How to Get Rid of Bad Smell From Your Sheets
When I asked a question about how to get rid of the raw smell from the sheets in my faithful mom on WhatsApp chat, one mom replied: “WTH. Do not do things in the sheet that smell from them !? “
This torch of the ideal of purity could not understand that some of us plebeians, sometimes faced with an unpleasant odor, to create which we did not do anything. A scent that could lavishly be called a “mysterious musty scent” or more harshly equated with the scent of elephant balls.
I can confidently say that all my young daughter did in her bed was sleeping, doing stealth projects with unauthorized glue, and tickling-torturing her brothers. But somehow it still smells like ass. So what is a confused launderer to do? I researched this for you (for myself) – there are several ways to bring these funky sheets back to their original odorless splendor.
Give these sheets a vinegar bath
Fill a sink or bucket with hot water. Add one cup of vinegar and a tablespoon of dish soap (yes, dish soap, not laundry detergent) and stir the sheets in the mixture. Let them soak for at least 30-60 minutes, or until the next morning. Fully wring them out before the next step.
Wash them with baking soda.
Just like the baking soda in toothpaste helps remove yellow stains from toothpastes, it has similar magical properties when applied to sheets. Baking soda is not only a fabric brightener, but also a natural deodorant. While the washing machine is filling with water, add 1/2 cup of baking soda. Place sheets last and let them soak 30 minutes before washing.
(Note: Do not add your regular laundry detergent here. It can mask odors with its own odor. Later, you will need to determine if the sheets themselves are odorless without any intervention from your detergent.)
Use a heavy duty washer
While you might be tempted to run everything in the Quick Wash mode for faster wash times and to get rid of unpleasant odors, you will want to use the “heaviest dirt” setting and the hottest water possible.
Try adding vinegar to your rinse cycle.
While it might be overkill, if you’ve already soaked in vinegar before washing when you’re trying to get rid of animal body odor, could it be overly thorough? Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar to the machine during the rinse cycle (or to the fabric softener compartment) can further eliminate the unpleasant odor and – get it – actually soften your clothes! Who knew?
Odor test, then drying outside
Make sure they pass the odor test before moving on to the next step in the process. If the smell still persists, repeat the steps above.
If they smell fresh, give your sheets an extra dose of sanitizer by hanging them up to dry in the sun. A natural killer of germs and elimination of unpleasant odors, sunlight will give these smelly sheets the last boost they need to get them into the home stretch.
Make sure they dry completely
One surefire way to get rid of bad odors is to fold and store your sheets while they are still slightly damp. After tumble dry, let them dry for 10 minutes in the tumble dryer to remove all moisture.
Now, enjoy sleeping on your fresh, daisy-like old but new sheets.