Guest guest Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Meredith try using a cup or two of vinegar. It does neutralize odor, but I'm not sure if even it will work in this case lol.NormaOn 7/27/08, Meredith <merrybud wrote: Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can help with this. My boyfriend left a pile of laundry in a musty basement for over a year <rolling eyes>. I have rescued the pile and washed it twice already. It all still smells. yuk! Is there soemthing I can put in the water to get rid of that awful smell without resorting to chemicals? I have a front loading machine and I use a castille soap/borax/washing soda mix. I also put baking soda in the rinse cycle and I soaked them before the second wash. Men! ;o) Thanks! Meredith -- visit our farm site at:http://www.freewebs.com/sweetspringfarm/ visit our stores at:http://sweetspringfarm.blujay.com/http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=2738 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 I would even try Dr. Brommer's soap along with vinegar - it helped me in a similar situation (granted not a year). Good luck! Summer , " Norma Sutton " <sweetspringfarm wrote: > > Meredith try using a cup or two of vinegar. It does neutralize odor, but > I'm not sure if even it will work in this case lol. > Norma > > On 7/27/08, Meredith <merrybud wrote: > > > > Hi everyone, > > > > I am hoping someone can help with this. My boyfriend left a pile of > > laundry in a musty basement for over a year <rolling eyes>. I have > > rescued the pile and washed it twice already. It all still smells. > > yuk! Is there soemthing I can put in the water to get rid of that > > awful smell without resorting to chemicals? I have a front loading > > machine and I use a castille soap/borax/washing soda mix. I also put > > baking soda in the rinse cycle and I soaked them before the second wash. > > Men! ;o) > > > > Thanks! > > Meredith > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > visit our farm site at:http://www.freewebs.com/sweetspringfarm/ > > visit our stores at: > http://sweetspringfarm.blujay.com/ > http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=2738 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 If all else fails, I'd try Oxy Clean, it's good stuff. I probably would have thrown it out-the laundry, not the BF. ;-)Cyndi In a message dated 7/27/2008 8:26:39 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, merrybud writes: Hi everyone,I am hoping someone can help with this. My boyfriend left a pile of laundry in a musty basement for over a year <rolling eyes>. I have rescued the pile and washed it twice already. It all still smells. yuk! Is there soemthing I can put in the water to get rid of that awful smell without resorting to chemicals? I have a front loading machine and I use a castille soap/borax/washing soda mix. I also put baking soda in the rinse cycle and I soaked them before the second wash.Men! ;o)Thanks!Meredith Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can help with this. My boyfriend left a pile of laundry in a musty basement for over a year <rolling eyes>. I have rescued the pile and washed it twice already. It all still smells. yuk! Is there soemthing I can put in the water to get rid of that awful smell without resorting to chemicals? I have a front loading machine and I use a castille soap/borax/washing soda mix. I also put baking soda in the rinse cycle and I soaked them before the second wash. Men! ;o) Thanks! Meredith ************* Hi Meredith, In all likelihood, those clothes have mildew growing in them. Mildew is a living organism, so you have to kill it before you can deal with the smell....otherwise the smell will stay or keep coming back. Vinegar kills some mildews but not all....so if the clothes still smell, you might have some mildew still alive and kicking. Hydrogen Peroxide will kill it too(HP the active ingredient in OxyClean so you can use that if you have some or go get the cheaper HP at the store). I personally haven't tried this but tea tree oil is a fungicide. You could try using a very diluted amount in water. This fix is not cheap however and tea tree oil will leave a residual odor of it's own but will dissapate eventually. The sun is also a great killer of mildew, so I'd probably try a couple of these solutions plus hanging the clothing out in the sunshine for a day afterwards. After you've gotten rid of the mildew organisms, then wash in an odor neutralizer like baking soda/washing soda. As mildew is an organism it feeds. If those clothes have been exposed for a yr. to mildew, you may have some fabric dry rot, as they have been 'eating' those clothes. Make sure what you are washing is worth the effort and time & will be Clean AND wearable later. Aren't boyfriends the best?? ;-() HTH, sluggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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