Laundry tips: Why your clean clothes start stinking again while wearing them and how to fix it

Whether your clothes are freshly laundered or have been worn once or twice, a quick sniff is what most of us use to check the garment is OK to wear.

But if you’ve ever popped a fresh-smelling item on only to notice the unmistakable scent of body odour emerging later on and wondered why, we finally have an answer.

It turns out it’s not you who stinks, but something called “odour rebloom”, according to dry cleaner Zach Pozniak.

Watch the video above.

READ MORE: Clothing item you should only be washing once a year

“It happens when the bacteria on your garment – yes, bacteria causes that BO smell, not you – reactivates when your body heats up the fabric,” he explained in a TikTok video.

“To fix that we need to remove the trapped sweat and body oil, which is what this malodour-causing bacteria loves to eat.”

The New York-based dry cleaner recommends several simple tips to fix the problem, starting with not using fabric softener.

Tips and hacks that’ll make doing laundry less of a chore

Fabric softener can leave a residue on clothes that can trap smells, so instead of giving your clothes a nice fragrance over time they can lead to bad odours.

Pozniak’s next tip is to add powdered boosters to your washing machine such as baking soda (bi-carb soda), washing soda, borax or sodium percarbonate.

These washing boosters make detergent work more effectively. In addition, baking soda and washing soda are known to neutralise odours.

READ MORE: Nine hacks to try if you hate folding the laundry and need motivation

Another tip is to use hotter water, which isn’t something you’d do for every wash but if you have items that are particularly soiled or stinky it can help on those occasions.

The fourth-generation dry cleaner also recommends using vinegar during the rinse cycle. Vinegar has a softening and odour neutralising effect that makes it a good, and cheap, alternative to fabric softener.

READ MORE: The beverage that will keep your puffer jacket clean all winter

You could also change your detergent to a higher performing one or a detergent that is focused on odour removal.

The final tip is to “pretreat smelly areas with an enzyme based product. For best results let that pretreatment sit on the stain for at least an hour.”

Pozniak added, “You obviously shouldn’t do all of these but I wanted to give you options. I hope this helps.”

READ MORE: Which Hoka shoe is right for you?

Those who watched the video shared their own experiences and vinegar seemed to be the most effective and popular option.

“Just from not using fabric softener my clothes smell 10 times better and my dryer works better as well,” one said.

“I was doing all of those and nothing helped. the only thing that helped was a soak in a bucket with high strength cleaning ingredients vinegar and water for 20 mins. saw the old underarm marks melting off with caked deodorant disintegrating,” a TikToker wrote.

“Since switching to vinegar in rinse cycle I’ve rarely had this issue but used to have this issue all the time. Same with towels. It drove me crazy. I don’t use anything in towel rinse cycle to keep them more absorbing,” another said.

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Some who watched the video recognised that this is what happens to their workout clothes.

“Is this why ‘dri fit’ clothing makes me stink!?” one asked to which Pozniak replied, “Yes polyester holds onto oils much more than cotton.”

To help with that, another TikToker shared their own advice: “Laundry sanitizer on my gym clothes always.”

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.