Unfortunately, there are a number of reasons why your clothes can smell over time:
1. Material type
Certain types of textiles and materials are more likely to lock in odours due to their porous nature. The main offender tends to be polyester so opt for a fabric like cotton, which is more breathable.
2. Sweat
Clothes are exposed to body odour, which can get trapped in the fibres. Bacteria then break down the enzymes in body odour, which is what produces that funky smell.
3. Exposure to the environment
Naturally, your clothes go wherever you go –which means they’re exposed to all sorts of things like food, pollution and bacteria that you collect during the day. A wash with Vanish Gold Oxi Advance Pink Gel and detergent will help to make your laundry smell good for another adventure.
4. Forgetting to take it out of the washing machine
Leaving wet or partially dried washing in the machine can encourage bacteria to grow in the warm, damp machine. This can leave your clothes with a musty smell that can stick around until you give them another wash.
5. Overloading the machine
Stuffing too many items of clothes in one wash can mean that clothes don’t get cleaned properly. There won’t be enough room for the clothes to move around in the machine, and there may not be enough detergent or water for an effective wash.
6. A smelly washing machine
Unfortunately, washing machines are not self-cleaning, and do require a bit of TLC on your behalf. The warm, moist washing machine is the perfect environment for mould to grow. Plus, the dirt and grime on your clothes could end up stuck in your machine, and then transfer onto clothes in your next wash.