Laundry Clean Smell?

Hi, I know what you're talking about. I found that when I use bleach along with detergent and then fabric softner(especially liquid) the clothes smell fresher. So I think it's the bleach that freshens them up. I haven't tried the color safe bleach yet to try it on my colors. I just asked this question to my sister-in law because I could smell her clothes when she came over. She said she uses both the liquid fabric softner(downey)and the sheets(bounce)on the same load. She said thats how her grandma did it. I haven't tried it yet. Hope it works.

I use Vinegar rather than any fabric softener. I had issues with my towels smelling like mildew and started using vinegar in the rinse cycle. All you need is about 1/2 cup per load and your clothes are more fresh and bright. There is a really cool website for all things you can use with Vinegar. www.vinegartips.com

I switched from some of my favorites over to the Downy dryer sheets. My sister swears by bounce, and my mother likes the ALL fresh rain. I think I used downy because it is the strongest fragrance.
However, to keep the closet fresh, and the clothes yummy, hang some dryer sheets in your closet or put them in your drawer and change them out every few weeks. Also, a spritz of febreeze or your regular perfume (on your clothing) even if hanging in the closet will keep them fresh.
Hope this helps!

Oh how I appreciate all the people who responded in the negative regarding the 'perfume' smells of detergents. I have had a lot of problems over the years working with children whose parents swear by Tide...and for a while that seemed to be THE most popular detergent. It wasn't so bad when a person used it sparingly and the clothing was well rinsed, but I actually had to keep away from some children because their clothing had so much Tide residue in them. (This was not good when a child was needing to be held and given attention, but I couldn't do it because I got sick from the detergent smell).
Anyway, I do agree with the majority of opinions that a 'clean' smell is really when there is no smell. Of the suggestions given, I find adding Borax to whatever you're using is likely to be the most effective solution. Another good one, if you can do it, is to partially dry your clothing in the dryer for softness, then hang them on a line in the sun to finish drying. There is really no smell better, in my opinion, than fresh sun and breeze dried clothing. Even if you do this only once a month, it would help your clothing smell better the rest of the time.

Cel,
I'm going to let you in on my secret and it works everytime. Depending on what your favorite scent of detergent is you also have to buy the same scent in liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets.

This is what I used to use Tide Clean Breeze Liquid Detergent,
Downy Liquid and Dryer Sheets in Clean Breeze scent. It leaves a stronger scent longer on your clothes as they lay in drawers or hang in closets.

I have since changed because my boyfriend said the scent was too strong for him. So the new combination I created makes him smile when he smells my laundry. It's as follows 2x Ultra Tide Liquid in the pure essentials with baking soda line the scent is White lilac scent. Liquid fabric softener I use Ultra Downy pure essentials scent aloe and White Lilac scent and Dryer Sheets I use Bounce pute essentials aloe and White Lilac scent. This leaves a soft flowery scent that lingers a long time.

With either one of my secret recipes you don't need to use Febreeze to refreshen your clothes. Also if you have heavier fabrics or for towels and sheets use 2 dryer sheets. By using fabric softener in both the washer and dryer you are infusing your clothes with the scent and they make your clothes and other things feel softer to the touch. I don't settle for generics since I've found these.

Also very important don't overdry your laundry it leaves a scorched scent on the fabrics that you can't get out until the next time you wash. And make sure you dry only on the temp required to dry the laundry sometimes I will take my laundty out while it is slightly damp not dripping or wet. Just slightly damp it prevents you from overdrying and you can always hang items up for a few minutes this way you can enjoy the smell of your clean laundry in the house too.

Let me know if this helps I would love to hear if you try this and how you like it. You can always smell what the scent is at the store before you purchase. Just don't mix scents it will not smell very good.

Good Luck Cel.

You do not say if the clothes smell yukky. If they do (and you can't wash them in warm) I suggest a few things. First, only water removes odor. Do NOT wash your towels and washclothes with any thing else. They can be washed in warm, and dried on hot. You can add a little bit if PINE Sol (and it must be pine) to loads but they must be washed twice. This disinfects the load (that old towel musty smell).
Wash sheets and pillowcases separately too.
Now here's a good trick! Ready? IF YOU USE DRYER SHEETS, take your dryer lint trap out, take it to the sink and wash it gently in hot soapy water with a toothbrush. Let it dry. When you replace it, you will find it works again. The wax buildup from dryer sheets can make the filter ineffective, and also overheat your dryer. The buildup is invisible. But could be trapping the smell you want,etc. I actually have reactions to detergents and cannot use strong scents, but you seem to like them. Just remember the smell you like can actually be a mask/deodorant. Good luck!

We use MelaPower by Melaleuca and LOVE it. There is no overwhelming scent, just the absence of the yuck, so it just smells fresh. Let me know if you want to hear more about it. It's the best thing we've done for our skin in this house, too!

Hi Cel
I always use 2 or 3 sheets in the dryer and the clothes smell good for a while Good luck D. Mother of 4

Cel,
The absence of bad smells is basically a clean smell. The chemicals in detergent that create the "clean" smell aren't terribly good for you (for example, they can contribute to yeast infections and cause problems for people w/ chemical sensitivities). Maybe a sachet in your clothing drawer with dried lavander would be an acceptable alternative for you if you really feel that your clothing needs to smell perfumed. If you really like the chemical smells, I suppose you could spray Febreeze on your clothes periodically, but personally, that smell gives me a headache!

I guess I'm a bit confused. Is it the perfume smell you're looking for, or clean clothes? Gain is loaded with perfume.

I use BioKleen detergent with grapefruit extract (it's lightly scented) and I add borax to the load. Borax seems to improve the freshness and cleanliness of my clothes. They are not perfumed, but they smell clean and that's what I look for in clothes.

Actually a clean smell, is no smell. All the perfumes that are added can be harmful to your skin, especially for young children. If you add more fabric softener sheets, it will leave your clothes smelling stronger, but it will also leave them with a dingy residue on them. As long as they are not smelling bad, I wouldn't change anything.

Febreeze softener smells good. My neighbors kids always smell like it...because the mom uses it.
I never use the dryer(except for minimal dry to get clothes wrinkles out of fancy clothes). We have two clotheslines. I hang the clothes and they dry quickly....in 1-2 hours. They smell FRESH!

Hi Cel,

Try using a different laundry soap. I used to have the same problem with our towels smelling like sweat after washing them. I recently switch to "cheer", it's a little bit expensive than Gain but it's worth spending your money for a cleaner and fresher smell. I also used "Suavatel" (blue color)as a fabric softener and leaves our clothes smelling so fresh for days and up to weeks. I hope this will give you a different ideas and insight.

C.