Can't Get Smell Out of Child's Blanket

Updated on July 31, 2009
D.F. asks from New Orleans, LA
27 answers

My son sucks on his blanket at night and I can't seem to get out this old musty smell it's taken on. It's really gross after just one or two days worth of naps and night time sleep. I wash it in All and liquid oxyclean and it still smells out of the washer. I use the dye-free perfume-free versions of both and so I don't have a perfumed laundry scent to cover it up. I would rather avoid that if possible. To complicate things, the blanket is hand knitted by his grammy and is one of a kind. I don't want to ruin it! Anyone know if bleach would harm the blanket? Baking Soda? Other suggestions? I need something I can use to wash it at least 1-2 times a week. Thanks so much!

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S.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I agree with the vinegar suggestion. Vinegar might sell like a salad bar at first, but there are no lingering smells. It gets out stale laundry smells when I've left them sitting in the washer too long. Amazing. AND cheap!

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T.G.

answers from Oklahoma City on

If vinegar doesn't work, try Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator. It is very expensive at around $9 a bottle, but has never failed me!

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G.B.

answers from Tulsa on

I use bleach, in small amounts, for lots of stuff. If you put it in the wsh with the blanket ustrt by usingjust a small splash. If it does okay then remember how much you used. If it needs more then experiment until you can't smell the odor anymore. I would think it wasn't getting clean if it still smells. Bleach will sanitize it. The Health Department recommends 1 Tablespoon per gllon of water for dishes in the rinse.

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C.I.

answers from Fort Smith on

My 9 year old has the same issue. She has sucked/chewed on a blanket since she was an infant. She has actually "eaten" two blankets. Try soaking the blanket with vinegar before you put it in the wash. We use the scent/dye free stuff and vinegar seems to do the trick. Another thing you may want to do (form my experiences)is to see if it wouldn't be to much truoble for grammy to knit another one that is as similar as possible (if not an exact twin). That way it won't be out of service while you are washing it and if he ever gets sick on it at night, you can give him the spare. That will also slow down the wear and tear if you switch them out. She will likely be honored that the blanket is that special to him.

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S.J.

answers from Tulsa on

I would try baking soda - it always works wonders on odors. I don't know if you soak it first in just baking soda and then wash, or add baking soda to the wash or what, but definately get it in there somehow! Oh yeah, I forgot about vinegar! That works wonders too! And the vinegar smell doesn't linger.

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G.N.

answers from Little Rock on

have you tried adding a half cup of white vinegar to the wash and washing it in hot water? maybe let it soak a while in the washer before u run it also. hope this helps :)

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G.A.

answers from Biloxi on

Vinegar in the wash and hang out in direct sunlight to dry....

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A.D.

answers from Pine Bluff on

I'm so glad to see that I'm not alone with a blanket-sucker! My DD was tongue-tied (we had the outpatient tongue "clipping" at 9 mo.) and wasn't able to hold a pacifier in. My mom just happened to find this cute blanket when DD was about 5 mo. old. We had NO idea she would sub the tassels (she calls them "sucks" LOL) for a passie! She's 6yo now and will occasionally suck on hers but a LOT less frequently, and we just don't make an issue of it.

I wash mine in hot water, to help get any 'sucky' germs out! I will be sure and remember the suggestions to use vinegar!

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C.O.

answers from Tulsa on

I would definitely wash it in vinegar like all the other ladies said but another thing is to dry it outside in direct sunlight. I recieved some stuff from my mother in law that was moldy and covered in cigarette smoke. I washed it and it didn't get it all but I hung it in the sun for about 4 days and it took all the mildew out and smoke smell.

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M.B.

answers from Fayetteville on

Use white vinegar. I use it in every load of whites (socks and underwear) and towels to keep them fresh and take any smell out. I use about 1 cup per load of laundry. I put it in the rinse cycle.

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C.G.

answers from Huntsville on

I'd try soaking it in a mixture of your detergent and white vinegar. Then hang it outside to dry in the sun (for only about an Hour-so it won't fade).
I have to hang out my husband's hiking socks for a couple of days to get the foot smell out and it always works.
Hope this helps.
C.

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P.L.

answers from Fort Smith on

You need to have more than just one blanket for your child. Smells build up over continued use and time. I read that Tomato Juice gets rid of odors well. try soaking the blanket in a bucket of water and tomato juice.

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P.T.

answers from Little Rock on

The Baking Soda that you buy in the detergeant isle works GREAT!!! I use it in my towels also & it's great!!

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S.W.

answers from Alexandria on

Try adding some white vinegar to the wash. I use it for colors as well as whites and it really works!

