What the fuck is that smell?!?

[pbbth]

Seriously, what the fuck is this smell and where is it coming from? About 2 months ago I noticed that my clothes had a strange scent to them. It slowly got worse over time so I just ended up throwing them all out about 3 weeks ago and buying brand new clothes (I had shrunk out of all of my other clothes anyway so the wardrobe needed to be replaced, smell or no smell.) Now my new clothes have this strange smell to them too! I just washed them again today and the smell is very strong. It doesn't smell like mold or dirt or anything I can put my finger on, it just SMELLS. Not that clean smell your clothes should have when they come out of the washing machine either, but a really strange smell that I can't quite put my finger on.

Have they recently changed the Tide formula and they just didn't tell me? Is it possible that somehow the machines at the laundromat are making my clothes smell strange? Are there gnomes that break into my home at night and use some magical power to fuck up my clothes? Am I imagining this whole smell out of nowhere? Damn smell gnomes!

[gonzomax]

Well you are under a pile of kitties.

[Full Metal Lotus]

Have youy checked the vent to your dryer, and the lint trap (behind the lint filter)?

It is possible that rain or other moisture (even condensation) has gotten into your vent pipe and is growinga mould / fungal colony. (it happens).. when your dryer is not in use, air from the outside flows in through the vent hose and "pollutes" the dryer, and then it gets "baked" into your clothing.

Also, if you have an upright washer, it may not be draining completely, again allowing sitting moisture to develop an organic colony. (Note: the perforated drum that is inside your washer can be perfectly dry, but the larger chamber it rides in can still have an inch (or more) of water in it).


Couple of things to check for, anyway.

Regards
FML

[Hockey Monkey]

Is it the water at the laundromat? Is there a smoker in an apartment beside, below, or above you? Dead body in the next apartment? Can you describe the smell? Is it a moldy, mildewy type, decomposing flesh type, poop type?

[pbbth]

It isn't a smell like I have ever smelled before. It doesn't smell like mold or mildew at all or cat piss or anything else I could imagine it to be. It kind of smells like burnt soap, but even that isn't entirely accurate. I have never smelled anything else like it. I use a different washer and dryer every time I go to the laundromat just in case but the smell still persists. I had friends and a guy I dated for a short while tell me they couldn't figure out what I was talking about but coworkers said they could smell something too so I can't tell what in the world is going on. Maybe it is related to the water in the laundromat...I will try a different laundromat and see if maybe that is causing it. I switched soap brands too so I don't think that has anything to do with it but I can always switch a third time.

[lissener]

Do you have any teenage boys in your crawlspace?

[Darryl Lict]

You didn't happen to leave a load of clothing in the washing machine for too long, did you? I do this occasionally and the resultant gym sock sweat odor is unbelievably foul. I've had to wash clothes a couple of times to get rid of it.

[pbbth]

It wasn't anything that got left in the washer for too long...that is the one good thing about laundromats. You are there watching for it to finish, so you pretty much immediately switch it to the dryer.

Have you ever read the Langoliers? The Stephen King story where the plane accidentally flies through a time/space vortex? In the story they land at an abandoned airport and go inside and try to find something to eat, but everything the find is tasteless, the soda is flat, etc. until they bring it back on the plane, at which point it gains flavor and such again. This is kind of the way my clothes smell...they don't smell dirty or sweaty or moldy or anything, but they don't smell clean either. They just smell wrong.

[bat312]

I was recently at the Tom Waits show at the Fabulous Fox! Thank you Metrotix. Some how I got the stuff all over me.

Oops wrong thread.

(I can't control myself...it kinda fits)

[BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed]

Maybe some chemical agent in Tide suddenly smells different to you because something odd happened to your brain? Have you noticed your flesh being a different color recently? Any dirt tracked around your house? Do you have an overwhelming desire for brains, and the desire to tell everyone this by moaning "braaaaains" whenever you see someone?

[Alice The Goon]

Did you say you switched detergents and your clothes still smell like that? Have you tried switching laundromats- maybe it's their water? If you are still using Tide, does "the smell" smell like scented tampons? A couple of years ago I noticed that Tide started smelling exactly like deodorant tampons. I hate that smell.

[pbbth]

Originally Posted by Alice the Goon

A couple of years ago I noticed that Tide started smelling exactly like deodorant tampons. I hate that smell.

