I usually do my laundry on Sundays. Sometimes I throw a load or two in during the week but Sundays are typically "laundry day" at my house. Doing the laundry is one of my least favorite chores. I absolutely hate folding up the clean clothes and putting them away. We just never have enough room for all out clothes and of course- I can never find anything to wear! Every once and a while I will start a load and then forget to put it in the dryer and then I forget about it completely until I go start a new load and realize there is a pile of wet clothes in the washer that have been sitting there for nearly a week. So gross.
Unfortunately when this happens it can be really difficult to get rid of the mildew smell that is all over the clothes. Simply turning on the washer again doesn't always cut it. There is a secret ingredient you can add the the washer to help eliminate the yucky smell. Vinegar!
I add vinegar to my Downy ball and toss it into the machine. I also wash with hot water (normally I only use cold water) and add a little extra laundry soap. This usually does the trick. Then I swear to never forget about the clean clothes in the washing machine again. Inevitably it always seems to happen again.
Does this ever happen to you? What's your advice to get rid of the mildew smell?
LOL, I have done that before.
ReplyDeleteHere is another trick....Not really good for the darks or colors, but with the whites, soaking them in water with lemon juice, wringing them out by hand so that they are still damp, and hanging them directly in the sunlight. Lemon on whites in the sun acts like a natural bleach, and cuts the mildew smell. Some people also cut a lemon in half dip it in salt, and rub it on stains and mildew spots, then hang it in the sun.
While I have many times used the lemon juice soak, I have not tried the salt version.
Great tip! Especially for those stinky pit stains
DeleteOh, I have to remember that! I don't exactly forget clothes but who knows, maybe some day I will start, so just in case...
ReplyDeleteI remember the times when my mother also ironed the clothes after taking them off the line. I don't want this time to come back. I mean she ironed every possible thing!
Oh no, ironing should be done as little as possible. Nobody like ironing!
DeleteI feel like I wrote this post word for word!! Lol I feel ya girl! I have also been trying to do at least one load a day but yet again here I am doing 6 loads before bedtime.
ReplyDeleteForget the crafty gnome, we need a laundry gnome!
Yes a laundry gnome! And can he find all the lost socks while he does our laundry?
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