How to Make Your Clothes Smell Good

Wash your clothing often., Use scented laundry detergent or essential oils., Remove items from the washing machine as soon as possible., Deep clean your washing machine with vinegar every six months.

4 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Wash your clothing often.

    The more you wear something, the more it smells.

    If you’ve worn something several times, don’t store it with your clean clothes, because that dirty smell can transfer to them.

    Keep your dirty laundry completely separate from your clean clothes.

    While some items should only be worn once before washing them, other items can be worn several times before they start to smell.

    Try to wash sweaty or very dirty clothes as soon as possible after wearing them.Leggings, shirts, socks, swimsuits, tights, camisoles, tank tops and underwear should be washed after each wearing.

    Dresses, jeans, slacks, pajamas, shorts, and skirts can be worn three or times before washing.

    You can wear a bra two to three times before it will need to be washed.

    Consider buying several bras, so that you never wear the same bra two times in a row.

    You can wear a suit three to five times before it will need to be dry cleaned.

    Suits worn to clean environments, such as offices, can last longer between cleaning.

    Suits worn to smoky or smoggy environments will need to be cleaned more often.
  2. Step 2: Use scented laundry detergent or essential oils.

    Most laundry detergents have a fresh scent, but some are more strongly scented than others.

    Look for brands that advertise a specific scent on their labels.

    Always use the recommended amount of detergent.

    It’s tempting to pour in a little extra, but this can leave a residue and actually cause clothes to smell bad.If you’d rather avoid commercial perfumes, try adding ten to twenty drops of essential oil to the washing machine during the final rinse cycle.Make sure you like the smell before purchasing a scented detergent, since they tend to be a little pricier.

    Unscrew the cap and give it a quick sniff in the store.

    Experiment with essential oils to find your favorites.

    Don’t be afraid to combine different oils to create a custom scent. , After running a load of laundry through a wash cycle, try to take out your clothing quickly.

    Hang the items up to dry or transfer them to the dryer immediately.

    Leaving wet clothes in the washer too long causes mildew to form, which can create a musty and unpleasant odor on your clothing.

    If you accidentally forget about clothes in the washing machine and they become mildewed, you can easily deodorize them with white vinegar.Pour one cup of white vinegar in the detergent dispenser and wash the mildewed clothes again.

    This will get rid of the bad smell, but if you want your clothes to smell good, you may want to follow that up with another cycle using detergent., Over time, washing machines can develop unpleasant odors from mold and mildew, which then transfers to your clothes.

    Start with an empty washing machine.

    Add two to four cups of white vinegar to the detergent dispenser.

    Run a complete cycle on the highest and hottest setting.

    Add one cup of baking soda and run another cycle.

    Wipe down the inside and top of the washer with a microfiber cloth.If you prefer, you can use bleach or a commercial washing machine cleaner instead of vinegar.

    If you use bleach, wash white clothing in the first laundry load after cleaning.

    Leave the lid or door open when you’re not using it.

    Closing it traps in moisture and allows mildew and odor-causing bacteria to grow.
  3. Step 3: Remove items from the washing machine as soon as possible.

  4. Step 4: Deep clean your washing machine with vinegar every six months.

Detailed Guide

The more you wear something, the more it smells.

If you’ve worn something several times, don’t store it with your clean clothes, because that dirty smell can transfer to them.

Keep your dirty laundry completely separate from your clean clothes.

While some items should only be worn once before washing them, other items can be worn several times before they start to smell.

Try to wash sweaty or very dirty clothes as soon as possible after wearing them.Leggings, shirts, socks, swimsuits, tights, camisoles, tank tops and underwear should be washed after each wearing.

Dresses, jeans, slacks, pajamas, shorts, and skirts can be worn three or times before washing.

You can wear a bra two to three times before it will need to be washed.

Consider buying several bras, so that you never wear the same bra two times in a row.

You can wear a suit three to five times before it will need to be dry cleaned.

Suits worn to clean environments, such as offices, can last longer between cleaning.

Suits worn to smoky or smoggy environments will need to be cleaned more often.

Most laundry detergents have a fresh scent, but some are more strongly scented than others.

Look for brands that advertise a specific scent on their labels.

Always use the recommended amount of detergent.

It’s tempting to pour in a little extra, but this can leave a residue and actually cause clothes to smell bad.If you’d rather avoid commercial perfumes, try adding ten to twenty drops of essential oil to the washing machine during the final rinse cycle.Make sure you like the smell before purchasing a scented detergent, since they tend to be a little pricier.

Unscrew the cap and give it a quick sniff in the store.

Experiment with essential oils to find your favorites.

Don’t be afraid to combine different oils to create a custom scent. , After running a load of laundry through a wash cycle, try to take out your clothing quickly.

Hang the items up to dry or transfer them to the dryer immediately.

Leaving wet clothes in the washer too long causes mildew to form, which can create a musty and unpleasant odor on your clothing.

If you accidentally forget about clothes in the washing machine and they become mildewed, you can easily deodorize them with white vinegar.Pour one cup of white vinegar in the detergent dispenser and wash the mildewed clothes again.

This will get rid of the bad smell, but if you want your clothes to smell good, you may want to follow that up with another cycle using detergent., Over time, washing machines can develop unpleasant odors from mold and mildew, which then transfers to your clothes.

Start with an empty washing machine.

Add two to four cups of white vinegar to the detergent dispenser.

Run a complete cycle on the highest and hottest setting.

Add one cup of baking soda and run another cycle.

Wipe down the inside and top of the washer with a microfiber cloth.If you prefer, you can use bleach or a commercial washing machine cleaner instead of vinegar.

If you use bleach, wash white clothing in the first laundry load after cleaning.

Leave the lid or door open when you’re not using it.

Closing it traps in moisture and allows mildew and odor-causing bacteria to grow.

About the Author

K

Kayla Henderson

Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.

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