I put this in another help section and realized it was the wrong one! So, I bought the Wal-mart Great value laundry detergent and have been using it. It seems to do okay for most of our clothes, however my husband's clothes do not smell clean at all! Particularly his workout clothes (he thought I forgot to add detergent they smelled so bad!). Do you think I can add a cup of vinegar at the beginning of the wash cycle to get rid of the smell?Or should I add more detergent than I have been adding (I've been using the enclosed cup to the line suggested by the detergent manufacturers). I can't buy another brand of detergent until payday and need to wash clothes before then. All suggestions welcome. Thankyou!

 Add vinegar in the rinse cycle. If the smell persists, add baking soda to the wash, about a half cup. It will help clean the clothes as well as deodorize. 

 I didn't have a lot of luck with vinegar or baking soda on the really smelly clothes. Thankfully, I am able to toss my husband's clothes in one batch to wash and it's not all year long that we have major problems with odor.

 

Brandy:

 I didn't have a lot of luck with vinegar or baking soda on the really smelly clothes.

Really?My husband used to work in the oil field and believe me, crude oil stinks! Baking soda and vinegar was the only way I could get them to smell clean again. I used hot water, too, so maybe that helped. It could be that it's a certain type of smell. What do you use?

 

Pat:

What do you use?

I began washing with Tide regularly for the eheavy duty loads and only have to use additional commercial items from time to time. When I do have to use them, I add a little mint oil cleaner to the wash. Lysol, Pine-sol or any other type of pine or lemon cleaner would work just as well. I like the mint oil one or the pine oil from the same company myself as it has more natural ingredients and is locally made.

I suspect it is a combination of things. In the summer, it's not uncommon for my husband to come home with sweat drenched clothes. They will have a very sour odor with musty undertones. I think his body chemistry and possibly the clothes remaining damp are the culprits. 

I was having an issue with towels at one point. After washing them, they would smell musty. I typically use about a quarter of the detergent called for and moved it up to half or so. I added baking soda to the wash cycle and then used Downy in the rinse. I machine dried instead of hanging them. I did this for only three washes maybe. I have been using my usual amount of detergent and line drying since. I am completely baffled at this.  

I will try the baking soda and vinegar and wash all of his clothes together in hot water. I had been using cold as they are all dark colors. I don't have any pine-sol, but I do have fabuloso. Do you think that would work?

Tinamarie:

I don't have any pine-sol, but I do have fabuloso. Do you think that would work?

 

I don't know anything about fabuloso, so I couldn't tell you. It may be overkill, if you've been using cold water, I'd try hot with baking soda and a vinegar rinse first, then add something else if that didn't work. No sense in spending money for things if you don't need them. 

 

Pat:

I don't know anything about fabuloso, so I couldn't tell you

I have no experience with that either.

Pat:

It may be overkill, if you've been using cold water, I'd try hot with baking soda and a vinegar rinse first, then add something else if that didn't work.

I agree with Pat, try one then another, especially if you don't have a pine or lemon cleaner on hand.