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases in the closet. You need to wait for some time until the moisture disappears.

If you follow simple tips, you will be able to effectively remove the smell of bed linen and ensure a comfortable sleep.

If there is a sewer smell

When installing the new machine, the drain hose was incorrectly connected to the sewer pipe, so the liquid drainage process was disrupted. The result was an accumulation of stench. If there is a sewer smell in an old machine, the cause may be a faulty valve that protects against sewage entering the device. Leave the valve replacement to a professional.

If your new machine has a rubber smell, then you don’t need to do anything. After several washes the problem will disappear.

When washing, the rubber rim may come into contact with the drum, producing a squeaking sound and the smell of burnt rubber. You will have to stop washing and trim the protruding part of the rim a little with a stationery knife.

Washing powder containing soap often smells like rubber. It's better not to use it.

Often even new underwear emits a chemical aroma. This problem arose in production because the technological process was disrupted. Try rinsing in a vinegar solution.

Important! Dry your laundry in the fresh air or on the open balcony, then your clothes will always smell like morning freshness. If there are no such conditions, then create a draft in the apartment so that things dry faster.

Things that don't dry out will definitely emit an unpleasant odor. After ironing, do not immediately put things in the closet; let them sit for a while and dry thoroughly.

Industrial neutralizers and absorbers

Housewives will be able to quickly deal with the problem using specialized scent treatment products. Popular goods:

SmelIOFF

A universal odor remover in a convenient spray bottle. Effective on a wide variety of surfaces.

You can process:

shoes,
cloth,
animals
furniture,
carpets, etc.

Does not cause an allergic reaction. The average price is 550-700 rubles per 0.5 liter.

Selena

Economical, versatile and non-toxic granular odor absorber. It is enough to open the hole on the lid of the container and place it in places where heavy air accumulates. The average price is 20-38 rubles per 1 piece.

Emix-O

Emix-O concentrated:

neutralizes odors,
disinfects,
effective in combating animal odors.

It is used sparingly: a teaspoon is enough for one procedure. The average price is 350-420 rubles per 100 g. To achieve results, you need to carefully study the instructions on the packaging and strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

How to make your closet smell fresh

After washing, every housewife puts clean linen in the closet. But the trouble is, often even neatly folded laundry emits some kind of unpleasant aroma. What to do?

There are several ways to create a pleasant aroma in your closet or any other enclosed space.

Buy a sachet and put it in the closet.
Place expensive soap among your clothes without unwrapping the packaging.
Place scented candles in your closet.
Use dried lemon, tangerine, and orange peel as a flavoring. Grapefruit peel provides freshness.
You can put spices in the cupboard: cinnamon sticks, mint, basil. Place a pack of vanillin deep into the shelf.
Spray some perfume into your closet or place a scented napkin. Better put an empty perfume bottle. A subtle scent is created by dry perfume on a strip or scented paper.
Drop essential oil onto cotton wool or a panty liner and place it on a shelf. Freshness will remain for several days.
Pour baking soda into a jar with holes and drop aromatic oil into it. A Kinder Surprise container is suitable for these purposes. A few drops of rose or lavender essential oil can be placed on cabinet doors.
Fragrances for car interiors are also an excellent product, the main thing is that the aroma is unobtrusive.
An excellent product is Jo Malone, a special scented paper.
Place the coffee in a cup and place it on the shelf. Fragrant herbs folded into bags are another way to give things a pleasant meadow freshness. Lavender, hops, thyme, and oregano are suitable for these purposes.
When leaving for work, open the closet doors.
Wipe down the inside of cabinets frequently with vinegar water.

You can also watch a video on how to make your closet smell nice:

Why do things smell like dampness, rubber, chemicals?

There are several reasons why your washed clothes may have an unpleasant odor. They must be installed, otherwise it will not be possible to cope with the problem. Factors that contribute to the appearance of a musty odor include:

Stagnation of water in the drum or rubber cuff . To prevent this from happening, do not close the door tightly immediately after washing.
Storing dirty clothes in the washing machine . In conditions of high humidity, bacteria and mold fungi begin to actively multiply. Regular washing will not help to cope with the smell they cause.
Improper care of the washing machine . The source of unpleasant odors can be such elements as: drain hose, detergent tray, water filter.
Incorrect connection of the hose to the sewer pipe . In this case, the laundry will emit a characteristic sewage smell after the first wash. Another reason for this “aroma” is the rotting of the old valve, subject to many years of use.
Failure to comply with the dosage of detergents . A large amount of powder does not have time to rinse out, covering all the elements of the washing machine with a film. This mucus becomes a reservoir for storing and multiplying bacteria.
Long-term storage of dirty items in a laundry basket. Microbes and fungi thrive in such conditions, quickly increasing their numbers and causing a rotten smell.
Keeping things in water for a long time . If you leave laundry soaked in a basin for 2-3 days, it will begin to rot, emitting a sour smell. Also, things can turn sour in the machine if there is a sudden power outage.

