Comments on: How to Remove Musty Odor from Jeans

By: Bobbie Laughman

Bobbie Laughman — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:46:45 +0000

@Hellotoyou Arm & Hammer is a brand name in the U.S. Theirs is the most common brand of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, chemical formula NaHCO3), which seems what Tara is suggesting in her comment.

Arm & Hammer also sells washing soda (sodium carbonate, chemical formula Na2CO3), which many use in conjunction with their laundry detergent as a booster, to help the detergent work better.

By: Hellotoyou

Hellotoyou — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:35:59 +0000

What exactly is Arm & Hammer? Will they have it in New Zealand?

By: I’m All Alone with my Musty Drawers : Home Ec 101

I’m All Alone with my Musty Drawers : Home Ec 101 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:01:12 +0000

[...] If you need help getting the funk out of your pants, we’ve talked about that before. [...]

By: Fighting the mold monster « Fawnahareo’s Place

Fighting the mold monster « Fawnahareo’s Place — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:06:38 +0000

[...] I read this post on the Home Ec 101 blog. I had never ever heard that front-load washing machines are prone to [...]

By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:32:59 +0000

Add 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer (generic is fine!) to the wash with the laundry soap, and wash at the highest temp the jeans will take.

I’ve gotten an amazing array of difficult nasty smells out of fabric this way. Cooking grease smells from a fast-food job, cat urine, etc etc… gets all of it out. Feel free to add up to a cup per load.

And yes I just always tumbled dry – just do a scent-check first, and re-wash w/ A&H + soap if the smell is not gone.

By: Mom of three

Mom of three — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:53:35 +0000

I’ve had the best luck with the vinegar in my towels and they are now fluffier and softer as well.
I have a new front loader and am using vinegar in all the towels. Am seriously moving to all vinegar rinse, and using no fabric softener from what I am reading online. I don’t care for the smell of vinegar, but it’s far better than that musty smell, or the sour smell little kids clothes can sometimes get.

I disagree about drying getting rid of the musty smell though. I dry everything and our towels had that smell from the old washer. The drier just sets the smell in, but I have managed to reclaim all our towels from the musty smell since we got the new washer and using vinegar.

By: April@ SALT for the Spirit

April@ SALT for the Spirit — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:44:34 +0000

We have this problem frequently because my husband is usually in charge of laundry (I take care of dishes — it was a premarital agreement and it works for us, usually) and he has no olfactory nerve. Literally. TMI?

Anyway, a cup of ammonia added to the wash cycle works well. The other thing is — I don’t know if you dry your jeans in the dryer, but that is generally necessary to kill any musty smell, in my experience. Once gone, it’s ok to air-dry, but the heat of the dryer leaves no chance for the must to form!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:39:37 +0000

You might want to try Febreze for the wash (NOT the spray bottle stuff). It comes in a bright blue bottle. I can only get it at Walmart. Works great for truly stanky clothes.

Alternately, try hanging these outside in bright sunshine. Best way to get rid of mildew is to let the sunshine kill it off. Has to be outside – windows block those UV rays that you want to take advantage of here.