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Posted: May/19/2008 4:58 AM PST
Ok here's one that's not garden related - lately all my wash smells musty when I'm folding it. I use warm or hot water, depending on the wash, adequate detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets. Neither the washer nor the dryer smells musty when empty... We've talked about replacing the washer with one of those steam-cycle ones, but if there's nothing wrong with the washer, I don't want to spend the money. But I can't stand musty-smelling clothes!!! ARGGHH. 
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Posted: May/19/2008 6:36 AM PST
This is just a shot in the dark -- water quality? First question is: When you wash the clothes, do you always do a cold rinse (regardless of the hot or warm wash cycle)? If not, the clothes could still be warm and wet -- and just leaving them in the washer for an hour before tossing into the drying could be plenty of time for mildew to start... BUT -- if you're using a cold final rinse and putting the load right into the dryer, maybe it has something to do with the water quality coming out of your pipes... I'd try taking a few loads to someone else's house (mom, sister, good friend?) and finding out if the clothes come out smelling fresh. Just wash them the same as you would at home -- leave the clothes in the washer as long as you normally would at home. If the smell is gone, you can eliminate your method as the contributing factor. |
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Posted: May/19/2008 6:39 AM PST
PS... I wonder if using either baking powder OR vinegar in the wash might help. I use 1/2 cup of white vinegar on my dark wash denims to keep them from fading and when I do -- they never, ever come out smelling like vinegar at all, so don't worry about that  But if it is a water quality issue, maybe vinegar could help? |
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Posted: May/19/2008 7:20 AM PST
I always use a little bit of bleach in my wash, and sometimes baking soda. The other thing--have you actually felt the water--are you sure that it's warm?? Sometimes the little filters where the hoses hook into the washer, and at the spigot get clogged, and prevent hot water from coming through. |
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Posted: May/19/2008 9:25 AM PST
I don't know if its beccause we have a sump-pump. My washer water runs into the sump-pump and then its gets pumped out. If I leave my cloths in there even a 1/2 hr after washing them they will start to smell a little musty. |
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Posted: May/19/2008 5:56 PM PST
I will check the rinse temp tomorrow = too lazy to climb downstairs to check it out right now,,, but I will admit to getting loads done when I can and they'lls sometimes sit for the day while I'm at work... Don't know how I'll get laundry done if I have to take it out of the wash immediately!! But I'll bet that's it. Maybe I'll try the vinegar on my next load - I wipe my microwave down with vinegar to reduce odors... |
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Posted: May/19/2008 8:42 PM PST
I agree CarolynC - I use bleach in all my whites and off-whites. Besides whitening, bleach will kill the mold and mildew spores in the wash load. For darker colors that you don't want to fade, you could try ammonia. It loosens the dirt and eliminates odors. *nod to April* vinegar would be a good addition for cold rinses - it would help the detergent to rinse away cleanly. (though it might also help your fabric softener to rinse away also?) |
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Posted: May/20/2008 3:30 AM PST
Just a note... don't mix ammonia and bleach. Doing so either causes toxic fumes and/or spontaneous combustion, I forget which. Haven't done it yet, so I can't tell you for sure.  But either way, it's bad.
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Posted: May/20/2008 4:33 AM PST
regarding ammonia and bleach - it's toxic fumes - almost killed myself cleaning the bathroom once as a kid! |
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Posted: May/20/2008 4:34 AM PST
Thanks everyone for the advice - I'm going to try the vinegar - one other thought that the sump pump reminded me - I'm going to check the drainage pipe for clogs - I have dogs and cats and I haven't cleaned out the outlet pipe in years! This has become a recent problem, so something has changed. |
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