Help - smelly clothes

[Filbert]

Hi all, I have an ongoing problem. My other half, bless him, loves to go the gym and likes to wear his football shirts. The problem is that when i wash them (the label says wash at 30 degrees), they still have a stale sweaty smell when they come out. I line dry them, and I noticed that this also happens on other items of clothing, mine included. Does anyone have any ideas how to remedy this? I don't think its just the football shirts as it happens on other t-shirts too. Thanks in advance.

[angiep429]

Hi Filbert, the problem could be the machine, does it smell musty? Because most washing is done on a low temperature and the 'boil' wash is very rare, this can cause the machine to smell. You need to run the machine empty on the hottest wash it does, I always throw a small glass of white vinegar in and put a small amount of powder in the drawer, let the machine run its cycle and always leave the door open slightly for air to circulate, hope this helps, x

[jojojojoanne]

wash them a few times with different soap powder to see if this effects them (haven't tried this though its a suggestion)

[Monkey77]

I had the same problem, I used to treat the affected areas with fabric bleach pre wash, then washed as normal hung them outside and then used fabreeze on them. Not as time consuming as it sounds.

[Filbert]

Thanks guys, I'll try the hot wash thing first. Its a second hand machine but reletively new.
I've never done the hot wash before so I'll try it today.

[chazza]

I had the same problem, I soaked the tshirts in a warm water an white vinegar solution before washing and it completely got rid of the smell!

[Bettypat]

I have never tried this, but I did read a tip which said apply some deodorant on the affected area of the shirt, leave for a while and then wash. It might work.