Why do my mom's clothes smell so bad, even after I wash them?

When the washer first fills up stop the process and add baking soda to the water and let them soak for awhile. Or maybe instead of baking soda you might use vinegar to soak them. Then wash like normal and see if that helps. Otherwise I have no words of wisdom for ya.

I have a friend who does home staging and has dealt with a bunch of elderly homeowners & their family or estate and the "smell" . She said that it seems to be a combination of the medicines they take (diabetes homes have a wine smell) and palmitholiec acids that increase as we age and both get on our skin and shed off via our skin cells and embed in clothes, furniture, carpets, etc.

When my mom moved into IL, her house was closed off for about 2 mos. When I came back the odor was really intense. Took about a year+ of having the house with windows, closets, drawers, etc. left ajar and getting rid of whatever fabric covered items that we could to get it somewhat "younger" in odor.

Oh another thing she said, our brain recognizes "citrus" as youthful, especially grapefruit. So she uses citrus based room deodorizers, like Fresh Products Omni
gel in older homes, it's a commercial line but you can order on-line.

With my mom, all her stuff is the same fragrance from room deodorizer to hand lotion that I get at Bath & Body Works. Right now it's White Citrus, clean fresh and very affordable as they always have those buy 3 get 2 free promos.

Agree with the others on NO to Lysol. Her clothes aren't really getting dirty, she's not sweating or doing work, it's more freshening them by washing them so a gentle detergent like Ivory flakes will work better. For sweaters, I hand wash them in the BB&W Fresh citrus shower gel.

Try a pre-soak in Nature's Miracle (an enzymatic for pet accident leftovers) or Urine-Kleen that is actually markteted for humans and wash on cold with any of the above. Anything that is not too much plastic/vinyl material will at least be improved a great deal.

I agree with baking soda and Arm and Hammer makes a laundry booster that works along with your normal detergent. The clothing has to be washed frequently and as soon as they are soiled. The caregivers can clean her up immediately but unless they wash the clothes the problem will continue. Some fabrics will hold that oder no matter what you do and warrant discarding. Seems to be more like the polyester types. GOOD LUCK!

I had the same problem. I tried everything you mentioned, and nothing worked. Then I used powdered Oxiclean and the hottest water. It took the smell out completely. I'm assuming you mean the smell of urine.

WALT:

Sounds like my next door neighbor. Her hubby is a "miner" working in the NYC underground tunnels. Don't know what he digs for. I call him Mole. I can smell him from 1/2 a mile away. She uses Lestoil, cheap powder detergent, and packs the washer because the machines are expensive.

Last Sunday she complained the clothes come out dirtier and was letting the Dominican attendant have it. I suggested she use Gain and lavender fabric softener, and to refrain from packing the washer so the detergent do what it's supposed to: remove the dirt and the smell.

I became the target. That she's been doing laundry all her life; that it's none of my business; that I should focus on my own crusty clothes, blah, blah, blah.

My suggestion? Try the tips I gave Magda. Or buy new clothes if you can afford it.

I am old enough to raise my babies with cloth diapers. Yes -- gasp -- we actually washed and re-used diapers. Yuck! But ... washed with regular detergent and bleach they came out fine. No lingering smell.

I recall that my grandmother's apartment had a distinctive smell, as igloo describes. I received an afghan from that place, and it smelled just like "Gramma." One wash in Dreft on gentle cycle and the smell was gone. (I was almost disappointed. I loved being reminded of Gramma.)

I am sorry and surprised that you are having such a persistent problem. I really would ditch the household cleaners in favor of detergent which is designed to work on fabric and to rinse out cleanly.

Personally, I believe the fewer chemicals the better. It only takes a few drops of tea tree oil to refresh laundry. But if you're dealing with residual urine and especially feces - you're in need of some serious anti bacterial action. I'd stick to the baking soda and tea tree oil, if it were up to me. Also, you can fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and tea tree or lavender oil, and spritz the bedding between washes.

** 3 steps to clear the smell ** if you get it at a step no need to progress to the next one.
Step 1 - HOT WATER! Really boiling water is better but some fabrics can't handle it. Start dressing your folks & beds in natural fibers like cotton. Get rid of the poly stuff - it holds smells anyway. Load the clothes in the washer and fill with super hot water - my machine just doesn't produce enough heat so I boil a large kettle of water and add it to the hottest water my washer can provide then carefully add the clothes. If you are doing a large load, 2 might be needed. This not only kills many biologics but breaks up waxes & oils trapped in the fabrics. Detergent does not remove odor trapping waxes which are found in all deodorants and many skin creams and topical medications but heat will separate them from the fabric so the detergent can take it away. Wash normally but I highly recommend adding Oxiclean! Oxiclean is mostly powdered hydrogen peroxide so you can add liquid peroxide instead but you will need a full 32oz bottle to even get close to the amount in one tiny oxiclean scoop. It's a powerful scent killer! After wash check for smell while wet or air dry a piece- if it's still there - don't put it in the dryer yet! Go to step 2. If this works- put in dryer as usual.
Step 2 - VINEGAR! dunk the smelly clothes one at a time into a bucket 1/2 full of vinegar, hold for about a minute then toss back into washing machine (still drippy with vinegar is fine). Anything left in the bucket after dunking - toss in the washer. Don't worry about vinegar smell - it will wash out completely and the clothes will be softer anyway. Vinegar softens and expands fibers that's why they add it to commercial fabric softeners. This expansion and the acid helps clear out the bad smell. Rewash in washing machine like normal. If you find this works - in the future add a large amount (test and see how much you really need) of vinegar to your wash cycle and it might be done in one step. You may need a pre-soak cycle of just vinegar if it's really bad. If this doesn't work - then don't waste the vinegar in the future. If after this wash you still smell the funk go on to step 3, if not dry in dryer.
Step 3 - SUNSHINE! Still the best disinfectant known to man! Either use a window or hang outside - the sun can do more than any chemical!! Let the laundry hang or lay out fully exposed to the sun or expose air dried fabric to the sun for several hours. I have used the yard to lay out a whole months worth of clothes for sun treatment, I just laid them right on the clean grass, then i rewashed to get rid of any dirt from laying on the ground. After the sun treatment toss in the dryer (with a wet washcloth for the steam) and it will be soft and smell nice! If you NEED to go as far as sun treatment to clear the funk, you might only need to do that step periodically to keep the funk away, like once a month. It's a pain in the arse but it does work!

To clear the funk from household fabrics you can't wash - steam them with vinegar! Mix vinegar and water 50/50 in a steamer and steam the fabrics. That will smell like vinegar for a few hours but a little essential oil (of your choice) mixed with water and spritzed on the fabric while damp will not only kill the vinegar smell but scent the room nicely.
Don't focus on covering a bad smell with a good smell... that doesn't work! You end up with something like chem-lab carnations with a hint of feces or whatever and that's more disgusting.

Try OdoBan - it can be found at Home Depot in gallon jugs for about $10. Just a splash in the wash go a long way. It not only takes away any odors, but kills any bacteria or virus that may be lingering. It's safe enough for my pets and gentle enough for any fabric that can be put into the wash.