You know how it is: you take your dark laundry out of the washing machine, and immediately after washing it smells a musty odor. How do you solve this?
Why only dark clothes?
You are probably wondering: why is it that only dark laundry starts to smell? Well, that is not entirely true: if you keep other colours and types of laundry damp for a long time, it also gives off unpleasant odours, but with dark clothing it happens sooner. Dark textiles retain odours better, especially when the material consists of a lot of synthetic fibres. For example, sweat odours also linger longer in black sports shirts because of the colour and fibres.
Washing machine too full
One reason for smelly dark laundry is that we save up dark laundry for a while before putting it in the machine. Because let’s be honest: how many dark clothes do you really have? Unless you wear black clothes every day, your socks and underwear might be the only things that really belong under dark laundry. Of course, it’s a waste to do a whole load of laundry for such a small amount, so we save it up. The only problem is that we end up saving up so much that we have to overfill the washing machine. As a result, the laundry is not cleaned properly, and the spinning also becomes more difficult the fuller the drum is. The laundry comes out a lot damper after washing, which makes it easier for bacteria to nest. And that’s what makes your laundry smell.
Wash at lower temperatures
We often wash dark colours at lower temperatures and on environmentally friendly washing programmes that use less water. As a result, liquid detergents cannot dissolve properly and remain almost unwashed in the clothing. If you also add fabric softener, you have a real problem: fabric softener needs much more water and will start to mould if it is not rinsed out properly. In addition, using too little water during the washing programme does not do much good for your washing machine: dirt can build up much faster if it is not rinsed out properly.
Dissolve
How do you solve these problems properly? Simple: first make sure you leave enough space in the washing drum. The laundry must be able to move freely during the program. Also choose a program with extra water, but a cup of cleaning vinegar in the fabric softener compartment also helps to remove all unpleasant odors from both the clothes and the washing machine. If you feel that it is the washing machine, then you can run an empty wash once a week at sixty or ninety degrees, and run a self-cleaning wash once a month.
