# Can baking soda laundry detergent make clothes smell worse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234 "2002-04-06T23:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/1 "2002-04-06T23:58:16Z")
I use Arm&Hammer perfume and dye free powdered laundry detergent, which contains baking soda. If I wash my clothes with this, they smell clean directly afterwards. But if some baking soda remains in the clothes for whatever reason, could it end up absorbing all the bad odors it encounters, and thus make the clothes smell _worse_ in the long run than if I had used a regular detergent? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/2 "2002-04-07T00:11:12Z")
No. Baking soda is far too water soluble to build up in your clothes over time. Its odor capturing properties are none too powerful anyway. What could possibly make you think this was happening ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/3 "2002-04-07T00:25:21Z")
Well I’ve been smelling bad lately ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/4 "2002-04-07T00:47:29Z")
Also I had a pair of old shoes that were starting to get funkified, and I wanted them to last a little longer, so I sprinkled some baking soda in them. It worked at first, but a day later the shoes had a totally different, and even worse, smell to them. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/5 "2002-04-07T00:50:42Z")
Maybe the detergent isn’t getting out some of the oxidized body oils ? That’ll make you whiff. Try some of that fragrance free Tide if you can stand it, or add some borax to your Arm and Hammer. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/6 "2002-04-07T19:49:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JRootabega \* > \*\*Also I had a pair of old shoes that were starting to get funkified, and I wanted them to last a little longer, so I sprinkled some baking soda in them. It worked at first, but a day later the shoes had a totally different, and even worse, smell to them. Yum. \*\* Weird. Maybe the alkaline environment killed the bacteria, but then they became infected with a different kind of bacteria which doesn’t mind the sodium bicarbonate. For the laundry, I’ve found that if I put a tiny amount of chlorine bleach in with the load, it wipes out the bacteria. Even if I forget about the wet clothes and leave them in the machine for several days before drying, they DON’T get that “rancid washcloth” odor. (I let the washer fill with a couple of gallons of water, then add about 1/8 cup Chlorox and mix well, then dump in the clothes and let it continue to fill.) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-baking-soda-laundry-detergent-make-clothes-smell-worse/102234/7 "2002-04-07T23:26:59Z")
How much detergent are you using? If you’re using too much it might not be completely rinsing out. If that’s the case maybe the unrinsed soap is holding dirt in the clothes or picking up more dirt from your body than usual. Try using a half or quarter scoop instead of a full one (or if you suspect quite a bit of residue, run a wash without any and check after a few minutes – you’ll probably see suds.) To insure a really clean rinse, use vinegar instead of softener (you can use 1/4 C in a Downey ball). (It’s a little stinky in the wet clothes, but there’s no odor when dried.)