YES! Deoderant tampons are damn near exactly what this smells like! I wonder if the other detergent I was using was a subsidiary of Tide or also made by Protcor and Gamble? I will go buy non-Tide tomorrow and see if that makes any kind of noticable difference.

I will also switch laundromats, just in case.

[Harmonious Discord]

I was going to say change detergent and fabric softener.

[teela brown]

Yes, they've changed Tide's smell. It's super-strong and perfumey nowadays. We've had to switch to scentless because we couldn't take it anymore.

[Ducktail]

Perhaps whatever is making your clothes smell is the same thing that seems to be BITING HOLES in mine. For the last year or so, various items of my clothing have gotten these little sets of holes in them. The holes are always about the size as if they were jabbed by a ballpoint pen, about three-fourths of an inch apart. They greatly resemble snakebites. They are prone to appearing anywhere on anything and decorate about half my closet's worth of stuff. The only thing I can come up with is that they're the product of my clothes catching on something sticking out in the washer or dryer, but a careful search has yielded nothing.

[Alice The Goon]

YES! Deoderant tampons are damn near exactly what this smells like! I wonder if the other detergent I was using was a subsidiary of Tide or also made by Protcor and Gamble? I will go buy non-Tide tomorrow and see if that makes any kind of noticable difference.

I will also switch laundromats, just in case.


If that's the smell, then it's definitely the Tide. Really no need to switch laundromats. Back when it first came out, one of my coworkers smelled like deodorant tampons all the time and it was starting to freak me out. I was wondering how she could possibly be on the rag every day of the month. Then I changed from another brand back to Tide, and smelled that smell on my own clothes. It's the Tide. Glad I could help.

[Alice The Goon]

Perhaps whatever is making your clothes smell is the same thing that seems to be BITING HOLES in mine. For the last year or so, various items of my clothing have gotten these little sets of holes in them. The holes are always about the size as if they were jabbed by a ballpoint pen, about three-fourths of an inch apart. They greatly resemble snakebites. They are prone to appearing anywhere on anything and decorate about half my closet's worth of stuff. The only thing I can come up with is that they're the product of my clothes catching on something sticking out in the washer or dryer, but a careful search has yielded nothing.


As for the holes, I'm going to guess either you use bleach frequently, or my cat visits your house and does to your clothes whatever she does to my flannel sheets. Or you have moths. Have you tried mothballs? They have their own intolerable smell, too, though.

[pbbth]

Originally Posted by Ducktail

Perhaps whatever is making your clothes smell is the same thing that seems to be BITING HOLES in mine. For the last year or so, various items of my clothing have gotten these little sets of holes in them. The holes are always about the size as if they were jabbed by a ballpoint pen, about three-fourths of an inch apart. They greatly resemble snakebites. They are prone to appearing anywhere on anything and decorate about half my closet's worth of stuff. The only thing I can come up with is that they're the product of my clothes catching on something sticking out in the washer or dryer, but a careful search has yielded nothing.

I know that when my clothes get to a certian age they do start getting pinprick sized holes in them, but if these clothes are fairly new I can't help you there, but if it looks like snake bites you should be very careful when doing laundry and try to avoid any possible snakes.

[Alice The Goon]

I'm tired of these motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking washing machine!!


Sorry, I had to say that.

[Zoe]

Snakes can come into the dryer from outside. My mother pulled one out of the vent one time. (Believe me...She didn't mean to.)

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Probably TOTALLY off base here, but are you sure it's the clothes? Is it a particularly sweet smell? Ever been tested for diabetes? Sometimes people with out of control diabetes can smell off. Just a thought.

[Ducktail]

As for the holes, I'm going to guess either you use bleach frequently, or my cat visits your house and does to your clothes whatever she does to my flannel sheets. Or you have moths. Have you tried mothballs? They have their own intolerable smell, too, though.

Must be your cat; I don't use bleach. I suppose it could be my cat, but he's declawed and the holes are really too close together to correspond to his front teeth. He's not even really a biter, so unless he sneaks into my closet specifically to punch holes in my clothes, I'd have a hard time blaming him.

As for moths, unless they've developed the aesthetic sensibilities necessary to poke dozens or sets of holes the exact same size and distance apart over a matter of months, then I don't see that as a viable explanation. Of course, if they have, it means they're probably now too big a match for the cat, who usually dispatches them for me.

