@sabresong Same. Washing multiple times has been the only effective method I've found.
FTM — All my baby hand-me-downs clothes reek of toxic detergent and I can’t wash the smell out
- Thread starter ch3apshad3s
- Start date
@sabresong It’s sooo bad. We shop at once upon a child and so many of the clothes reek. Most of my friends irl are crunchy or crunchy enough to use unscented detergent anyway. I just can’t imagine constantly having that smell around!! I can smell people in public haha it’s so bad. I don’t get how culturally we let this become okay.
scottishsoul
New member
@reneprays OUAC is terrible to the point we had to stop shopping there. Whatever they use doesn’t come out and started smelling up our existing things.
@scottishsoul I actually messaged them about it. The problem is they don’t do anything. They just require clothes to be clean when they arrive and they toss them straight on the rack!
ch3apshad3s
New member
@sabresong I have no clue either. It is seriously offensive smelling. And to wash newborn clothes in it and them out your baby in those clothes?!? next level
daviesmith
New member
@sabresong I was on vacation recently and used the house bottle of Tide, it smelled nice for 5 seconds and then was completely overwhelming.
@ch3apshad3s try using RLR it’s what i use to strip cloth diapers and it should get the smell out. if you don’t want to go that route try running the wash cycle with NO detergent multiple times until the smell is gone and drying in bright sunlight.
@ch3apshad3s Do you have a place outdoors you can hang them? I also like using the Dirty Labs enzyme booster, but it isn’t a total miracle worker.
All of my hand-me-downs have lost smell from repeated washes + Dirty Labs enzymes + line drying outside. And I have a VERY sensitive nose, if that helps.
All of my hand-me-downs have lost smell from repeated washes + Dirty Labs enzymes + line drying outside. And I have a VERY sensitive nose, if that helps.
@ch3apshad3s Does your washing machine have a “sanitize” cycle? That’s my first line of defense for stinky smells that I can’t get rid of on my baby’s clothes
@ch3apshad3s Try a big scoop of borax, a name brand free & clear detergent and a cup or two of vodka
sevenout03
New member
@ch3apshad3s Soak in hot water and baking soda for a while, then wash.
@ch3apshad3s I received a bunch of onesies once from a Buy Nothing group once. They stunk of cigarette smoke but before I threw them away, I soaked them for hours with water and baking soda and then washed, and it completely got rid of the smell. I was shocked at how well it worked!
I'd definitely try it with just the baking soda, no vinegar.
I'd definitely try it with just the baking soda, no vinegar.
angelbelle
New member
@ch3apshad3s So you need to just wash them until they stop stinking and air them outside in between. Don’t dry the stink. Branch basics has a tutorial on their website for this if you google.
@ch3apshad3s We get clothes from friends that have this challenge. Cannot emphasize enough that laundry stripping baby clothes will only lead to ruining the baby clothes because it will make the colors run. Washing in super hot water will shrink the clothes. Baby clothes are not as resilient as adult clothing, in my experience.
What I have done that does work: separate lights and darks, then go to Costco, load up on vinegar, go to Home Depot and get a 5 gallon orange bucket, and then soak the clothes in half vinegar half water for a day or so. Then, if they still smell, mix a cup of borax in hot water until it dissolves, dump it over the clothes in the washer, and wash on a warm extra long cycle. Usually, that takes care of most of the smell.
If it doesn't totally get it out, at this point I move on. With a little time and a few washes it goes away.
Good luck!
What I have done that does work: separate lights and darks, then go to Costco, load up on vinegar, go to Home Depot and get a 5 gallon orange bucket, and then soak the clothes in half vinegar half water for a day or so. Then, if they still smell, mix a cup of borax in hot water until it dissolves, dump it over the clothes in the washer, and wash on a warm extra long cycle. Usually, that takes care of most of the smell.
If it doesn't totally get it out, at this point I move on. With a little time and a few washes it goes away.
Good luck!
@ch3apshad3s I haven’t seen this suggested yet and it’s what I’ve done several times in the past with fairly good results (if you have a top loading machine):
Fill the drum with the clothes, detergent, and 1/2-1 cup of ammonia; agitate briefly and let sit for a few hours. Then run the cycle as usual.
If the smell build up is due to fabric softener, the ammonia cuts through that stuff to lift it out of the clothes. Dry in the sun if at all possible. May need to repeat on stubborn items, but I’m usually happy with the results after one round (and I’m very sensitive to/bothered by these smells)
Fill the drum with the clothes, detergent, and 1/2-1 cup of ammonia; agitate briefly and let sit for a few hours. Then run the cycle as usual.
If the smell build up is due to fabric softener, the ammonia cuts through that stuff to lift it out of the clothes. Dry in the sun if at all possible. May need to repeat on stubborn items, but I’m usually happy with the results after one round (and I’m very sensitive to/bothered by these smells)
@ch3apshad3s Either wash them several times, or strip them with borax and washing soda
@ch3apshad3s Calgon water softener is the best thing for that, in my experience. It uses citric acid to remove detergent and softener buildup (along with hard water buildup, which can trap smells).
Try running them in a warm or cold wash cycle with ONLY Calgon and no detergent. If you get a bunch of suds, then keep on washing and rinsing till all the suds are gone. It always works for me.
You can also use Grovia mighty bubbles tabs, or do a full laundry strip, but my experience is that the Calgon alone works just as well. Vinegar and baking soda have never done anything for me in the wash.
Try running them in a warm or cold wash cycle with ONLY Calgon and no detergent. If you get a bunch of suds, then keep on washing and rinsing till all the suds are gone. It always works for me.
You can also use Grovia mighty bubbles tabs, or do a full laundry strip, but my experience is that the Calgon alone works just as well. Vinegar and baking soda have never done anything for me in the wash.
@ch3apshad3s We recently got some secondhand clothes that smelled almost like perfume and I washed them on hot with fragrance free detergent and just baking soda twice and could no longer smell the perfume. I would’ve hung them out to dry in the sun too but it’s not been sunny recently where we live.
@ch3apshad3s In my experience, its not scented detergent that doesn't wash out, it's the fabric softener and scent bead build up that doesn't wash out. I buy a lot of second hand and usually any laundry detergent scent is gone after about 2 washes in my detergent, but occasionally there's an item of clothing that still has a strong scent. Detergent is meant to rinse out...fabric softener and scent beads are not so it's harder to get rid of. I would wash again with detergent and then vinegar in the rinse cycle and then if there's still scent left, I would go ahead and strip the clothes by soaking them in the bath with borax, washing soda, and maybe some oxi clean (make sure to get the unscented one) some diy recipes for laundry stripping say to add a small amount of detergent to the mixture. And make sure you use HOT water. Then wash again as usual and I would continue to use vinegar in the rinse cycle. Hanging outside in the fresh air and sunshine will help as well. After all of that (even if there's a small amount of scent detectable only to a pregnant nose 
bc let's face it we can smell everything when we're pregnant) I would feel totally safe putting those clothes on my baby. Good luck!
bc let's face it we can smell everything when we're pregnant) I would feel totally safe putting those clothes on my baby. Good luck!@ch3apshad3s Recommendations for build up in cloth diapers is usually just to rinse as many times as necessary (which can be a lot). I would do a few warm cycles with no added detergent.