There’s nothing like the smell of freshly clean clothes. Here are five things you can do to make your laundry smell amazing.
1. Best Laundry Practices
Always use good laundry practices. If you’ve had a sweaty gym session or been gardening outside, wash muddy, damp, or sweaty garments promptly.
Don’t leave wet clothes in integrated washing machines. Remove clothes once the cleaning cycle ends. Don’t use lots of detergent and avoid large washing loads.
2. Give your washing machine a clean
Clean washing machines habitually to avoid odours in your clothes. Good Housekeeping advises doing a 60º wash every month. This temperature will remove bacteria and mould, but make sure that your appliance is empty beforehand.
Many retailers stock integrated washing machines that fit inside cupboard units. Try washing machine cleaning products or running white vinegar through your empty appliance. Remember to clean the door and drain filter too.
3. Use Different Scents
If you’ve used one laundry detergent for a while, you may have become used to its scent. Try a different fragrance and see if it makes a difference.
4. Use the Right Setting
Washing machines have lots of different settings. Look at your appliance’s manual and choose the right setting for your clothes. This depends on how dirty your clothes are and their material.
5. Dry Garments Fully
Always make sure that your clothes dry fully. Damp clothes can accumulate musty smells, so remove them from your dryer as soon as the cycle finishes.
Higher spin settings decrease drying time and prevent damp smells, but avoid these settings for delicate garments. You can also try hanging your clothes outside for a fresh, air-dried finish.
The tips above will make sure that your laundry smells great all the time!
A quicker routine for busy weeks
When life is busy, laundry soon becomes a mountain. A few habits keep it under control. Use at least two baskets, one for whites and one for darks, so clothes are sorted by colour or type as they come off. Then follow one simple rule: only what is in the baskets gets washed, not anything left on the floor.
Clean the washing machine regularly. It helps the machine last longer and keeps every load clean, and vinegar works well for the job. Take clothes out as soon as the cycle finishes, as damp laundry left in the drum soon starts to smell.
To cut down on ironing, give clothes a few minutes in the tumble dryer and then hang them to finish drying naturally. Fold them as soon as they are dry to avoid creases. Button-down shirts may still need a quick press.
Drying clothes quickly to avoid a musty smell
Fresh-smelling laundry depends on how quickly it dries as well as how it is washed. In autumn and winter, clothes dried indoors can take days and still end up musty, and long drying periods on a clothes horse can add to damp in the home.
An extra spin cycle removes more water before drying starts. If you use a tumble dryer, avoid overloading it, as a packed drum takes longer and can damage the machine. Many modern dryers have energy-efficient eco settings.
For air drying, spread items out rather than bunching them up, ideally across more than one rail, so air can circulate. Drying pods with a hood that holds warm air, or airers with heated bars, speed things up. A dehumidifier helps too, cutting the risk of damp, and models with a laundry setting create good drying conditions. The faster clothes dry, the less chance a stale smell has to develop.
