Laundries are key places in every home where bed accessories and clothes are washed and become clean and odorless. But, if your laundry room does not smell as pleasant as it is clean, you should consider why it smells musty?
If you want to get rid of bad odors in your Laundry. You’ve arrived at the right place. This article will go over each source of the smell and what you need to do to get rid of that musty odor in your laundry room!
Why Does The Laundry Room Smell Musty?
Laundry rooms are necessary for cleaning clothes and other fabrics, but they must also be cleaned properly, or else they will smell. This room can smell musty for three reasons:
- The basket is dirty.
- Sweaty clothes are not cleaned.
- The washing machine is dirty with mold in its pipe.
Another factor contributing to the odor of your Laundry is the presence of humidity in the air, which, when combined with heat from the environment, warms the air and provides an ideal environment for mold to grow.
The major factors involved in making your laundry room smell unpleasant are:
1- Dirty Clothes:
If you leave dirty and sweaty clothes in the Laundry unattended, the germs on them cause them to smell after a few hours. Bacteria break down the skin cells, sweat, and other bodily fluids left on your clothing, releasing gases.
Volatile Organic Compounds are another type of chemical found on clothing (VOCs). These noxious gases can be reduced but not completely eliminated by washing with cold water and detergent.
2- Dirty Hamper:
The stinky hamper odors can also cause your Laundry to smell musty. These hampers contain dirty clothes, so you must wash them all. But there’s more to it. The material of your hamper is the most important consideration.
If your hamper is made of polyester fabric, it may stink due to bacteria and viruses, so clean it with a mixture of hot water and baking soda before hanging it to dry. However, if your hamper is made of plastic, it cannot produce a musty odor and can simply be washed with water.
3- Dirty Washing Machines:
Washing machines that have not been properly cleaned and dried can cause your Laundry to smell. People usually close the washer lid after washing their clothes, which prevents air from circulating and drying out the moisture. The air and moisture become stagnant, resulting in an odor.
Some washing machines tend to smell bad due to their design because the washer pipe isn’t able to eliminate all of the water from it, and the constant dampness in the air prevents the washer from completely drying, it provides a good environment for mold to grow, causing the machine to smell musty.
How To Get Rid Of The Laundry Room Smell?
You might go insane as a result of the odor emanating from your laundry room. What if you go to your laundry room to wash some clothes and discover that the whole place stinks? Nothing to worry about because we’ve compiled a list of the best solutions for each stinky culprit in the laundry room.
Precautions: These odors that make your laundry stink are caused by a combination of pathogens such as mold and bacteria. As a result, necessary safeguards must be implemented. To protect yourself from microorganisms, wear disposable work clothes, nitrile rubber gloves, and a face mask.
1- Citrus Spray:
Lemons are natural deodorizers that can be used to freshen up your laundry room by removing odors. Lemon juice’s acid content has antibacterial properties, killing germs while refreshing your home. So, to deodorize a musty laundry room, you can go with citrus spray.
This spray can be made with orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit peels, which contain odor-fighting agents. Boil the peels and set them aside for an hour on low heat. The liquid should then be strained and poured into a clean spray bottle. For a fresh aromatic fragrance, spray the solution into your laundry room.
2- Oxiclean Cure:
Oxiclean is an oxygen bleach that is used to disinfect laundry rooms by killing bacteria, fungi, and molds. It is most commonly used on clothes, but it works well on walls, floors, and even washing machines.
Fill the scoop to the brim once and place it in one gallon of water. Mix thoroughly and wait for the OxiClean to dissolve. Apply it all over the laundry accessories and leave it for 15 minutes to disinfect the viruses and bacteria. Combine it with a cup of vinegar and two quarts of water to dilute it for mopping and washing walls.
3- Baking Soda:
Baking soda absorbs odors while deodorizing by converting both acidic and basic odor molecules to a neutral, odor-free state. Sprinkle baking soda in the offending area and leave for a few hours. It will absorb all the musty smell.
You can also combine it with vinegar (1/2 cup baking soda + 2 cups distilled vinegar) to scrub down particularly odorous surfaces. Add this mixture to your washer with hot water inside to remove the unpleasant odor, then run the washer for one cycle. Allow the humidity to dry after washing with cold running water.
4- Ventilation:
Nothing beats a breath of fresh air, and laundry room ventilation is essential, as it can be a source of contaminants in your home by accumulating moisture. Mold, bacteria, and mildew growth are more likely, causing your Laundry to smell unpleasant.
Setup an Exhaust Fan in your laundry room to avoid the unpleasant odor. It works to remove contaminants from your home by sucking out all the humidity. Also, put at least one window in the laundry room; it is an excellent way to ventilate the space. Place dryer sheets, fragrance oils, or sachets in the vents to make your Laundry smell nice.
5- Air Fresheners:
Air fresheners are natural deodorizers that help to dehumidify the air, making mold and mildew almost disappear and the room smell pleasant.
Plugging an air freshener into your vent will keep your laundry room fresh all day. A small air freshener can fill the entire room and give your nose a sweet kick every time you enter it.
6- Vinegar:
Vinegar can be used to remove musty odors from Laundry because it appears to neutralize odors and clean arsenals, leaving your clothing soft, stainless, and smelling fresh.
