mildew smell out of clothes?

Hi all,

I am such an idiot...but I put a pile of wet fishing clothes of my husbands in the bottom of the hamper last week (DOH!!!) and of course when I washed them---PHEW! Stinky mildew clothes! Any tips on how to get the stink out? I washed them once and they still smell a little. Thanks for any tips you might have.

[Stella]

I've done this with wet towels before. Blech.

I febreezed them first, then put them in the wash with a full cap of detergent, a cup of bleach, and a few drops of essential oil. When you put them in the dryer, febreeze them again and toss in an extra dryer sheet. Should be good to go and nice and soft.

[Vanquisher]

My clothes get left in the washing machine a little too often. This is a problem that I am too familiar with.

#1 solution - Febreze for laundry.

http://www.newfebreeze.com/

It's kind of expensive, so I only use it on super stinky loads.

Sometimes I have to wash them twice.

[spotty_dog]

My first line of defense would probably be a little Borax in the next load. Antiseptic and a laundry booster, I find it neutralizes icky smells to nothing and leaves my clothes soft, fresh, and smelling of clean.

[DCJenn]

The trick I've found (since the washing machine is in a shed in the back yeard...things get left there a wee bit too often) is to throw in about a cup of vinegar. Sometimes for super stinky stuff, I'll throw in about two cups and then rewash without detergent.

(at least it's the cheap route!)

Jenn

[mommax3]

I go with a scoop of color safe bleach and make sure that whatever it is(esp. towels) has plenty of room to agitate in the washer, and I use the hottest water the clothes will bear.

Sally

Thanks

Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate your input.