I have too many clothes. Some seem to never get really clean, no matter how much I wash and treat them.
So I recently moved and I have a lot more clothes than I thought. Most of my clothing has sat in a closet or drawer for months untouched. So when I moved last week, I noticed some new things about my clothes.
The clothes I use regularly are worn once, maybe twice before I run them thru the wash.
But the articles of clothing that have sat forgotten in the closet have grown that musty old smell. I have washed a few of the dress shirts that had this problem and some came out nice and odorless, while others still had the faint smell. The smell on these shirts has even come back stronger over a few days.
So, I have been treating a few of these shirts with a soaking of laundry detergent, a light bleaching (so as not to stain anything), and another good wash and dry.
This seems to work perfectly if I do it right, but I notice some smells come back no matter what.
I have been reading up all over about this and it seems bacteria and other microbes like mold can live deep in the fiber of the fabric. That goes for really any fabric - shirts, pants, socks, furniture fabrics, carpets, and more. So even after the most thorough wash, these germs can come back given the right circumstances.
When storing my clothes, providing fresh and dry air seems to help. As opposed to a dark, closed-off closet.
I believe there are cleaning solutions out there. I have yet to try many of them. Some are antimicrobial and anti-fungal.
I don’t really want to wear any of the clothes that smell bad. I don’t want to be breathing in the potential germs from them. These bacteria or molds are known to have toxic effects on people. Not only physically with rashes or allergens, but mentally with headaches and hallucinations.
If anyone out there knows about this stuff, mold in clothes, or keeping a wardrobe clean, please hit me up, cause I want to learn more.
All right, be healthy!
-TW