A chemical smell is a consequence of using large amounts of laundry detergent or other detergents. Wearing such things is dangerous to health, especially for small children and pregnant women.

When an unpleasant trail lingers from things after each wash and comes from all the laundry, the reason is hidden in the washing machine.

If this problem occurs once, most likely it is associated with long-term storage of dirty clothes in a basket or drum.

Sometimes a person detects an unpleasant odor not immediately after processing things in the machine, but after drying . It can appear if moisture remains in the fibers of the fabric for a long time.

This happens when things are hung overlapping, at a small distance from each other, which prevents normal air circulation. Drying in a room with poor ventilation and low humidity levels makes the problem worse.

How to defeat mold

Often, a stench in the closet appears due to mold. You may not notice it, but it exists and ruins your laundry. What to do? Treat all corners, shelves, and cabinet doors with hydrogen peroxide.

Do this procedure every time you do a general cleaning. Then wipe with soda, then with a clean damp cloth, only after that dry the cabinet well, leaving it open for 2-3 hours.

Dear housewives, I am sure that you have received the answer to the question: why does bed linen smell, and have learned how to give it unique freshness.

Choice of bed linen

Unpleasant odors can appear as a result of poor quality dyeing of bed linen. It will be very difficult to get rid of. Therefore, it is advisable to choose bedding that:

Has no unpleasant odors;
Does not shed;
Does not lose shape;
Does not emit a bad odor.

You need to look into retail chains that buy Ivanovo bed linen wholesale and then distribute it at retail. Each buyer remains satisfied with the quality of the purchased kits.

Flavors

Soap can be used as aromatic elements.

Soap can be bought ready-made or prepared as a sachet. Thanks to this, you can achieve a pleasant smell from things. The best option is to use roses, lily of the valley, pine needles and vanilla.

Today, any hardware store also has a wide range of ready-made aromatic products. Some housewives prefer to buy air fresheners for cars. They are placed on shelves and crossbars.

Within 24 hours, it is possible to completely get rid of the musty aroma and notice it as pleasant.

Unverified place of purchase

The riskiest place to buy can be called the market. The conditions for storing and selling goods here almost never meet the standards. In addition, the sanitary conditions do not stand up to criticism. In most cases, trade in markets is carried out in the open air, where any contamination can get on the goods.

As for salons, before purchasing they often offer to open the set and punch it by touch to make sure the quality of the fabric. Also, at demonstration stands, underwear is often found without packaging, and then goes on sale. Therefore, there is no guarantee that new products have not been touched by many people.

In addition, you need to take into account that not all sets are sold immediately: sometimes they lie on the shelves for years, and this cannot but affect the quality and smell.

Helpful information

To avoid the appearance of an unpleasant odor from washed items and completely get rid of it, you need to take into account the following information:

Correctly dose washing powder and fabric softener. Exceeding its quantity will not improve the quality of washing, but may cause deterioration in the operation of the washing machine with all the ensuing consequences.
Before washing or soaking items in any solution, you need to test it on an inconspicuous area of the fabric.
It is not recommended to store dirty laundry for more than a day. You need to start washing as quickly as possible.
Do not leave dirty clothes in the washing machine drum.
After each cycle, the elastic band and drum should be wiped with a damp cloth and ventilated.

You can prevent the appearance of mold and germs by washing things at 90 degrees once every 2 weeks.

Some more useful tips on what to do with laundry that smells bad after washing in the washing machine can be found here.

You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products here.

Ways to fight

Before starting work to eliminate the smell, you should understand the reason for its appearance, after which it will become easier to choose measures. In any case, the first step should be to thoroughly wash and dry the cabinet.

Complete cleaning and revision

First you need to audit and clean out your closet:

You can return things to their place if the cabinet has completely lost its unpleasant smell.

How to remove mustiness

Things that are rarely used or stored for a long time without removal and airing acquire a musty smell. Let's look at simple ways to eliminate mustiness.

Ventilation

An influx of fresh air is the best and most affordable way to help freshen things in your wardrobe. Before leaving home, you should periodically open all doors and pull out drawers. While no one is home, things can “breathe.”

