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Laundry stinks. I mean really it stinks.
Not only is it a task that the overwhelming majority of us
don't like to do, but it actually can physically, literally stink.
There are several reasons why our clothing might not come out
smelling as fresh as a flowering meadow or a baby's bottom.
So today we're going to learn about why our laundry might stink,
how to fix that stink, and of course how to prevent the stink.
First let's figure out why this could even be happening.
There are four major sources of laundry stank and here they are.
First, your clothes didn't dry properly.
This can happen when you overpack your machine and your dyer didn't dry
all your garments well enough, or you just didn't run a long enough cycle.
Then you folded them, you put them away while they were still damp,
and they got musty. Now towels are the most susceptible
to this happening, obviously because they're the thickest.
Number 2, you are laundering damp and moldy things to begin with,
like towels or dish towels. So to fix this you just
need to let those air dry before you wash them,
or else they'll stink everything else up.
Number 3, you left wet garments in the wash for too long, and mildew formed
in the dark, damp environment of your washing machine,
which nestled in your cloths and now your clothes reek.
I'd say this is a very common, universal mishap that we all experience,
including me, and I've got a fix for that in a moment.
And number 4, your machine hasn't been cleaned in a while and stinks itself,
and that can make your laundry smell.
Aside from the answers to the laundry quandaries we just covered,
which I'll get to in a moment, here's what you can do to remove
that terrible smell from your clothing:
Number 1, go on a laundry rescue mission. Re-launder a smelly load in vinegar only,
two or three times if needed. All you have to do is add a cup
of vinegar and run through the cycle in the hottest water your load can handle.
You can add detergent if you like, but I think it's wasteful.
Since the clothes are already cleaned, you're just dealing with mildew here,
and the vinegar will fight the odor.
If the smell is like treacherous, consider soaking the load
in one cup of vinegar per gallon of water overnight.
You can do this that big laundry basin in your laundry room,
and then you can just re-launder that load in vinegar only,
just like I mentioned a moment ago.
And to remove mildew from clothing, this is going to sound weird,
but soak in buttermilk overnight and then launder as usual.
And of course, since I want all of your clothes to smell amazing all of the time,
here's how to prevent all of this from happening in the future.
Add five drops of lavender essential oil to your detergent before washing.
So once you pour it in, put in five dashes, close it and you're good to go.
Lavender prevents mildew from developing,
so it's kind of like buying some extra insurance
against forgetting about that load of laundry.
Next, clean your machine regularly. And if you don't know how to do that,
you can watch our video, which I will link down below,
on how to do that and remember to always leave the machine door open.
I also wipe down the door, the gasket, and the tumbler
of my washing machine after each use. I know it sounds like a lot of work,
but my machine looks like it's brand new.
Don't overstuff your machine, and when you dry things, dry them.
Make sure that there's no moisture at all.
Go for smaller loads if this is an issue for you,
or you can even hang your garments to dry overnight.
Now to ensure that there's no moisture left,
hold up the clean garment to your mouth and just breathe in.
If you sense moisture, your clothes aren't dry enough yet.
If you want your clothes to smell great coming out of the dryer,
just add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to your dryer ball,
or add a few drops of them to an unscented dryer sheet,
throw that in the dryer, spin it, and voila fresh smelling clothes.
Now that you're going to rule at laundry, tell me CMS nation,
what's your biggest laundry quandary?
Laundry is a hot topic around here, and we are going to spend
more time talking about it. So please share with us
in the comments down below. There's also a button down there
that lets me know that you care. So click it if you liked this video,
and click this button right here, right on top of this
smelly, old pile of laundry, to subscribe and begin
your journey to a cleaner life.
Thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you next time.
Just so you know how serious we are about laundry, Kevin is actually
coming by and starting to knock down everything in our laundry room
to prepare it for doing a lot more laundry videos.
So your questions really are important.
Please leave them down below so that we actually have
something to talk about when we get that new laundry room.
Thanks guys, and we'll see you next week.
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