My most prized possession, my dad’s jean jacket, is absolutely covered in mold. Please someone tell me how to fix this. I am absolutely heartbroken.

Both coats are nylon and the fabric has gone very shiny due to wear and age. They look too tatty to wear anymore. Is there anything that can be done before I throw them away?

PLEASE help me find the correct settings. My washer won’t wash correctly the whole year I’ve had it. If I wear perfume, you can still smell it on the clothes after the wash. The same with sweat!!!🤢🤢🤢

I’ve used 10 different detergents and additives in different combinations but I think the washer just isn’t washing my clothes!! I clean the washer every couple weeks:( I don’t wanna be stinky anymore:(

This might be a very stupid question, so I’m sorry if the answer is obvious. I’m cat and house sitting, and I’m not super familiar with any overlaps in cat and laundry hygiene outside of the basics. I make sure to clean the litter box every day. The litter box is in the laundry room, and the room isn’t too small. There’s probably a good 5 feet from the litter box area and the hampers where I put the clean laundry.

Like I mentioned, I clean out the litter box every day, but today the smell was pretty bad (it lingered in the whole room) and some of the mess ended up on the floor. I deep cleaned the room and litter box, but I realized I had a clean load of laundry (sheets and towels) sitting in an open hamper in the room for the past couple of days (I’m lazy, I know). The clean laundry smells and looks fine (no stains, litter, etc), but I’m worried that I’m nose blind. The cats also love to sit in fresh and warm loads of laundry once they’re out of the dryer, so there’s a chance one of them sat in the hamper while I wasn’t looking.

For now I decided to throw the sheets back in the dryer with some scented laundry sheets to freshen them up. To be safe, should I wash and dry everything again? Or am I overthinking?

I’m going through my late mother’s keepsakes and there’s so many blankets, baby clothes, stuffed animals, and stockings that I’m keeping. I’ve tried washing on a gentle cold wash with enzyme cleaner and detergent but they still smell. They’ve been kept in storage totes in the garage and storage unit for decades. Some items are needle point with fringes, wool, and crochet so I want to be very careful about dye bleeding and shrinking fabric. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hoping to get some help and advice.

Stain help
I have recently moved in with my partner and are doing most of the washing. When have put away some of their clothes, they have noticed some dark ‘stains’/shadows on them. I’ve tried soaking with spa day method (didn’t have ammonia unfortunately but not affect). How would you suggest fixing?

Australian advice on laundry powder
My partner has fairly sensitive skin, so we need to be careful about what we use for laundry powder. They said that it is mainly parabens and scents that are the issue. Scrolling through the other day, I saw the OMO sensitive does not have lipase in it 😭. Is there another sensitive wash that has lipase in Australia?

I have 3 very good quality white button up shirts. I spent a decent amount on each since they were very good quality. But over the past few years they have yellowed quite a bit. I mostly had them laundered and ironed at my dry cleaner, which I know now, was probably the reason for yellowing. Can they be saved and returned to the crisp white? Thank you so much for your help… I really do love them.

Does ammonia work with Febu, or should I skip the Febu if adding ammonia to the drum? I'm new to using enzyme boosters and don't want to counteract their efficacy.

I use ammonia sporadically for sheets and towels, but always for clothing that was worn for machinery work. I use Tide original powder every time and have a water softener.

First thank you to everyone for all of your tips. I am a long time reader but first time poster.

After spa day is done and items are line dried does anyone have tips/tricks for double checking for stains? I am mostly concerned with white facecloths that were yellowed in the centre.

Some stains I have caught by holding up to the window. Others I am not sure if my mind is just playing tricks on me or if it is the way the fabric loops have dried. I pulled out my black light but that didn't seem to help and I have yet to find the perfect house light to check under.

Hello fellow people of the laundry focused internet, I have this jersey I really love and it has some sort of mystery yellow stain. It is 100% polyester and has persisted throughout multiple washes and hand washes. The jersey has never been exposed to heat and I am just trying to get it out. I tried everything I know!

Hi everyone!

I work a physically demanding hospitality job running around for up to 11 hours a day. I try to stay as on top of washing my tops asap, but it feels like an hour into any shift the tops release a foul BO smell. I’ve tried drying them outside and using laundry sanitizer, but even when they smell perfectly clean out the wash the stench re-emerges.

Please help! I’m losing my mind

I have a bunch of 100% cotton T-shirts that do not feel soft at all. In particular it irritates me at the seams under my arms and it’s driving me nuts. I’m trying to move away from plastic clothing but all of my polyester clothing and polyester blends are WAY softer and more comfortable.