Breezer

A small household appliance creates fresh ventilation and refreshes the air well. The breather provides multi-stage cleaning and gets rid of the musty smell of things.

Cleaner-disinfectant

The industry produces special air purifiers that kill germs and bacteria. Disinfectants suppress the activity of microorganisms, a common cause of unpleasant odors.

White and apple cider vinegar

Different types of vinegar help get rid of the unpleasant aroma of things and the wardrobe itself. Apple and table vinegar are used in several ways:

The smell of vinegar disappears quickly, leaving clothes and linen with a fresh aroma.

Charcoal

Filters and odor absorbers are made from different types of coal. Charcoal is poured with water and placed in a bowl in the wardrobe. Activated carbon tablets are tied into napkins made of loose fabric and laid out in cabinets.

Air vent

For built-in cabinets, it is convenient to make air vents that will pump in fresh air and remove stale air. They are provided during the furniture assembly process and built into the ceiling of the wardrobe.

Dampness and mold

High humidity in cabinets causes damp and moldy odors. This is usually typical for humid apartments, where the air constantly contains excess moisture.

Table salt absorbs water well. It is placed in closets in small containers - in corners, in drawers. If necessary, replace with a new portion. With excess water, the unpleasant aroma goes away.

Tea bags

Tea bags will help remove the damp smell. They are laid out in the closet and changed once a week.

Place baking soda in open saucers in the corners of the wardrobe and periodically replace it with fresh one.

Silica gel

A convenient means for extracting moisture from the air is silica gel. It is laid out in bags throughout the wardrobe.

Steam generator

Modern steam generators are assistants in disinfecting things. They eliminate odors and kill germs. The inside of the cabinet can also be treated with a steam generator, then dried thoroughly.

Antifungal agent

The growth of fungal colonies often occurs when there is excess humidity, especially if shoes, poorly washed socks and tights are stored in closets. To remove odors, antifungal agents are used, which are used to treat the walls of furniture and add them during washing.

Eliminating the cause

Dampness in closets usually appears due to high humidity in the apartment. Wardrobes adjacent to wet areas - bathrooms, kitchens, toilets - are especially often affected.

To eliminate the cause, a whole range of work will be required:

Cabinets need to be ventilated regularly, all contents taken out, and doors left open more often. Mold does not like air or sunlight. Ventilation holes can be made in the back wall - in the lower and upper parts.

Milk bath

Milk is an excellent odor absorber. To remove extraneous aromas, you need to boil the milk in a saucepan with a wide bottom and put it in a cupboard until it cools completely (30-40 minutes). This old folk remedy has been used by many generations of housewives.

Sachet for linen

Scented laundry bags (sachets) with herbs help eliminate damp odors. But first you need to wash and dry your wardrobe.

Tip: special odor absorbers will help remove unpleasant odors from your wardrobe.

Smell of tobacco

The following methods can remove tobacco spirit from the cabinet:

Placing burnt laurel leaves in the wardrobe quickly eliminates the smell of tobacco.

If animals visited

Cats are able to sneak into any place and leave their marks.

Special and home remedies will help you remove stench from cat urine:

Treating the walls with water and vinegar or a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide will help eliminate the smell of mice.

Naphthalene

Mothballs are often used to protect the contents of the wardrobe from moths. The following will help remove the unpleasant mothball spirit:

You can place an industrial odor absorber in the wardrobe.

Dresser with shoes

Shoes are sent for storage clean, well dried and cleaned. Help rid shoes and storage chests of odors:

The shoe chest of drawers should be regularly ventilated, the walls should be washed with vinegar and furniture detergents.

Medicines

Medicines have a pungent odor, especially alcohol solutions and tinctures. They should be kept carefully closed to prevent the medicine from spoiling. Help remove odor:

You can place plates with roasted coffee beans and a swab with essential oil on the shelves.

Fresh purchase

When buying a new wardrobe, you shouldn’t immediately fill it with clothes - they will absorb all the smells of the new materials. Clothes will smell of varnishes, paints and other substances used in production for a long time.

You need to open all the doors and leave the furniture in a well-ventilated area. Then rinse the walls on all sides with water and vinegar (a tablespoon per liter of water), close the doors. You can place tea bags and charcoal inside.

Things are loaded when the aroma of new furniture completely leaves the apartment.

Use of sachet

You can buy a sachet ready-made or make it yourself. It is recommended to use cinnamon, cloves, anise or rose petals as the main ingredients.

You can buy a sachet ready-made or make it yourself