Last updated on January 3, 2023
Wondering how to remove the smell from clothes you bought at the thrift store? An easy to use laundry booster can remove all kinds of chemicals from your new and used clothes!
Thanks toEnviroKlenzfor sponsoring this post and for providing those of us who want to avoid chemicals with an effective way to remove odors from clothing.
How do you get the smell out of clothes?
I know you've been there, my frugal and environmentally conscious friends.
You're standing in front of a bunch of exciting new secondhand finds, and hopefully you're tossing them in the washing machine and crossing your fingers that the scent smells like that.chemical cleaning agentor the perfume escapes when washing.
You hang it on a leash and the smell of someone else's "fresh scent"chemically filleddetergent ordryer sheetsfill the sink
They go back to the laundry. Rinse, repeat.
Rinse, repeat. Rinse, rinse, repeat.
Four loads of laundry later, they still stink.
So google "how to remove odors from used clothing" and try the different methods, soaking the offending clothing in baking soda, washing it in vinegar, and rinsing it over and over again.and moreone more time. Finally, some pieces are passable, though a sensitive nose may still pick up a faint thrift store whiff or perfume stronger than your heroic laundry efforts.
And then there are those who simply refuse to give up the smell of dryer sheets or the strong perfume their last owner sprayed themselves with. Always conscious of the environment, just throw them in with your next load of laundry.
And always disgusted by chemical smells, you never wear fabulous "almost new" clothes.
This is an easy way to remove odors from your clothes!
I'll be honest, I usually don't have enough time to mess around with baking soda and the like.But what if there was an easy way to get rid of chemical odors? Sign me up!
Imagine my excitement when a product called EnviroKlenz Laundry Booster caught my eye. It promised to remove those smelly chemicals from my second hand clothes!
The ingredient list looked great: just magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide., non-toxic mineral powders that I feel totally comfortable with. EnviroKlenz is specifically designed for people with multiple chemical sensitivities to eliminate those stubborn chemical compounds that lurk everywhere these days.
More importantly, it had the stamp of approval from Debra Lynn Dadd, super-savvy about non-toxic living. Debra does some serious research and only gives the thumbs up to a small subset of the products,and enviroclence had it.
I had to try these things! I uploaded my latest junk results, some of which smelled quite perfumed, as well as some used items that had been sitting in someone else's warehouse for too long and had a musty odor. I had an extra batch that I had already washed once that failed the smell test and was waiting for another wash.
I crossed my fingers and put Enviroklenz to the test. Would it remove odors from clothing when other methods had failed?
Eliminate chemical odor with Enviroklenz
EnviroKlenz Laundry Booster comes in a large bottle, enough for 15 large loads of laundry. It looks a lot like milk of magnesia (which some of you novice readers might have found to be amazing!)homemade deodorant), which only makes sense since they are both magnesium hydroxide.
You shake the bottle well and pour in 1/2 cup of your detergent and wash with warm water with a second rinse.This is the detergent I use now that I know what happens with "natural" detergents.)
The minerals bind to harmful compounds (body odor, smoke, mold, or a variety of chemicals found in cleaning products and perfumes) and wash away with the rinse water.See you stinky!
I smelled everything as it came out and put the leash on it. Most of it smelled exactly as it should, like nothing! No "fresh scent" or whatever Big Chemical has made so many millions of people think clean is supposed to smell. Hurrah!
The EnvironKlenz motto is "clean is odorless". They don't just mask one chemical smell with another.
Some things kept smelling, so I contacted the company, who confirmed my suspicions that of the thousands of chemicals used in the fragrance, some may have interacted with synthetic fibers and may never come out.
So heck, I ran it all over again with vinegar and they continued to stubbornly hold on to the smell. Eventually, when you have more energy to invest, you could try dousing them with vodka and dunking them in baking soda for days before donating them and letting someone else decide if they want to smell test those clothes or this one to remove the shelter. I didn't understand that chemical smells are bad news.
But all the other second hand items? I will wash EnviroKlenz the first time and enjoy its chemical free state much sooner!
