In which I ask for advice.

[randomling]

Okay, this is a weird thing to be writing about. And it's surprisingly hard and vulnerable for me to write about, so I'm going to ask commenters to be very gentle with me. (Please?)

I just moved house - from a room I was renting from a friend, back in with my parents'. This is basically a good for-now move because I've been so ill, and because I've essentially run out of money. (Don't worry, I'm just about afloat for now.)

And I have a specific issue.

Even when I was well, I sucked at cleaning. When I got ill, the idea of "clean" really disappeared completely. And my room stank. Well, now I've moved all my stuff back to my parents' place, and my stuff stinks. All of it, but especially the bed linen and clothes.

It's horrible.

(It's also all my own fault and I'm really hating on myself for it, but that's kind of by the by. I'm working on that part.)

Due to the "run out of money" part, there is no way in hell I can afford to just toss all my clothes and buy a new wardrobe, fun as that might be. I need to find a way to get the smell out of the clothes, and regular washing in the machine just is not doing the trick.

So, I'm appealing to my lovely friends and readers for help.

I'm not looking for people to tell me what a horrible, disgusting person I am. (Shocking!) And I'm not looking for anyone to tell me how to avoid this kind of thing in the future (it reads too much to me like criticism of what I did in the past, and I already know I did pretty crap, thanks).

But I am looking for any tips or hints you might have for getting foul smells out of fabrics which can be put in the washing machine.

Some of this bed linen belongs to my former landlady and I'd like to return it in reasonably good nick, pretty soon.

Also, I'm going on holiday with a bunch of good friends on Friday and I'd like to take some clothes with me that don't stink to high heaven.

Thanks, sweeties!

Comments

Gotten From My Mother

[onyxlynx]

Vinegar (distilled white, not apple cider or balsamic) is your friend.

For right now: Store brand cheap ($0.99) pint of vinegar, ~1/2 -1 cup per wash load. This seems to work for everything short of mildew. If you can afford the gallon jugs, get a gallon jug; it brings down the cost per wash and unless you have a department-store-full of clothes, it'll take care of your entire washable wardrobe. Vinegar can be used in any temperature of water.

Borax can be used if your things need to be washed in hot water.

Good luck!

[hatman]

Have not used it myself, but it is what Febreze was designed for. Could be worth a try.

[chalcopyrite]

As well as white vinegar, as onyxlynx suggested, my other standby is baking soda (bread soda, sodium bicarbonate... that stuff). Add half a cup (about 120g, I think) with the washing powder/liquid; you can use it at any temperature (I'd suggest as hot as the fabric is rated for). Another suggestion I found but have not tried was soaking things in a soda solution before washing.

Baking soda being alkali and vinegar being acid, you probably don't want to try both methods at the same time. *wry g* Good luck! (And looking forward to seeing you!)

[damned_colonial]

I was going to suggest baking soda, too. You can sprinkle baking soda over stinky things and leave it for a while to soak up some of the stink. It's good for eg. upholstery, carpet, etc.

[damned_colonial]

I've got a friend who says that Febreze is mostly alcohol, and that they find spritzing vodka on things (I think they were referrring to cat piss in particular) is just as effective as Febreze. For whatever that's worth.

[ilyena_sylph]

Chiming in to agree with the vinegar, and the baking soda -- though not at the same time -- and also suggest Borax powder. Half a cup per load is the amount I've heard most open.

[chalcopyrite]

I'd also suggest drying things outside, if you can, after all of this. UV is wonderful stuff. :)