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[washerboy]

Ok...embarssaed to ask this...but had a few life changes in the past few weeks...my teenage son has moved in with me. So far everything is going great..he loves school and is already on two baskest ball teams....so here's what I need advice on. I'm tring to watch expenses so that means not doing uncecessary laundry..I'm doing the full load thing. And to sidetrack a bit...his clothes and bedding stink to high heaven..he takes two showers a day...anyway...back to the full load thing..what constitues a full load? I washed a load on "large"...I have a 2004 GE TL...the clothes were turning over but they were cresting at the water line....so I flipped it up a notch to "super" and the clothes turned over and stayed under the water. I was always told the machine was over loaded if the clothes did'nt turn over...but what about cresting at the water line?..I dont want to tear up my machine..but then I dont want to waste water unless it's necessary. I'm using gain liquid, liquid gain fabric softner and 1/2 cup of 20 mule team borax...I found without the mule team his workout clothing still have a musky scent to them. The Spray-n-Wash stuff is a joke!!! I dont know what kind of stains folks have on TV but apparently there not the same kind I have in my household. So any advice my washer friends could give would be appreciated!!!!!/mark

 

[2drumsallergy]

Loading Advice

Hi Mark,
As long as the wash load circulates freely its fine, with a full load and properly loaded machine items will occasionally pop through the water surface especially heavy or rigid fabrics like Denim.
As for the odours forget about liquid detergent instead try the powdered version of your favourite detergent; powdered detergents contain Oxygen bleaching agents which are highly effective at removing odours. I do not understand why liquids are so popular in the USA, in the UK at least powders always outperform them.
You could also use the soak cycle if your machine has one or alternatively let the washer fill and agitate for two minutes then stop the washer and let everything soak for thirty minutes or so, then start the cycle and let it complete as normal. The soak will allow the enzymes in the detergent extra time to attack stains and odours. Also you can try the extra rinse option if you machine has one, I find the extra rinse very useful with odiferous loads in my nine year old Whirlpool DD Top Loader.

I hope this helps.

David

 

[brettsomers]

Borax only seems to work with warm or hot water. Also, i suspect that old or hardened Borax looses something.

Polyesther seems to sometimes have a smell that wont go away.

If you are washing with warm or hot, and using Gain, i cant imagine what kinds of odors you have issues with.

 

[oxydolfan1]

IMHO, you don't need even that much borax.

Try keeping the clothing and bedding loads seperate, if it's feasible.

IMHO, the best odor-removing detergent is Tide with Bleach original powder, followed by Gain with Bleach powder.

If you insist upon liquid, try the new Arm & Hammer with Oxi-Clean liquid.

If you can, use white vinegar in the rinse cycle, reset the dial to rinse once more, and throw the fabric softener in for that finishing rinse.

Try to use the hottest water possible...it really makes a difference.

Lastly, consider experimenting with your son's antiperspirant brands! I've discovered that certain brands have ingredients that seem to react with our individual chemistries, and the resulting funk seems to adhere to fabrics, causing them to not rinse out as readily as others....for me, the worst brands are the Old Spice/Axe sticks and gels...the best is plain old Mitchum roll-on.

I'm sorry all of these solutions cost money, but maybe you can try the extra pre-rinse with the vinegar, and use the rest as possible clues from where to go from there.

Hang in there...transitions are always tough! Glad to hear your son's doing well.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Mark, congratulations on having your son move in with you. Nothing is easy, but I am sure that being with you will help him and probably you as well. The odors are probably coming from previous, poor laundry methods. Hot water and heavy doses of detergent at least in the first few washings should get rid of the residual oils that are still in the fibers and causing the odors. The borax is very helpful, especially with anyting exposed to perspiration. Experimenting with deodorants is also a very good idea. I tried one that caused an odor that was worse than if I were not wearing any at all.

Thee is one other thing that you can try if none of this works. Buy the bottle of Lysol disinfectant that is sold in the small, sorta flat box. It is not the cleaner/disinfectant, only a disinfectant. I think that the instructions say to use a bottle for a 16 gallon washer tub of water. You let the clothes soak in this WITHOUT detergent as instructed on the box, then wash as usual. The phenol in it gives a residual anti-bacterial action for some time. This is especially good for socks and synthetic fibers. I remember the first time we washed a friend's socks and shirts in the Philco condenser combo. The odor after the dry would stagger a goat. I put Lysol in a bucket and let the stuff soak for a while and rewashed it. At the end of the dry cycle, everything smelled sweet and clean. Best wishes, Tom

 

[bpetersxx]

Is this Lysol in the brown bottle

If it is I am going to get some at Walgreen's and try it

 

[tomturbomatic]

I think that is it. I have not seen the bottle sold outside of the box. There used to be another fragrance in a blue or green box, but that looks like the product. I guess maybe one bottle will not work for a tub of clothes. Sorry. Tom

 

[rocketeer500]

If all else fails.....