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S.K.

answers from Shreveport on

Pour a cup of white vinegar in with your washing detergent. It always gets smells out.

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D.F.

answers from Shreveport on

Try washing it in warm water with vinegar and baking soda and your detergent.

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W.B.

answers from Tulsa on

You might try soaking it in vinegar water. About 1 cup vinegar to 1 quart water or something like that. Just experiment with it. The vinegar smell will wash out. Or you could add 1-2 cups vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Good luck!

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A.P.

answers from Birmingham on

Ok, well I know you might be skeptical because I was at first, but I decided to try it and it worked GREAT!! Plus you can use it for all types of other cleaning too. And, NO, you can't tell when you're done that you even used it, and it kills the static cling too: WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR. Check it out and good luck. http://www.vinegartips.com/laundry/

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L.G.

answers from Shreveport on

BIZ detergent is amazing for stains and smells. Several years ago my house was flooded (not Katrina) and all the baby clothes of my kids I had saved ended up sitting in nasty flood water. I really wanted to save them just to have for memories and look back on but after numerous washes, detergents, etc. I thought they were a lost cause. A friend recommended I try BIZ one last time before throwing them away. It worked like a charm. It got every bit of stain and smell out.

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J.S.

answers from Tulsa on

I treat all of my children's laundry as if it was a cloth diaper. Detergent, and baking soda (1/4 cup) in the wash and a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. It takes all smells out. I also use 1/2 of the laundry detergent that is recommended. Good Luck!

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L.B.

answers from Fayetteville on

Oh, just use vinegar! Say, 1/4 cup in a big bowl with cool water and the blanket. Let it soak a little while, then just add it to the laundry. It won't hurt the laundry to have the vinegar in there. In fact, vinegar is an excellent fabric softener, and it helps keep your colors bright (can't remember how much to add, but probably 1/4 cup, and I'd imagine that would be in the rinse cycle).

Bleach would be a very bad idea, since it's so harsh on fabrics. It's also toxic!

Baking soda might work if you just kept it an air-tight container overnight with baking soda in a bowl. But I don't think you would solve the *problem* - sounds like mildew. The vinegar deodorizes, and it also kills the mildew, so the smell won't come back.

L.

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K.B.

answers from Birmingham on

I have had very good luck with adding lemon scented ammonia to the laundry along with your regular soap. It deodarizes the laundry. Also good for when you leave the laundry in the machine longer than you intended and it gets that awful odor. It will not affect the colors of darks so is handy for that situation.

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C.J.

answers from Mobile on

Vinegar works great at getting all sorts of smells out of your laundry. Try adding it in w/ your detergent. It has taken the urine smell out of clothes for my son, the moldy smell out of clothes that I've forgotten about in the washer and a friend of mine uses it to get the smell of popcorn/butter out of her clothes (she works at a movie theater). It should be safe and I've never had my clothes come out smelling like vinegar. Hope that works!!!

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L.S.

answers from New Orleans on

You are probably smelling bacteria or fungi reproduction. If the blanket is made of wool or cotton yarn it is a wonderful food source for those critters. If it is a nylon or acrylic yarn there is a chemical residue that is being released and as it mixes with his own body fluids it makes it harder to wash off also creating the perfect breeding environment.

Melaleuca is a natural antiseptic and it is in over 70% of the products produced by a company called Melaleuca, including their laundry products.

I live in South Louisiana where if you forget a load of laundry in the wash it will mildew within hours. I used to throw clothes away when that happened, but now I can add a little sol-u-mel to the load and run it again. I also use scent free melaleuca products they are non-caustic, eco-friendly and much less expensive than your "All" and "Oxy-clean" which are not working.

If you would like to shop with them they have a money back garuntee on their products and membership. I'll be happy to show you how it works so you can preserve that blanket for years to come.

L. Seben
____@____.com
###-###-####

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B.K.

answers from Little Rock on

In the laundry section of your department store by the downy and fabric softner you can find fabreeze for laundry. It comes in a dark blue bottle. I use it everytime I wash my towels and washclothes. They sometimes can smell musty when they don't get washed right away and sit there wet. It takes out that smell. When I forget to put the clothes from the washer into the dryer and they sit there for a day I rewash the load with the fabreeze in it and it will even get out that musty smell!! It costs about $10.00 a bottle but well worth it!! Good luck and many blessings.

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P.M.

answers from Birmingham on

Try adding vinegar to the laundry with the blanket and air dry it.

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J.N.

answers from Little Rock on

Vinegar did a pretty good job of taking musty smell out of towels for me. The vinegar smell rinses out, BTW. Baking soda would probably be good as well. Would be fun to use together. :)

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