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Thread: Smelly clothes

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kanga View Post
    Oooo, the life of a SAHP
    We are a glamorous bunch.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by victoria24 View Post
    I'm awaiting dot cotton and mr opodopolous to clear this one up

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by newarrival View Post
    That is right- it is about the suds.., .
    It certainly is! The tumbling action of a front loader washing machine creates more suds, whilst top loader powder and liquid needs more additives to do this. When we first arrived I made the mistake of putting top loading washing liquid in my front loader...it took a couple of hours to remove all the bubbles from the laundry room, and 2 days before my washing machine had dried out enough to start using normally again.

    The smell problem with clothes is due to both bacteria and mould spores, which are endemic in the environment, especially in more humid areas. This problem is not unique to NZ, but the humid climate and the poorly heated and insulated houses here exaccerbate the problem.

    If clothes don't dry quickly enough because the air is still or the humidity is high, this means that the mould spores begin to multiply and causes clothes to smell...which causes havoc for those of us who are allergic to mould spores. In centrally heated houses, convection currents of air are created as heat moves from the heat source, such as radiators, to the surrounding air. This air movement/circulation reduces humid spots and dries clothes as well as preventing moisture retention in carpets, bedding and soft furnishings. In non-uniformly heated NZ houses it is common to get damper areas in homes in cooler weather, and fabrics/carpets around houses retain more moisture from the atmosphere.

    Washing machines will eventually get a built up of mould spores (in the unseen parts of the drum) unless they are cleaned regularly, with white vinigar or similar, as already suggested. Leaving the washing machine door open when it's not being used will reduce the rate of mould build up, but the effectiveness of this will of course depend upon the relative humidty, temperature and air circulation of the room in which the washing machine is located. Build up of lint around the rubber seals etc will also precipitate mould build up.

    Personally I much prefer to hang my clothes out to dry, but in spring and autumn they will always be put through the tumble-dryer for 20 minutes at the end of the day to finish off because heavier fabrics and seams don't get completely dry, and will begin to smell quickly if they get put away straight from the washing line. In winter, it is so humid in Auckland that I have found clothes will still be wet 2 days later if they are hung to dry (indoors or out) and they will end up stinking and causing me serious skin problems, so we use the tumble-dryer for everything and generally avoid wearing anything that can't be tumble-dried, apart from some wool items (wool is somewhat resistant to mould and bacterial build up, if treated carefully). This was less of an issue when we lived in Canterbury due to the drying Nor-wester winds, although we still needed to use the tumble-dryer during winter. Once a garment starts to get smelly, it will happen again and again....so preventative action is required. The only solution I've found (I can't use biological washing detergents due to eczema & asthma) is to soak clothes in dilute white vinegar or leave stuff out in blazing sunshine for a couple of days during mid-summer.

  4. #34
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    Does your washer drum smell?? If so just put empty drum on a the hottest wash available to kill bacteria...might help.

  5. #35
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    The washer drum doesn't smell but I will run it on an empty, high-temp wash tonight anyway. I don't have any white vinegar but will get some for next time. I always leave the door open when not in use and it's in the garage so plenty of air circulation. Plus we're in Welly so not as humid.

    I have definitely found that an extra rinse is improving the situation. So thanks all for that tip.

    We never had any problems like this in the UK or US but we lived in centrally-heated homes then, and FamilyofMonkeys has described why that helps. Maybe in winter I'll move our indoor clothes drying to the living area as this is where the heat pump is.

    It is comforting to hear I'm not the only one who's suffered from this. I must admit I was a little embarrassed to post this but it sounds like it's a common problem.

  6. #36
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    Manks- you'll make your heat pump work twice as hard if you start asking it to dry washing too as the air will become moist. Instead invest in a dehumidifier and stick your washing in a small room overnight with one running- should do the trick! I have a very sunny room (northfacing) that the airers go into in winter and over night I put the dehumidifier between them. Unless of course I have the log fire chunking away ... it's a full time job doing laundry in NZ, no wonder I don't work

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kanga View Post
    it's a full time job doing laundry in NZ, no wonder I don't work
    I end up saying that to my OH each winter!

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kanga View Post
    Manks- you'll make your heat pump work twice as hard if you start asking it to dry washing too as the air will become moist. Instead invest in a dehumidifier and stick your washing in a small room overnight with one running- should do the trick! I have a very sunny room (northfacing) that the airers go into in winter and over night I put the dehumidifier between them. Unless of course I have the log fire chunking away ... it's a full time job doing laundry in NZ, no wonder I don't work
    All of our rooms are north facing so they are in the spare bedroom with a dehumidifier and the door shut when I can't dry them outside. At the weekend I had some clothes on the line that didn't dry fully. So I did this with them and they were dry by morning.

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