# Can you wash out mildew smell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169 "2010-10-14T19:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Looey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@Looey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Looey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/1 "2010-10-14T19:50:49Z")
I had a bunch of towels get quite mildewy in the laundry. They look clean, but smell awful. Can something get the smell out without beaching everything white? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/2 "2010-10-14T19:55:55Z")
Try vinegar. Due to a series of unfortunate events our cat peed on my husband’s most expensive, dry clean only business suit. Dry cleaners refused to touch it so I did some research and ran it through the gentlest, coldest cycle on the washing machine with some vinegar and both the stain and the smell are gone. The dry cleaner couldn’t even tell it had been peed on when we took it in to have it properly cleaned after it dried. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/3 "2010-10-14T19:55:56Z")
I had this happen with a thick cotton sweater when I was a college student. Being short on options at the time, I tried spray Lysol, some time to work, followed by a regular washing, and it worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/4 "2010-10-14T19:56:14Z")
I don’t know for sure, but have you tried white vinegar? It works for a lot of odors. Other than that, sunshine, but that might be a bleaching problem if you leave them out in it too long. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/5 "2010-10-14T19:57:36Z")
Please clarify. Do they look clean because they are navy blue and the mildew doesn’t show? Or do you have reason to be confident that the mildew is dead? 'Cause I don’t know of anything that both kills mildew dead and is color safe. I guess if you’re sure, my suggestion would be to go to the hardware store and get some janitorial strength ammonia. Pour a hefty bit into the washing machine and fill just to cover the towels. Let soak. (Be carefull, this stuff can burn your eyes just from the fumes.) Be sure that the room is well ventilated, and don’t hang out in there watching them soak. I’d soak them overnight if possible and then start the wash cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/6 "2010-10-14T20:07:42Z")
If other suggestions fail, try leaving them out in fresh air and sunlight all day. My husband just de-stinkified a couple of hundred 1950s audio magazines that way. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/7 "2010-10-14T20:25:45Z")
Another vote for vinegar. Soak it in a bucket of cold water and vinegar for awhile, then wash normally. Vinegar worked great for getting a musty odor out of my old RV. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/8 "2010-10-14T21:02:21Z")
Yep, straight-up cheapass white vinegar from the grocery store. You can also add a cup or two to the wash cycle itself, but I’d suggest following **Chefguy** ’s advice and soaking them in a, say, 50/50 mix first for an hour or two, _then_ running them through the wash as normal. (They will not smell like salad dressing once they’re done, I promise!) ---
**Author:** ![Looey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@Looey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Looey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/9 "2010-10-14T21:45:08Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Please clarify. Do they look clean because they are navy blue and the mildew doesn’t show? Or do you have reason to be confident that the mildew is dead? 'Cause I don’t know of anything that both kills mildew dead and is color safe. They appear clean, that is, no mildew stains. I’ve already run them through the dryer, so shouldn’t that kill the mold? You can only smell it when they’re wet. I’ll try the vinegar soon. Thanks guys! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/10 "2010-10-14T22:05:27Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > Try vinegar. Due to a series of unfortunate events our cat peed on my husband’s most expensive, dry clean only business suit. Dry cleaners refused to touch it You’ve got bad dry cleaners. The one in my neighborhood has cleaned cat pee off a jacket of mine twice. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/11 "2010-10-14T22:06:55Z")
> [@Looey](#): > > > [@TruCelt](#): > > > > Please clarify. Do they look clean because they are navy blue and the mildew doesn’t show? Or do you have reason to be confident that the mildew is dead? 'Cause I don’t know of anything that both kills mildew dead and is color safe. > > They appear clean, that is, no mildew stains. I’ve already run them through the dryer, so shouldn’t that kill the mold? You can only smell it when they’re wet. > I’ll try the vinegar soon. Thanks guys! This method also works for materials that are not color-fast. Soaking in vinegar sets the dyes. If you want shiny, sparkly windows, vinegar is the ticket there, also; ammonia is good for dissolving grease, but won’t dissolve mineral spots like vinegar. It’s a miracle liquid, really. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wash-out-mildew-smell/557169/12 "2010-10-15T00:29:29Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > > [@pbbth](#): > > > > Try vinegar. Due to a series of unfortunate events our cat peed on my husband’s most expensive, dry clean only business suit. Dry cleaners refused to touch it > > You’ve got bad dry cleaners. The one in my neighborhood has cleaned cat pee off a jacket of mine twice. Meh, I can’t really blame them. If they tried to clean it and it didn’t work and the suit was ruined I could have possibly sued them or something. I wouldn’t have sued them but they need to protect themselves from that kind of thing and I understand that.