Stinky laundry

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, Suradit69 said:

Well you did say " the one."  They all have it and some of our members might go looking for the one with special properties.

If we're going to get picky I also said "powder". 

 

I tend to endow our members with a modicum of intelligence, one assumes they managed to find the washing powder aisle.

 

Actually, I recall a post where a member had failed to find washing powder in Tesco 

[exemplary21]

Then you're not soaking properly.

 

Soak overnight in an oxygen based soaker added to the recommended ratio.

 

No need to rinse before adding normal washing powder/liquid when you wash in the morning. Wash and rinse as normal.

 

No smells, guaranteed.

[watcharacters]

On 12/9/2018 at 8:40 AM, worgeordie said:

Maybe its a case of very stinky in,just stinky coming out.

regards Worgeordie

 

Taking Worgeordie's words literally and with  with all due respect, maybe you should ask a GF, a friend or even a (doctor?) to give you an honest assessment of the smell of your body.     I have a former friend, an acquaintance now, who smells so  badly I can't tolerate being near him.     He doesn't believe in using any  deodorant  and combining that with living in a tropical climate, his clothes have a stench which I believe cannot be removed.     Even thought he's very  well cashed up and has a pension of at least    200,000฿    per month, he'd never consider throwing away any clothes he can still manage to wear.

 

You could probably test my theory by buying  a new shirt and smelling the underarms of it after your wear it.    If it smells badly, there's your answer.   Maybe washing will alleviate the problem but why not go to the source?

 

My acquaintance is 76 and as sometimes happens with  older  men, as opposed to women, they   tend to forget proper  personal grooming, be it showering  teeth cleaning, shaving and  etc.

 

My acquaintance may have a horrible body order but at least his breath is the closest thing known to man to smell like a fermenting Thailand trash receptacle.  I doubt any exhalation could pass by teeth as brown as his and smell OK.

 

No reason, really,  for a man to allow himself to go to sheet.

Edited December 13, 2018 by watcharacters

[rwill]

washing machines can develop mold in them.  Specially if you use a liquid softener when washing. So if all your laundry is smell y that may be the problem.  Most machines have a cleaning cycle.  You have to use something that will kill mold when doing it.  

[unblocktheplanet]

The stink one notices from Thai's clothes is mildew: they've gotten damp & not dried properly. If your stink is only in the armpits, we can rule this out but it's the most common cause. Genuine question: Do your armpits themselves stink? If not, your deodorant could be causing the stink. Try Thai crystal; apply after a shower; do not apply to smelly pits, won't work, this is preventive care. Question: Does all your laundry stink or just your tea-shirts?

 

I, too, use Breeze, cold-water wash, plus a measure of borax, to wash & another to rinse. If the wash might be stinky, I add a measure of powdered oxygen bleach to wash and baking soda plus half a cup of white vinegar to rinse.

 

You must dry your clothes in the open air & sunshine. Turn them inside out to prevent fading & hang them on hangers. If there's no air movement, put on a fan to blow dry.

 

It's possible but unlikely you're getting somebody else's mildew stink from a common machine. Stick your nose in before washing! If it smells funky, run through an empty hot wash with the above measures before applying to your own laundry. Borax & vinegar pretty much kill everything. 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

The communal machines are rubbish here, cold water never seems to get things totally clean, forget having white things unless you want to beach all the time. Never a problem in the UK.

 

I exercise a lot so my process which is currently working is:

-Compulsory anti perspirant

- i wash my exercise clothes in water afterwards and dry.

- white sheets need bleaching as stains don't come out.

 

Using a Vanish type stain remover may also help. The main problem is the cold water i think, and maybe top loaders aren't as good as front loaders

 

 

 

 

[owenm]

I read of an issue with front loading machines in the Oz press only recently where clothes were coming out the wash smelling worse than when they went it.. A forum of others had the same issue, different brands of machines..

 

The rubber seal at the bottom of the front load door had an accumulation of black mould under the seal.. Should be cleaning on a regular basis otherwise can leach into your wash load.. Apparently the more expensive machines don't have this issue, only the cheaper budget machines..

 

The suggestion was to clean with bleach or vinegar, at least monthly, and the issue was more prevalent in humid environments..

[ujayujay]

Fill in 2 big Spoon Baking soda in the Trey of your Loundrymachine. Press the selfcleaning Button and wait 1 Hour. Problem solved. 

[scubascuba3]

Fill in 2 big Spoon Baking soda in the Trey of your Loundrymachine. Press the selfcleaning Button and wait 1 Hour. Problem solved. 

Useful but doesn't solve the shared cold machines problem

[unamazedloso]

wash ur undies separately. Problem solved!

 

Sorry i know this wasnt helpful but i couldnt resist...

 

could even be the water. I know in the past i realized the last rinse was stinking up the cloths so would stop it.

Edited December 13, 2018 by unamazedloso
missing assistance

[jimn]

Maybe try having a shower before you wear them or maybe only wearing them once. In my experience this works quite well.

