How to Remove Body Odor from Clothes

Updated on June 22, 2009
P.W. asks from Tracy, CA
16 answers

Does anyone know how to remove body odor from clothes? I have tried washing on the cold cycle, warm cyle as well as the hot cyle. I can not get rid of the smell. Please help!

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So What Happened?

Thanks to all who responded. I used the baking soda and what a RELIEF!!!!!!

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B.R.

answers from Sacramento on

Put about a cupful of baking soda into the wash. If you are a member of Sam's or Costco, you can buy baking soda in a large box or bag at a very low cost. I believe there is also a baking soda additive in the detergent aisle of most stores, but I don't think it would work any better than just the regular baking soda, and probably is more expensive.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Sacramento on

A little white vinegar in the wash cycle will get rid of odors. Baking soda also works wonders. Both are pretty gentle on clothing.

1 mom found this helpful

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T.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I have recently discovered OXO Bright (from Trader Joe's) and that stuff is amazing! I put all of my white tee shirts (yellow/gray armpits and all), pillow cases etc. in my bathtub with HOT water and a bunch of the OXO bright and everything came out stain and "fragrance" free. Some of them were on their way to the trash and I tried this as a last ditch attempt... It's cheap too - about $4 for the tub.

Good luck!
T.

p.s.
BTW, I let them soak for nearly 6 hours.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Spray the armpit area thoroughly with Spray and Wash or Shout, and let soak for at least an hour before laundering. I think warm or hot works better than cold.

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K.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I agree with Tracy H, OXO Bright (from Trader Joe's) is great and environmentally friendly. You do need to soak things for several hours to allow it to work properly.

I use it with cloth diapering as well as stained clothing (blueberries, coffee, grass, etc.). Overall seems to have worked well.

Another product I used more specifically for odors is Bi-O-Kleen's Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator. This was great for cat messes on carpet. When we had a sick older cat, this saved our house from smelling bad! I've also used for laundry. Not sure how well the stain part works, mainly for odors.

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J.L.

answers from Sacramento on

use baking soda in leui of your clothes detergent..it will break down the soap that has been built up and keeps the smell on the clothes as well as take the smell away.

I've done this with my towels that get a mildewy smell...

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L.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Dear P.:

Have you tried non-chlorine bleach? I've had great success getting old (organic) stains out of clothes, and there may be residual stuff the odor is sticking to. Oxiclean and the like have fabric restrictions (e.g. no silk), but it's worth a try.

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Try baking soda mixed with the detergent.

L.

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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

I have a very sweaty (stinky) teen-ager, and Febreze did the trick for us.

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A.P.

answers from Sacramento on

I use Borax in every wash. I love it, it makes everything smell great. I have heard about adding vinegar to the wash--I think at the rinse cycle.

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M.P.

answers from San Francisco on

soak in borax in warm before washing.

once you get it out, then continue washing with borax in the washer and wash the offending clothes seperately. Otherwise it seems to spread top everyone else's clothes, too!

J.P.

answers from Stockton on

try febreze! It works for me! Good Luck!

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I use Oxyclean in every load. I had a blanket that my daughter had an accident on and nothing was getting the smell out of it so I decided to try oxyClean in the bathtub. I just filled it with scalding hot water and a couple scoops of the Oxyclean. I let it soak for 2-3 hours and then washed it as normal. I came out smelling so fresh and so soft!

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J.L.

answers from Sacramento on

It looks like you already have some good suggestions. If those don't work, you might try washing soda. It is a baking soda, but designed for clothes and is found in the detergent aisle. It also works great on heavily soiled clothes that can't be bleached--like my son's white football pants--they were a pain to get clean.

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L.P.

answers from Sacramento on

I don't know P.....but with all these new laundry additives like the one on the info-mercials all the time....Shoot,what is it called. Oxy-clean...that's it!!!
Or maybe a laundry product that is something like febreeze? I love that stuff, it takes odors out of almost anything.....
Good Luck....

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C.M.

answers from Chico on

Put a 1/3 to 1/2 cup white vinegar in the wash load. I wash all of hubby's shirts with vinegar to get the smell out. Sometimes it takes a couple of washes or a straight vinegar soak in a bucket or sink before washing to get all the smeall out the first time. However, if you use the vinegar regularly, you should only need to wash once.

The vinegar smell rinses out completely and it also acts as a natural fabric softener...unfortunately, it doesn't take out static, so if you are washing something acrylic or with other manmade fibers, you still need to use an anti-static product.

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