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Cleaning Up:  Help! Laundry still smelly!  |
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Yarngirl
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Tracy
Yelm
WA.
USA
5 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 18 2009 : 2:11:56 PM
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I recently made my first batch of powder laundry soap using the recipe found in the Makin' Hay issue of MaryJanesFarm Magazine. It called for 1 bar Castille soap, 2 cups Borax, 2 cups washing soda and 1 cup baking soda. My husband's uniform shirts come home really smelly  in the armpits and I was hoping that this laundry soap would do a better job than the store bought kind of getting out that smell, but there is still some smell there. Don't get me wrong, its much better than when I first put it in the washing machine but they still smell. I even put between 1/4 and 1/2 cup in of vinegar in a Downy Ball and they still stink! Any suggestions? Do I need to add more of something (baking soda, perhaps?) or less of something? Any help would be great as I really want to continue to use the homemade kind but I HAVE to get rid of that smell!!
Thanks in advance for the help! 
Tracy |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2009 : 2:38:35 PM
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When there is a lot of odor that has kindof bonded with the fabric (my husband's shirts are like this too) get some straight ammonia and rub it into the armpits of the shirt, let sit for a minute and then wash normally. The ammonia really helps break up those protien strands that absorb into the fibers of the shirt. You might need to do this a couple of times, but it really does help. Another thing I have done is soak the white shirts in lemon juice and then let them sit in the sun for about 20 minutes. You have to kill the bacteria that thrive and feed on the protein residues.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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campchic
True Blue Farmgirl
312 Posts
Erin
Nebraska
USA
312 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Yarngirl
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Tracy
Yelm
WA.
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 09:41:11 AM
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| Ok ladies, I'm still having trouble with arm pit smells in my hubbys shirts. I've tried vinegar, baking soda and ammonia (all at separate times) and nothing seems to help. Does anyone have any other suggestions?? I've heard you can spray hydrogen peroxide on them, but I'm worried it will have a bleaching effect. Can anyone help me!!?? |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2875 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2875 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 09:59:46 AM
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| Tracy, I would make a paste out of baking soda & scrub it into the pits, & then let sit overnight, then launder. Baking soda should neutralize almost any odor. If that doesn't work, maybe the shirts are shot. When I used to be the workout queen, there would be some of my spandex leotards; (YIKES!!! from the 80's, ashamed to admit,& even worse, complete with leg warmers & headband..Ouch) they would eventually get so icky in the pits I had to get rid of them. Although this was before I used baking soda by the pounds, so who knows, maybe my spandex attire would still be kickin today..If only I could fit in them,sigh, a topic for another thread, I'm afraid |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 1:02:20 PM
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Tracy- Sometimes if the shirt got laundered several times without the smell coming out and especially if you use a dryer- the smell can lock into the fibers like Lisa mentioned. Since you did notice an improvement after starting to use the homemade detergent I would say that the smell won't go out of the old shirts but hopefully will be washed away from any new shirts from this point forward.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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RaspberryBee
True Blue Farmgirl
291 Posts
Karen
Montrose
Michigan
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 7:07:56 PM
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Tracy - This week past I have found that the sun is the most amazing product in getting rid of nasty smells. I use a little different detergent recipe but same items. I have a few sets of french linens that have been folded away since the early 70's and they were a horrible color with fold lines and smelled like all the men of these olympic games used them to dry off after their events...disgusting to say the least. I have tried ALL kinds of things in the last year and a half with nothing working (I did lay them in the sun last summer but was using Tide then). I soaked them one day in the homemade degtergent then spun out the water, then hung them on the line on a bight day. WOW! They are creamy white now and smell like sunshine. Maybe give this a try with the sleeves pinned up to give the arm pit area sun and air??? Good Luck.
I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
-Henry David Thoreau- |
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Merry
True Blue Farmgirl
765 Posts
Merry
Ankeny
Iowa
USA
765 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 9:58:05 PM
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Tracy, if I had a smelly load to wash, I would add a squirt or two of peppermint castile liquid soap in addition to my homemade laundry soap. It usually did the trick.
Good luck!
Merry
Farmgirl #536
http://iowafoodcoop.blogspot.com
http://afarminmyheart.blogspot.com/
Don't pray for a lighter load, pray for a stronger back. |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2010 : 7:15:13 PM
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| I just looked in the book, Talking Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean. She says "If odor is present, apply warm water to the area and work in Twenty Mule Team Borax. Let sit 30 minutes or so, then laundry as usual." I've also read that you can wet the area and work in Fels Naptha soap and let it sit for 30 minutes and then laundry. Hope these help. |
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Ms. Hannigan
True Blue Farmgirl
57 Posts
Shari
Middle
TN
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2010 : 9:02:01 PM
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I'd try Susan's suggestion. My husband has similar issues with his shirts, complete with pit stains (aren't they lucky we love them??) and I tried this with some success: Put the shirt in your sink & CAREFULLY pour boiling water over the offending area. Let it cool enough to handle, then launder as usual. Good luck!
...some women are drippin' with diamonds... some women are drippin' with pearls... look at me, lucky me, the only thing I'm drippin' with is... little girls...
Farmgirl #1158
blog: http://www.lifegetsmessy.com
website: http://www.eatlocaltn.com |
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vintagejenta
True Blue Farmgirl
83 Posts
Sarah
Walden
NY
USA
83 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2010 : 4:38:26 PM
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Feed your husband more green vegetables! :D Smelly sweat is caused by odor-causing bacteria that live in our pores. Luckily, chlorophyll - the stuff that makes plants green - makes things inhospitable for those bacteria!
I had some shirts I once loaned to a friend and the exact same thing happened. I had to throw them out, but I probably should have tried these suggestions!
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http://citygirlcountryfood.wordpress.com |
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2010 : 5:22:00 PM
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You know, I was having the same issue and my husband has never been a smelly man. I found that the homemade powder soap was not working for us. I don't think it was dissolving properly because we have a front loading washer that uses very little water. So, I went back to the liquid version. It takes a bit more work, but it also makes a bigger batch. And to get all the build-up of stink from my husband's shirts I had to run them through a super hot wash. Hope that helps!
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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Cleaning Up: Help! Laundry still smelly! |
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Help! Laundry still smelly!