[Cricky]

On 12/9/2018 at 3:20 PM, ChipButty said:

My wife owns a Laundry you would not believe what get brought in here

I have a friend that owns a laundry, heard a lot of stories.

 

BTW, are you the person that checks the pockets?

Lots of money I heard.

[uksmdh]

On 12/9/2018 at 9:24 AM, attrayant said:

I do laundry only once every two weeks (because I don't do a wash until I have enough to fill the machine), which means the laundry is positively rank by the time it goes to the machine.  Even so, I use very little detergent (maybe a teaspoon or two) because it's a front loader and still never have the OP's problem.

 

You can't use chlorine bleach on most colors or some fabric types.  I would recommend an oxygen bleach (Big C sells it in an orange container) because it's safe for most colors.  Pre-soaking in diluted hydrogen peroxide seems to get good results too.

 

But before doing that I would get a second opinion to see if it's as bad as you think it is.  Maybe it's in your nose?

Similar machine, similar quantities of  detergent and comfort.  The Wife tried short cutting and using 30 minute washes.  Smelt rank.  Back onto proper 1.5 to 2 hour washes now comes out smelling fresh and staying that way for most of the day.  

[The Theory]

Is the machine your own ? 

If yes, let machine gets water at minimum level and ad 1000 ml bleach and 1 cups of detergent, if stop the machine for sometime after 5 min and then run again would be more helpful.

If the machine is not yours,

just forget it since other people wash all kind of nasty stuff in those machines. 

Edited December 13, 2018 by The Theory

[TKDfella]

On 12/9/2018 at 8:57 AM, johng said:

Add some bleach to the wash and hang out the clothes to dry in the open air so it gets full sunshine the UV and bleach will kill most things including bacteria that can make the smell.

This is true but it won't kill fungus. Being a high humidity climate in Thailand fungus can grow quickly especially on workout/gym suits (which is what I have a problem with). Killing these need a high temperature which of course, might cause damage to the clothes. White cotton or cotton*artificial fibre mix may have a characteristic black spotted appearance and if so that stain won't be removed by usual techniques. I wash my workout clothes immediately after w/o but if left the fungus will take hold and produce a dank odour and bacteria will also contribute.

[Kerryd]

Keep in mind that the washing machine drain probably empties directly into a pipe that leads to the local sewer system. When the pipe isn't full of water, it will be full of stinky air from the sewer.

If you tend to throw your stuff in the washer and leave it there until wash day, it will absorb some of that odour. 

 

Also, I've found that leaving the washer full of water overnight will result in a skanky smell. I used to finish a workout and throw my clothes into the washer (half full of water) to soak on days when I didn't have enough for a full load. The next day the water would be "ripe" and I'd have to drain it, rinse the clothes that had been in the tub and then wash them.

 

Also, make sure you don't overload your washer. Most Thai machines I've seen don't have the center "agitator" like ones in the West do and as a result, clothes tend to end up in a tightly clumped "knot" by the end of a cycle.

When they are like that, the stuff in the "knot" isn't getting agitated or even cleaned. It will absorb a little water but any grime/bacteria/dead skin cells will likely still be there.

 

It would be better to do 2-3 loads of laundry a week than try to skimp and do 1 every 2 weeks. Sheesh, I live alone and have to do laundry at least twice a week and even then I often have to do 3 loads (whites, colours and "darks" though sometimes I can get away with just a load of "whites" and a load of everything else).

 

As another poster mentioned - shower before putting on clean clothes. Clean clothes won't mask a dirty body for long. Bacteria love a warm, moist environment which is why you tend to notice odours from armpits so easily. Perfect place for them to breed (they like crotches as well). 

And where else is a "warm, moist" environment ? Pretty much the entire country !!

Which means you are basically a bacteria breeding factory, especially if you aren't showering on a regular basis.

I've noticed it myself. If I wake up in the morning, throw on a clean t-shirt and shorts, have a coffee, check the computer, putter around the house for a bit (etc, etc) within a couple hours I'll notice my t-shirt smells a bit skanky.

But if I wake up, have a cup of coffee, check my emails, have a shower, then put on a clean shirt, no problems. Even in the evening it still smells OK.

So, shower often, do laundry often and don't overload the washer. 

 

(Note - a lot of "laundries" will probably cram your entire basket of laundry into one load of wash to save (them) money and get your stuff done quicker. They aren't too concerned about colours or how the clothes smell when you go to wear them the next time. I used to use one laundry in South Pattaya years ago and even gave them some expensive "freshener" to use with my stuff.

Then I noticed that they had 2 sets of drying racks. One set was across the street, right next to the 6 or so large, stinky garbage cans used by our building and a nearby restaurant. The other set was in front of their laundry - directly over top of a couple large sewer grates.

All the perfumed laundry "freshener" in the world wasn't going to help when your clothes are being saturated with the smells of rotting garbage and diseased sewer air wafting over them for hours on end.
 

[Danthai]

Downey Blue detergent and fabric softener will help some of your problems. My opinion. Used both for long time. Helps if you have to hang clothes outside to dry.

