How to get mildew smell out of clothes for good

Step by step: how to get mildew smell out of clothes for good

Safety first. Never put vinegar and chlorine bleach in the same wash or soak; together they release chlorine gas. Use one or the other, and rinse between them. Brush off visible mildew outdoors so you do not breathe the spores.

1. 1

   Take the clothes outside and shake them out

   Shake each item outdoors and brush off any visible gray or black spots with a soft brush. This keeps spores out of your home and out of the washer. If you see fuzzy growth rather than just a smell, treat the stains as mold too.

2. 2

   Check the care labels

   Sort by what each item can take: bleach-safe whites, washable colors, and delicates like wool and silk. Wool, silk and dry clean only items should not go in an oxygen bleach soak; air them in the sun and take them to a dry cleaner if the smell stays.

3. 3

   Soak in oxygen bleach

   Dissolve oxygen bleach or an oxygen-based laundry odor remover in warm water at the rate on the label, about one scoop per gallon for most powders. Submerge the clothes and soak for 1 to 6 hours; longer is better for a strong smell.

4. 4

   Wash hot with the right booster

   Wash in the hottest water the care labels allow with your usual detergent. For bleach-safe whites, add 1/3 cup of chlorine bleach. For colors, add more oxygen bleach to the drum instead.

5. 5

   Add vinegar or baking soda for a second pass

   If the smell is still there after one wash, run the load again with 1/2 cup of baking soda in the drum, then 1 cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser for the rinse. Skip this step on any load that had chlorine bleach in it.

6. 6

   Dry completely and fast

   Move the clothes to the dryer or a line as soon as the cycle ends. Sunlight is ideal for whites. Make sure seams, waistbands and hoods are fully dry before anything goes back in a drawer.

7. 7

   Clean the washer if everything smells

   If freshly washed loads keep coming out musty, the smell is coming from the machine. Run an empty hot cleaning cycle with a washer cleaner or bleach, wipe the door gasket and leave the door open between loads.

Which mildew smell remover works best?

A long oxygen bleach soak followed by a hot wash fixes most musty clothes. Chlorine bleach is the strongest option but only for bleach-safe whites; vinegar and baking soda help with lighter smells.

OxiClean’s directions for musty clothes are a full scoop per gallon of water and a 3 to 6 hour soak, then a normal wash, and not on wool, silk or leather. Clorox suggests brushing off spores first, washing bleach-safe fabrics in the hottest water allowed with 1/3 cup of bleach, and for non bleach-safe items, a 30 to 60 minute soak in a color-safe oxygen stain remover. It also lists 1 cup of vinegar or 1/2 cup of baking soda in the wash as alternatives.

Why clothes smell like mildew

Clothes smell like mildew because mold and mildew grew on fabric that stayed damp, usually in the washer, a hamper or a humid closet. Remove the moisture and the smell does not come back.

The EPA’s guide to mold and moisture says that if wet or damp materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours, in most cases mold will not grow. Wet laundry left overnight in the washer, gym clothes zipped in a bag, and towels thrown in the hamper wet are the usual causes. Tide gives the same advice for towels: dry them immediately after washing and only store them when they are completely dry.

The University of Georgia Extension adds that mildew weakens fibers, so a garment that has had visible mildew for a long time may tear more easily. Handle it gently and do not scrub hard.

How to keep the mildew smell from coming back

Keep laundry dry at every stage, from hamper to closet. That is the whole fix.

• Move washed clothes to the dryer or a rack within an hour or two. If you forget a load overnight, rewash it.
• Hang damp towels and workout clothes to dry before they go in the hamper.
• Leave the washer door or lid open between loads, and clean front-loader gaskets monthly.
• Keep closets and storage bins dry; a dehumidifier helps in basements.
• Towels have their own routine in our guide to getting mildew smell out of towels, and visible mold spots are covered in how to get mold out of fabric.

Mistakes to avoid

• Mixing vinegar and chlorine bleach in the same load, which releases chlorine gas.
• Covering the smell with scent boosters or extra fabric softener instead of removing it.
• Washing in cold water only, which often leaves the musty smell behind.
• Folding clothes away while seams or hoods are still slightly damp.
• Ignoring a smelly washer, which reinfects every clean load.