Make the solution by combining 1 cup of vinegar with 1 gallon of water and adding it to your Laundry; it will deodorize smelly clothes miraculously.
7- Dehumidifier:
Dehumidifiers remove excess moisture from the air and help to eliminate odors in your home. They are useful if you live in a humid climate, such as the mountains.
Mold and dust mites flourish in moist environments, causing allergic reactions and exacerbating severe asthma symptoms. As a result, you must keep your home dry. However, baking soda can be used instead of a dehumidifier is unaffordable.
Modifications To Get Your Laundry Room Back On Track:
There are numerous modifications that can be made to your laundry accessories to reduce the musty odor!
1- Stainless Steel Laundry Hamper:
Examine your dirty clothes hamper before reaching for the washer or dryer. It’s one of the worst odor producers, especially if your hamper is made of cotton or natural straw.
Though they appear to be cute, these hampers absorb water, dirt, and oils from dirty clothes, causing the Laundry to stink.
So, for your Laundry, get a stainless steel hamper with holes for extra ventilation and fill it with machine-washable fabric.
2- Odor Busters:
These are Arm & Hammer’s little baking soda balls, which are great for preventing odors and moisture.
To get rid of musty odors, place these balls in various locations in your laundry room, such as the bottom of your hamper or in your gym bag. They will absorb all of the moisture in the air, preventing bacteria from growing.
3- Washing Machine Cleaning Tablets:
A cleaning machine must also be cleaned on a regular basis. There are numerous home remedies for cleaning a stinky washer drum, but modern washers include a wash cycle. However, if your washer has not been updated, you can use cleaning tablets made of soda carbonate to help sanitize and deodorize your machine.
Simply unwrap the tablets and place them in the washing machine drum that is less than half full of water. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Because soda ash softens water, you would definitely get the results.
4- Washing Machine Cleaning Wipes:
Cleaning the rubber folds of your washer can be difficult because you would not stretch the seal with a brush. Instead, try Affresh’s wipes.
It has the same cleaning power as tablets, but it has been modified to be used as handy wipes for those tiny nooks and corners inside a washer door that tablets cannot reach.
How Do Prevent Odors From Laundry?
After you have thoroughly cleaned your laundry room, it will begin to smell good, but there is still a chance that it will smell musty, so there are some precautions you should take to avoid unpleasant odors!
1- Finish Your Laundry In One Sitting.
If you wash some dirty clothes and leave others untouched, they will begin to smell due to sweaty residue on them, which invites bacteria to grow. So, once you sit, try to finish all of the loads.
2- After You’ve Finished All Of Your Loads, Leave The Washing Machine Door Open.
Some water remains in the washer, causing humidity and, as a result, odor. To avoid this, open the door after washing clothes to allow all of the humidity to evaporate.
3- Open The Windows Of The Laundry Room.
If your laundry room is not ventilated, it will begin to smell due to organic material’s off-gassing fumes. As a result, ventilation is required. Allow your laundry room to ventilate by leaving the windows open throughout the day.
4- Sanitize The Machine With Chlorine Bleach After Washing.
When you wash sweaty and stinky clothes in the washing machine, germs may remain in them, so they must also be washed. Use chlorine bleach or citrus spray to disinfect it. It will help to kill bacteria while also providing a pleasant aroma in the room.
5- Place Dryer Sheets On Vents Or Use Fragrances.
Place dryer sheets in your ventilators to absorb all of the humidity in the air, preventing your laundry room from smelling bad. Hang fragrance sachets on the wall to refresh the room throughout the day.
FAQ’s
Why Do My Clothes Smell So Bad?
Allowing dirty clothes to sit in the hamper for an extended period of time before washing them causes moisture to accumulate, resulting in a musty odor. Mixing sweaty clothes and wet bath towels with dry Laundry will make them smell musty.
Bacteria on the stinky clothes started lysis of skin residues and sweat on them. Mold can grow on clothes as a result of this. To avoid bacterial overgrowth, wash your sweaty garments in hot water to remove the sour smell.
Why Does The Washing Machine Smell When It’s Turned On?
Mold, mildew, and bacteria are commonly responsible for odors coming from a washing machine. Soap scum, dirt, odd bits of chunky debris, body oil, and hair accumulate inside the washer’s seals, gaskets, and dispensers over time. So, you should think about the chemicals you use to clean your Laundry.
What Happens If Your Laundry Room Isn’t Properly Ventilated?
The combination of off-gassing from various soaps and detergents and humidity from home appliances results in poor air quality inside the laundry room.
Excess humidity is likely if your laundry room is not correctly ventilated, which causes mildew to grow and lint fire hazards, which can cause a fire to spread in your home. When you don’t ventilate your room, the temperatures rise, causing lint to ignite during drying, which can be fatal.
Conclusion:
Laundries can smell horrible if they have clothes in them and are not cleaned properly, or the washing machine is not washed and dried after use. Bacteria and mold growth can bring nasty stench with them.
Use baking soda, vinegar, air fresheners, and dehumidifiers on clothes and affected sites to get rid of them. These will ensure your laundry room stays fresh and odor-free.