[Just Weird]

On ‎12‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 1:04 PM, Percy Penguin said:

Thanks all. I don't wear T-shirts twice BTW - in fact it's not often I wear the same one all day. I move around a bit but am usually in a serviced apartment with its own washing machine. They're decent machines (current one is a Bosch no more than a couple of years old) but I have the same problem everywhere - fruity under the arms... Anyway, I'll make sure it's breeze next time and also try the baking soda trick. Cheers.

"...but I have the same problem everywhere - fruity under the arms..."

Sorry but it's you, then.  If they come out stinky under the arms they must have gone in stinky under the arms.  Washing machines can't do that trick of magically putting stink somewhere that can be prone to stink.

[pacovl46]

Dettol worked wonders for me. Just pour two caps into the detergent compartment!

Edited December 13, 2018 by pacovl46
typo correction

[BurgerGung]

SAGROTAN in Germany, it does the trick. Anti bacterial... And junk those polyester shirts!

[direction BANGKOK]

On 12/11/2018 at 9:06 AM, fruitman said:

Are the shirts hard under the arms? Deodorant might do that, i had the same issue years ago...Rexona for men doesn't do that i noticed but hard to find in thailand (buy in Malaysia or singapore). Those shirts can't be rescued, buy new ones.

 

Also i never understood how a horizontal spinning washing machine can clean properly, i would always buy a vertical spinning frontloader.

 

 

THAt was my first thought too. The front loading machines seem to clean better and are easier on the clothes. Overloaded top loaders especially and the clothes seem like they just churn stuck in their own muck in the middle, not to mention tearing the clothes apart.

 

I wonder which style the op has. 

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, direction BANGKOK said:

THAt was my first thought too. The front loading machines seem to clean better and are easier on the clothes. Overloaded top loaders especially and the clothes seem like they just churn stuck in their own muck in the middle, not to mention tearing the clothes apart.

 

I wonder which style the op has. 

It's about how the machine spins, horizontal axle or vertical axle....my mum had a toploader with horizontal axle and those wash good...thailand uses the machines with vertical axle and a opening at the top but those only spin the laundry around which is not good enough. It has to fall down in the drum all the time that washes much better, horizontal axle machines wash that way.

 

But i also had many shirts washed by a good machine with hard pieces under the armpits, that was from deodorant and the only way to get rid of that is to buy a new shirt. Now i don't have it anymore but i only use Rexona 48hr deodorant.

 

 

[mogandave]

Well I’ve had top-loaders in the US and front- loafers in Thailand and they both seem to work well.

The downside to top-loaders in Thailand is the lack of hot water, which is not an issue in the US as virtually all homes have hot and cold water pipes.

I have no problem with smelly laundry, wash whites in hot and colors in warm.

I also use a dryer rather than hanging them up, which saves a lot of time and effort and results in much softer clothes.

It is important to make sure you leave the door on the washer open between washes so it dries out, otherwise the moisture will sour and the washer will stink.

As previously mentioned, a proper drain of the correct height that includes a trap will keep sewer gas out...

[QPRFC]

First step would be to try a different washing machine, maybe in a different street to your regular place.

It could be the washing machine or filters or the local water feed.

 

I had a problem at my last residence, everything white came out with brown/yellow stains and since moving to another residence, everything that was affected eventually went back to white again.

[madmen]

Thanks all. I don't wear T-shirts twice BTW - in fact it's not often I wear the same one all day. I move around a bit but am usually in a serviced apartment with its own washing machine. They're decent machines (current one is a Bosch no more than a couple of years old) but I have the same problem everywhere - fruity under the arms... Anyway, I'll make sure it's breeze next time and also try the baking soda trick. Cheers.

I wear wife beaters. No stinky under Arms ever

Are your Ts pure cotton. Most of the crap here is polyester cotton which totally traps BO

[scubascuba3]

I wear wife beaters. No stinky under Arms ever

Are your Ts pure cotton. Most of the crap here is polyester cotton which totally traps BO

Wearing wife beaters do you get followed around supermarkets by security?

[grollies]

On 12/11/2018 at 9:18 AM, GinBoy2 said:

You haven't said a lot about where and how you are washing clothes. 

 

But water is a huge thing here. Outside of the major cities, municipal water is pretty disgustingly dirty, which will contribute to your post wash stink if it's not probably filtered.

 

I have a filtration system outside, and to show you what I mean, here are pics of the sediment filters 6 weeks apart.

Just imagine without filtration, that's what you, and your clothes are being washed in!

Man, get a borehole dug and forget mains water. After 6 weeks that's really bad.

[Letseng]

Just buy some real detergent and don't buy the local stuff. There is "Pure" and "Tide" from US, Persil, Perwoll as well as stuff from Oz and Japan. 

Our landlord supplies the liquid local stuff to ensure machines don't get caked up by cheap soap powder. However, the "USA", has a very strong scent and clothes don't get clean but bleach out instead. Don't  leave it to dry inside over days. Smells like wet dog once it's dry.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Letseng