How to remove odors from clothes with EnviroKlenz
What EnviroKlenz eliminates:
- body odors
- chemical pesticides and lawn care products
- it smells like fuel
- smell of tobacco
- moho
(If you've tried vinegar and baking soda, you've probably found that vinegar does nothing for some body odors and that baking soda is useless against lawn and fuel chemicals.EnviroKlenz takes care of all of these.)
EnviroKlenz comes with a money-back guarantee, so there's no reason not to try it on your next load of used laundry.
EnviroKlenz can also remove chemicals from new clothes
Or freshen up your favorite fitness top or remove the stink from a jacket that has absorbed the smell of someone else's cigarettes.
*However* if something smellsActuallymighty at the thrift store, you might want to give it a try.Synthetic fabrics are more prone to stink, so think twice before buying this scented polyester t-shirt.
I recommend soaking anything you want to smell in vinegar beforehand and running it through the wash with a good plant-based detergent and a few extra rinses. If the odor still remains, try Enviroklenz, which can handle some things that vinegar can't.
**NOTE: Vinegar should not be put in the same wash as Enviroklenz as it will render the wash booster ineffective.**
Do you have any "nearly new" clothes you want to smell?Find out how you can easily remove odors from clothes and give EnviroKlenz a try!
CanBuy EnviroKlenz here.Save 15% with code savvy15.
EnviroKlenz also makes other chemical removal products, including an air filter and carpet cleaner, that can help make your home healthier and safer.
Pin to save this information on how to remove odors from clothes for later.
How to remove odors from clothes Photo credits:wilhei, PD Pics, snapshot
disclosure: I received compensation and a free bottle of EnviroKlenz in exchange for my honest review. I only promote products that I believe in and enjoy using in my own family. All opinions are solely my own.
Suzanne
Susannah is a proud garden geek and energy nerd who loves healthy food and natural remedies. Her work has appeared inLiving Mother Earth, Ensia, Gardener of the North, Sierra,and on numerous websites your first book,all major, released in September 2020 and was a #1 new post. #1 in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herbal gardening and other categories. Learn more and get your copyHere.
FAQs
How to remove the smell from clothes? Try This Simple Laundry Hack? ›
Beloved by grandmothers everywhere, the simple trick of adding a cup of vinegar to your wash cycle has stood the test of time. It can be used on both whites and colors, and your clothes will not only look brighter—they'll smell way fresher, too.
How do you get the smell out of laundry clothes? ›Many odors can be removed using vinegar or baking soda as part of your wash cycle, and if those don't work, commercial sanitizers and sports detergents target odor-causing bacteria, too. Air drying outside is also a great option for freshening fabrics.
How do you get rid of a bad smell in clothes fast? ›You can quickly remove mild odors from clothing by filling a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar, plus a few drops of an essential oil like lavender. Spray it onto your clothing and allow it to air dry. You can also pop your articles in question into the dryer with scented dryer sheets.
How much baking soda do I put in my laundry to get rid of the smell? ›Freshening Ordinary Laundry
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the wash load of your top-loader or front-loader machine. You can sprinkle the baking soda directly on the clothes rather than adding it to the detergent cup or compartment.
- Spray a white vinegar solution: Mix an equal amount of white vinegar and water in a small spray bottle. ...
- Spray a lemon juice solution: Lemon solutions neutralize the smell. ...
- Spray a vodka: Spritzing vodka onto clothes removes bad odors instantly.
You left your clothes in the washer too long.
A dark, wet environment like a washing machine is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and mildew to thrive. These can build up in your clothing as time goes on, eventually leaving them with a permanent odor.
Use homemade citrus oils.
Mix one cup baking soda, one half cup Borax with one cup white vinegar and 20 drops of lemon or orange citrus oil. Add this mixture to your bottle of laundry detergent and use as normal.
Baking soda in the laundry can be a great addition for a natural fabric softener or controlling excess suds, while vinegar in laundry can be an amazing agent for getting those whites extra sparkling and banishing mildew odor. They help even the best laundry detergents to be more effective.
