The dirty clothes have piled up and it is finally time that you must take action and do your most dreaded household task, laundry. Laundry is among a household chore that many people hate to do, as it is both time consuming and tedious – and sometimes this task can be fairly expensive. The more and more options that become available to consumers for laundry care products such as detergents, fabric softener, freshening beads, and even dryer wool balls. The list of necessary laundry items is on the steady incline, indicating more money coming out of your pocket when it comes to laundry. With the introduction of new laundry care products there have been correlations to these items and a foul odor that has been produced on the fabrics of your clothing after use and washing. These products are all filled with fragrance chemicals that when mixed together with the odor already present on one’s fabrics can result in an unwanted, and noxious mildew smell within the clothing – even after washing!

What can you do if you notice the strong mildew smell on your clothes and why does this foul odor form on the fabric?

Why Do My Clothes Smell Musty?

Have you started to notice that your clothing, after you wash them, will develop a musty smell that cannot be avoided? When you wash clothing and you want to combat the odors on the clothes in lieu of a fresh smell that leaves you eagerly awaiting your next wear, people will turn to laundry care products to accomplish this task. The simple task of mixing together fragranced items in your washing machine can create a smell that will be pungent, particularly when you forget to switch over the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Life happens, and sometimes we forget about little things like switching our clean wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. When this is done though, it will create a mildew smell on the fabric that will be a task to remove from the material. This is one of the biggest culprits of mildew smell on clothes, and it is something to be vigilant about remembering to do – even though sometimes we may forget.

What Does Mildew Smell Like?

Mildew is a fairly recognizable odor, one that we commonly associate with the dreaded fungus growth of mold. Mildew, similar to mold, is part of the fungus family and it lives off moisture that is in the air. This fungus is a form of mold that grows on flat surfaces and stays on the material of the surface. The smell produced from mildew is recognized as a musty, unpleasant odor that will smell like a foul, rotting organic matter within the item(s) affected by the fungus. And when your clothing collects this odor and starts emitting it from the fabric, it will leave you scrambling for a solution to eradicate this foul odor from the material, and quickly!

What Causes Musty Smell in Clothes

There are several contributing factors to the development of musty smell on your clothing. Some may be from outside factors such as how the clothing was stored and the time of year, and others can be from the actual laundry process you perform on the materials. As we discussed, there are many different products that can be used together when washing clothing including detergent, fabric softeners, fragrance boosters, and even bleach or vinegar. The process of mixing all of these products and chemicals together can lead to some unfortunate odors such as musty smell. If you begin to notice the musty, mildew smell developing on your clothes it may be time to reevaluate your laundry care products that you use and eliminating some from your routine, particularly if you are one to frequently forget to switch wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. Also, the mildew smell can be a result of a tainted odor-filled washing machine that spreads its odors to the clothes washed. Washing machines are devices that are used to clean our dirty fabrics and linens, but typically washing machines are not something that we think to clean – I mean it is a machine that is made to wash so is there really a need to clean the machine itself?  

Washing Machine Smells Like Mildew

Washing machines, especially the new inventive front load washing machines, have a specific design flaw that creates the perfect environment for mold to grow. When front load washing machines are closed and airtight, it will create hot humid climates that will allow for vapor condensation to collect under the rubber gasket that holds the washer door shut. A dark, damp, mold and mildew climate in the rubber gasket, which will create an unpleasant mildew odor in the washing machine that can spread to the clothing in the machine. This will result in that musty smell on your clean washed clothing.

How to Get Mildew Smell Out of Clothes

The first thing you will need to do to eradicate the mildew smell from your clothing is to clean and deodorize your washing machine. Washing machines, as we discussed, can collect an amalgam of odors, bacteria, and mold within the machine which will spread to the clothing. Many people will turn to vinegar or baking soda as a solution to removing the washing machine odors, however, both of these additives will contribute to the odor and thus your washing machine will still have a smell. Instead, look for a washing machine deodorizer that does not use chemicals or fragrances to eliminate the mildew smell. Once you have deodorized the washing machine, you will want to utilize non-scented laundry care products in an effort to not contribute to the odors already present on the fabrics. Apply non-scented laundry detergent to the washing machine load as well as an odor-fighting laundry additive to remove any traces of unwanted, stubborn odors like mildew, musty odor. The OdorKlenz Laundry Additive is the ideal odor mitigation solution for clothing, as the patented OdorKlenz technology uses nontoxic, chemical-free earth minerals to break down the chemicals and noxious odors from the surfaces of the material. Within one application of OdorKlenz Laundry Additive, the mildew, musty odor will be completely eradicated, leaving you with fresh smelling laundry.