Try using baking soda.

I'm a firm believer in baking soda for smelly items. I use equal parts of baking soda and detergent in a front loader; agitate for a few minutes and then let it soak for 15-30 minutes, then finish the wash as usual.

Having a tempermental cat.... I've found that baking soda really does get out strong nasty smelling stuff (if you know what I mean).

 

[mrwash]

In my opinion,

washing as hot as possible is a good idea. Here in Germany it is easy to kill bacteria which produce off odors. Washing at 60°C (140F) kills every sort of that bacteria. By the way, sometimes people complain about bad odors in the drum of the washing machine. That's because they only use temperatures which are not hotter then 40°C (104F). After doing a hotter wash, everything is alright. It is recommended to do a "140F-wash" each week to avoid problems with off odors.

That's why I'm totally against the campaign of Ariel detergent(P&G) which wants everybody to not wash hotter then 40°C. Ariel promises the best washing results also when you do a cold wash. The best argument they have is that washing cold saves energy (a strong argument in times of climate debates). But does this remove the bad odors??? Noooooo!!! So I will save energy but not by washing my whole laundry cold - sorry Ariel! *lol*

For everybody who is interested in the actual commercial of Ariel I added the link to the spot. But it is German. No guarantee you understand a word. XD

http://www.ariel.de/3_0/ariel_kalt_aktiv.php?catid=32

 

[sudsmaster]

I agree with the others. For best cleaning results:

1) Wash dirty smelly laundry in the hottest water possible.

2) Use a good powdered detergent - like Tide. Liquids simply don't clean as well as powders.

3) Go easy on the fabric softener. Too much softener can cause a greasy build-up and that can cause off odors as well.

4) As diplomatically as possible, hand your son a bar of Irish Spring and tell him to use it EVERYWHERE. Emphasize the EVERYWHERE. A good body brush that can be used on armpits is a good idea as well.

 

[brettsomers]

sudsmaster makes an excellent point about the softener usage.

i feel i must add that most anti-perspirants (compared to simple deodorants) can be very difficult to wash out of clothes. often a nasty buildup will result in the armpit area of the clothes. this buildup can harbor a nasty smell.

would like to hear others opinions on turnover in a toploader. what is an acceptable rate of turnover?

are you tumble drying the loads immediately after they are finished washing? are the garments completely dry before being put away?

are you using well water? is your tap water an issue maybe?

this is no consolation, but i clearly remember the STANK work shirts my dad would produce when i was a child. they always came out perfectly fresh, and this was in warmish water with detergent, no additives, with what some people think is lazy Maytag agitation. one thing mom was always conscious of was not overloading.

 

[washerboy]

Thanks for the advice

Okay...here's what I've done: Switched to Tide with bleach...really seems to work a lot better than Gain. Also have been pre-soaking the work out clothes, undies and socks with a 1/4 cup lysol..that by the way I could only find at Wal-greens..Kroger and Wally World did'nt carry it or were out.. I was really afraid the smell of lysol would gag me..my grandmother had TB in the 30's or 40's and after she recoved continued to clean everything with lysol...we left her home vacant for 7 years after she passed...the faint smell of lysol still lingered in the bathroom..anyway been doing the soaking thing in the washer...fliping over to spin then washing with the Tide. Also changed bath soaps...Irish Spring seems to be pertty good..to harsh for my delicate skin(as I smerk..lol) and it makes the bathroom smell clean and "manly". FYI...a friend has told me that a good way to cut down on stinky shoes is to fill them with cedar shavings after taking them off...apparently the cedar absorbes odors and can be reused..have'nt tried it...yet!!! Thanks guys for your responses and encouragments. Your the best!!/m

 

[retro-man]

smelly sneakers

I throw my sneakers in the front loader when doing towels, leave them outside in the sun for a day or on top of the dryer for a day or two. I just can't take the noise or abuse I would imagine that the dryer is getting to throw those in. Plain old baking soda sprinkled into the sneakers before putting them on makes a big difference, not only in the sneakers but the socks and feet of the person who just took them off.
Jon