Where do I put baking soda in my washing machine? ›For Extra-Clean Clothes
“It will help lift dirt and grime from clothing,” says Reichert. Don't put baking soda in your washer's detergent dispenser, however. Instead, sprinkle it into the empty drum of your washer, then add clothes and whatever detergent and fabric softeners you'd normally use.
Vinegar seems to neutralize odors, leaving your clothing smelling clean. It can reduce odors from smoke, pets, and sweat. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to your laundry to deodorize smelly clothes.
How long to soak clothes in vinegar to remove smell? ›
White vinegar is a natural deodorizer. Add one cup to cold water and soak workout clothes for 15 to 30 minutes. Then wash as normal.
Why do people put vinegar in their washing machine? ›Using vinegar in laundry will whiten, brighten, reduce odors, and soften clothes without harsh chemicals. Vinegar is inexpensive, and it's safe to use in both standard and high-efficiency washers.
How do you run a vinegar cycle in a washing machine? ›Set the washer to the highest level and the hottest water temperature. Add two cups of white cleaning vinegar to detergent dispenser. Run the washer through a complete cycle.
Why does my laundry not smell clean after washing? ›If your clothes aren't smelling fresh when they come out of your washing machine, it's probably down to a buildup of detergent, dirt or limescale inside your machine. The biggest symptom of this is your laundry smelling damp or musty, even when dry, as well as an unpleasant smell coming from inside your machine.
How long to soak clothes to get rid of smell? ›Add vinegar.
It's also a helpful pre-wash treatment: Soak clothes for 30 minutes in a tub or sink filled with a 1:4 solution of vinegar and water, and voilà! The smell will break down tenfold.
Don't allow your wet clothes to sit too long. The Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science's lead home economist, Lucinda Ottusch, gives a concrete guideline of 8-12 hours before odor, a sign of mildew, begins to occur. What to do if your clothes do smell off? Simply run the wash cycle again.
Why do my clothes smell bad after being washed and dried? ›Mildew and mold buildup are some of the most common culprits of foul-smelling laundry. According to the CDC, mold, and mildew develop in the presence of excessive moisture. You may have excess moisture build-up if you wait too long to transfer your clothes from the washing machine to the dryer.
How do I get the cleanest and best smelling laundry? ›- 7 Secrets to Great Smelling Laundry. ...
- Use the Right Amount of Detergent. ...
- Use Full Rinse Detergent. ...
- Keep a Clean Washer. ...
- Move Clothes to the Dryer ASAP. ...
- Do Laundry Regularly. ...
- Be Careful with Activewear. ...
- Don't Overload the Washer.
Mix ¼ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of water and add it to your machine's detergent container. Use four cups of plain white (not apple cider) vinegar to a top-load machine or two cups to a front-load model. Pour the vinegar into the drum. Run a high-temperature cycle.
Why my clothes smell bad after being washed? ›You left your clothes in the washer too long.
A dark, wet environment like a washing machine is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and mildew to thrive. These can build up in your clothing as time goes on, eventually leaving them with a permanent odor.
Why do my clothes still smell of BO after washing? ›
As the sweat components break down, this can lead to unpleasant odors forming on your clothes. And, if you don't get rid of the sweat smell from your garments effectively, it can build up over time, resulting in a closet full of clothes that still smell of sweat even after washing.
How do you get sour smell out of clothes? ›- Rewash whites and white undergarments in chlorine bleach using the hottest water that's safe for the fabric.
- For color clothes or towels, add a small box of baking soda to the load.
- Fresh air and direct sunlight eliminate mildew, so hang items outside to dry.
Using white vinegar to get rid of odors
Karen recommends creating a mixture of 1/4 of white vinegar and 3/4 of cold water before soaking your clothes in the solution overnight. In the morning, the items are ready to go and 'rendered scentless.
- Loni Bio Laundry Detergent.
- Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean With Odor Blasters LAUNDRY DETERGENT.
- Sweat X Sport Max Odor Defense Extreme Activewear Detergent.
- OUT ProWash Workwear Odor Eliminator.
- all Mighty Pacs Laundry Detergent, Odor Lifter.