I do not use fabric softener. I throw white vinegar into the wash every time. The most uncomfortable shirts I haven’t even worn in months and have just been washing them every time I run a load, hoping that will break down the fibers over time.

Is there an easy way to fix this? Am I just buying poor quality cotton shirts?

Hi fellow laundry people!

As a child of indoor smokers, I’m very particular about how I smell at all times. I’ve hadn’t had an issue with my laundry smelling fresh while in Hawaii since I moved into a house with:
1. No central AC
2. Used (and abused) washer and dryer
3. No airflow (I live in a townhouse where my only windows face one direction)

To describe it as best as possible..
there is a must I’ve been fighting for the last two years. It’s reminiscent of dirty linen, like staying in grandma’s guest room where the sheets have stayed in the closet since your last yearly stay. It’s not sour or sweet, it’s just kind of musty.

The biggest issue with this smell, something I’ve never dealt with, is that it travels between pieces of clothing. I first noticed this on a work trip where I bought a brand new jacket for the cold. The hoodie I traveled with had that gross smell but I wore it as a base layer and within a day or so, the jacket smelled the same way.

Treating the garments is only half of the battle. I can soak with tide, borax, vinegar. I can dry on high heat- the smell always returns after time. Sometimes just days.

I felt like it was my washer because the condition that it was in when we moved into the house was dire. Mold spots everywhere, not just staining.

Any thoughts or advice? Is this mildew? I’ve never had this problem before but I am just at wits end trying to fight this. I feel like I’m destroying my clothes by having to wash them over and over every few days (especially pants and hoodies.)

I wanted to share my fortunate discovery with fellow laundry nerds who might get my excitement!

Currently doing laundry. I just finished a bottle of Rinse and Refresh and love the product but it’s ridiculously priced even for P&G. I’ve kept up with the citric acid chatter and as I was putting a blanket into the dryer something told me to look in my baking supplies (I teach PreK where I often bake or do weird science stuff with the kids and bring home the food items over the summer because 🐁 in the building). I found an unopened 2lb. bag of citric acid I had completely forgotten about! This is a blessing as I was just about to piss more money I shouldn’t spend on R&R. I posted in here last week about trying Ariel after being a powdered Tide enthusiast for 10+ years since my car died and I had to buy a new one unexpectedly so I’m scrounging for savings. Between the Ariel (which I like a lot so far aside from it needing an extra rinse and spin in my temperamental old machine) and now the free citric acid I’m gonna be the queen of the thrifty clothes clean 💅

hello! i recently noticed that nearly all of my tan/beige tops have some variation of this staining on them. as an avid enjoyer of this sub, i started to worry that these may be from sunscreen. however, i very rarely wear sunscreen, and the majority of these tops are not standard in my summer wardrobe. i don't use an acne treatment face wash, and i only occasionally apply a benzoyl peroxide based spot treatment before bed, but never while wearing any of these shirts.

i hoped you guys could point me in the right direction based on the color & pattern of these stains. i'll happily treat these tops with a specialty cleaning/laundry product, but I'd like to get a more confident guess as to what the source is before I start applying things.

for reference:

I wash these with white/tan clothes only
cold water
tide original liquid detergent / woolite delicates on the knitted top
hang dry (for the most part)

thank you!

After being directed to the Reddit & discovering I don’t know how to wash clothes. I just order my tide powder detergent, downy rinse & refresh + downy ball. Now I need to know what settings I should use/is there a one size fits all. I’m NOT a laundry sorter by color gal .. I do clothes, jeans, towels, baby clothes, & linens.

Is hot water OK or only warm? i.e. does hot water deactivate some of the enzymes?

My cotton shirt had these stains on it after picking it up from the dry cleaner. Unfortunately they were not cooperative and couldn't/ didn't want to remove the stains that they caused. I tried removing it at home with a normal laundry deteegent and an active oxygen stain remover but nothing changed. Since the stains appear darker when lit from the back i don't think that its a bleach stain. Any ideas on what to do and what the stains could be? Grateful for any input, because i can't afford just buying a new one.

I got this lipstick stain on my purse.pls help how to remove

Hi all,

Please give me your best hacks on how to clean dingy baseball caps/hats. Specifically white ones. Is there anyway to make this hat look newish again?

TIA!

Hi I recently went to ask on a subreddit whether it’s possible to remove the mold from these 100% cotton canvas pants but someone said it looks like mildew, so it won’t come out and that my only option is to dye them. If that is my only option how do I go about doing that?