There’s a particular disappointment in picking up a T-shirt from the laundry basket and realising it smells even worse than when you put it in there. The same can happen with towels, gym kit or that pile of clothes you’ve been meaning to put on a wash all week. It’s easy to assume the smell is just part of having dirty laundry around, but it could be a sign that something in your usual routine is making the problem worse.
Most of us barely spare a thought for our laundry baskets. They’re simply a holding place for clothes before wash day, so it’s easy to overlook how we use them. But one common habit can leave laundry smelling unpleasant far sooner than you’d expect. Here’s how to spot it, and what to do instead.
What’s the laundry basket mistake?
The mistake is simply putting damp or sweaty clothes straight into the laundry basket, especially if they’re bundled together in a closed or overfilled hamper. Wet towels, gym kit and clothes you’ve worn in the rain are the usual culprits. They may seem like just another item waiting for wash day, but they bring moisture and, in the case of sweaty clothes, pungent odours with them.
It might seem harmless, chucking your face cloth into the basket on your way to bed. But the unchecked dampness, condensed in that enclosed space, can have some seriously smelly long-term impacts on your whole wardrobe.
The smell can become harder to shift the longer it lingers in the fabric. Sweat, skin oils and bacteria can build up in clothing fibres, and bacteria can form layers that are difficult to remove with just a conventional wash. So you may find you wash an item, put it on again and find that the stale, musty smell returns, particularly when the fabric gets warm or damp.
So which clothes should you keep out of the basket?
- Wet towels, flannels and face cloths
- Sweaty gym kit and sportswear
- Damp socks or clothes caught in the rain
- Anything you’ve taken off while still wet from sweat
What to do instead
- Let damp items dry before they join the pile. Hang wet towels over the bath or spread them over an airer until they’re dry, then put them in the basket. It may feel like creating an extra step, but it’s easier than re-washing a whole load that’s picked up a musty, foul smell.
- Give sweaty kit room to breathe. Don’t leave gym clothes rolled into a ball at the bottom of a bag or basket. Turn them inside-out and spread them over an airer so the dampest parts can dry properly. If you can, pop them straight in the machine or wash them as soon as you can.
- Let air circulate around the laundry. A tightly packed basket with a lid can trap damp air, so avoid cramming clothes in or sealing them away while they’re still wet. Choose a basket with ventilation, or leave the lid off and keep the pile loose. Make sure you’ve got your laundry day routine down so that the basket never has to get that full in the first place.
What to do if your clothes already smell musty
If you’ve already made the mistake, don’t just add more detergent and hope for the best, we’ve got some tips on how to get musty, damp smells out of your clothes. Whether you’ve left wet clothes in the drum for too long, or made the above laundry basket mistake, these tips should do the trick.
- Choose the worst-smelling items. Start with a few problem pieces rather than treating your whole wardrobe. Check each care label first, especially if an item is delicate or needs dry cleaning.
- Pre-treat the smelliest areas. Work a little liquid detergent or enzyme gel into areas that hold on to sweat and dampness, such as underarms, collars and waistbands.
- Give washable items a soak. Soak everyday clothes in warm water with a suitable detergent for around 30 minutes before washing as normal. More heavily used or bulkier items may need longer, but check the care label and avoid lengthy soaks for delicate fabrics.
- Wash them properly. Put the items straight into the machine after soaking. Use the cycle recommended for the fabric, measure the detergent according to the instructions and leave enough room for clothes to move around in the drum.
- Dry everything thoroughly. Move the load out of the machine as soon as the cycle ends. Spread items out to dry, and check that thick seams, cuffs and waistbands are fully dry before putting them away.
- Check the machine if the smell keeps coming back. If the odour persists and you know you’ve stopped your bad laundry basket habit, sometimes the smell can be coming from within. Clean the detergent drawer and rubber seal of your washing machine, then run an empty hot cycle that’s safe for your model. A musty washer can leave clean clothes smelling off, so it’s good to give it a regular tune-up every now and again.
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