How can I clean my husband's smelly work clothes in 1 laundry cycle?
by
Jane
+8
Hi. My husband and I live in an apartment and the coin-operated washing/drying machines are a floor above us. My husband works outside and comes home wearing filthy/sweaty jeans, socks, shirt, and underwear. I have him place his black jeans in one garbage bag and the other clothes in a similar type bag. I do laundry twice a week and when I open the bags, they smell something like ammonia.
I have to pre-wash his jeans in the sink to get out some of the dirt and the smell. In an attempt to reduce costs, I then wash his jeans with our towels and his clothes with my clothes. Sometimes I have to wash the clothes twice to get the odor out.
I'm wondering if there's a better way to get the odor out so that I don't have to wash the clothes twice or if there's a better way to tackle all of this. As I mentioned, I live in an apartment. Therefore, putting clothes out on the patio is not an option.
Thanks for your replies!
Jane
P.S. I make my own laundry detergent which I found on this site using Borax, Dawn, and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.
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This is when you need to buy commercial laundry detergent. LIke TIDE. Add in a little 20 mule team borax and some baking soda.
Borax is a great additive. As far as the smell, check out Odo-Ban. I'm wondering why you wouldn't wash all his clothes together. My husband is similar and I have a laundry basket for his work clothes only. I wash his jeans, shirts, socks, & underwear together with a cup of Borax to boost the detergent.
I think the garbage bag may be increasing the potency of the smell. You can put in an open item as well as using Odo-Ban to eliminate the smell in the basket.
Maybe get a big bucket with a lid, like the old nappy buckets. Soak the clothes in the bucket with pre soak powder and keep the lid on. Even change out the water on days you dont wash.
Wash his clothes separate. That way your clothes and towels are not getting extra wear and tear. A weeks worth of jeans surely fills a washer. I feel for you, as it can't be easy having to pay horrendous sums of money every week.
You could try some of the laundry detergents mentioned in this guide: https://www.hometalk.com/diy/product-reviews/best-laundry-detergents-for-odors-44476687