[pbbth]

Originally Posted by Sleeps with Butterflies

Probably TOTALLY off base here, but are you sure it's the clothes? Is it a particularly sweet smell? Ever been tested for diabetes? Sometimes people with out of control diabetes can smell off. Just a thought.

Just what I need, a healthy does of paranoia. :D

Nah, I am pretty sure I am not diabetic. The smell isn't particularly sweet and it is something that gets worse when the clothes have been washed. You know how people in fabric softener commercials bury their nose into a shirt that just came out of the dryer, inhale deeply, and then say "Ahhhh" like their clothes smell fantastic? When you do that to my clothes instead of saying, "Ahhh" you say, "What the hell?"

My money is on the detergent or the laundromat itself being the culprit, but if I make the necessary changes and the smell persists I will keep the diabetes check in mind.

[Hockey Monkey]

Tide makes me itchy so I never use it. If I did use it, and they changed their fragrance to smell like a deodorant tampon, I would cease using it immediately. I particularly like Wisk paired with Snuggle fabric softener.

[Sophistry and Illusion]

Have youy checked the vent to your dryer, and the lint trap (behind the lint filter)?

It is possible that rain or other moisture (even condensation) has gotten into your vent pipe and is growinga mould / fungal colony. (it happens).. when your dryer is not in use, air from the outside flows in through the vent hose and "pollutes" the dryer, and then it gets "baked" into your clothing.

Also, if you have an upright washer, it may not be draining completely, again allowing sitting moisture to develop an organic colony. (Note: the perforated drum that is inside your washer can be perfectly dry, but the larger chamber it rides in can still have an inch (or more) of water in it).


Couple of things to check for, anyway.

Regards
FML
How would you check under the washer drum? I used to have this problem (clothes smelled kinda cheesy, and I didn't--it was definitely a laundry problem). I never did figure out what caused it, and then we moved, so the problem went away.

[Autolycus]

Are there gnomes that break into my home at night and use some magical power to fuck up my clothes? Am I imagining this whole smell out of nowhere? Damn smell gnomes!

Step 1) Stink up pbbth's clothes
Step 2) ???
Step 3) Profit!

[VunderBob]

It isn't a smell like I have ever smelled before. It doesn't smell like mold or mildew at all or cat piss or anything else I could imagine it to be. It kind of smells like burnt soap, but even that isn't entirely accurate. I have never smelled anything else like it. I use a different washer and dryer every time I go to the laundromat just in case but the smell still persists. I had friends and a guy I dated for a short while tell me they couldn't figure out what I was talking about but coworkers said they could smell something too so I can't tell what in the world is going on. Maybe it is related to the water in the laundromat...I will try a different laundromat and see if maybe that is causing it. I switched soap brands too so I don't think that has anything to do with it but I can always switch a third time.
Maybe the commercial dryer is too hot. I had a home dryer where one of the thermostats went out, and the clothes roasted. They had a burnt soap smell to them.

[Wile E]

Look for an allergen free soap, they have no dyes or scents in them. Also, make sure you read the label and don't use too much soap. Maybe it's possible that you could be using too much soap and it's not getting all rinsed out of the clothes, then when you dry them the heat gives it a burnt soap smell.

[pbbth]

I have determined that it can't be the dryer because even clothes that ran through the washer but were then hung to dry still have this smell. When I walk through the doorway where those clothes are hanging it is like being his in the face with a wall of smell, despite the fact that they are dry and clean. I am going to pack up a small load of freshly washed clothes and go rewash them with a different detergent today to see if it is caused by my detergent. If that doesn't work I guess I will have to live the rest of my life completely naked because I have no idea where that smell could be coming from in that case.

[Daithi Lacha]

I know that when my clothes get to a certian age they do start getting pinprick sized holes in them, but if these clothes are fairly new I can't help you there, but if it looks like snake bites you should be very careful when doing laundry and try to avoid any possible snakes.
Does the phrase "inevitable pinhole burns" mean anything to you? :p

[Dijon Warlock]

If that doesn't work I guess I will have to live the rest of my life completely naked because I have no idea where that smell could be coming from in that case.You DO realize that you are now obligated to post pics to prove this if it happens, right?

My email's in my profile...

Jest sayin'...;)

[lisacurl]

Maybe the commercial dryer is too hot. I had a home dryer where one of the thermostats went out, and the clothes roasted. They had a burnt soap smell to them.That is what I was thinking as well.

[fluiddruid]

Off to MPSIMS.