5 ways to make your laundry smell great
You can’t beat fresh laundry smell that lasts. If your clothes are lacking that burst of fragrance, don’t fear! From cleaning your washing machine to giving your laundry a lovely scent, we’re bringing you lots of little wins to get your washing smelling great.
1. Clean the machine
Even though your machine essentially gets washed every time you put a load on, it still needs a good clean out every now and again. Over time, your washing machine picks up bacteria, hair, skin and residue from your laundry (sounds nice, right!), and this can be one of the things that can cause your otherwise clean clothes to continue to smell after a wash.
Giving your washing machine a regular wash of its own can make sure you get the best out of your wash.
The drum, rubber seal and the detergent drawer are all going to need some attention.
Make this job easy by using a washing machine cleaner. It gets rid of detergent build up in the drum, pipe and seals, removing grime whilst leaving your machine smelling fresh and removing limescale to improve the efficiency of your washing machine.
With the drum cleaned, take out the detergent drawer and give it a clean with some warm, soapy water. If it’s especially dirty, let it soak in the water for about 30 minutes, with a dash of white vinegar added. Use a spare toothbrush to help get any stubborn or hard-to-reach bits of dirt and grime.
Before you finish, give the rubber seals a wipe down with a damp cloth to make sure they’re clean. Between washes, make sure you leave your washing machine door and drawer open as much as you can to help circulate air around and prevent bacteria from accumulating.
Give it a good clean every few weeks to a month and your machine should stay nice and clean.
For more advice on how to clean your washing machine, check out this blog, packed full of info.
2. Measure for measure
One thing that stops your laundry from smelling as fresh as it can is when you pack too much in the machine!
It may seem like it’ll save you money when you pack as much into each wash as you can, but the more your overload your washing machine, the less effectively it can clean your laundry, and you’ll probably end up having to wash it all again.
Your laundry needs space to move freely in the barrel. If it’s packed in with too many clothes, it won’t soak or clean properly and when you empty the machine your clothes are likely to still be dirty and smelly!
Also, make sure you don't put in too much, or too little, detergent. Not enough and your clothes won’t wash properly, whereas too much and your fabrics can still have detergent on them even at the end of the wash. This means they won’t be as clean or smell as nice as you’d like.
As long as you measure the detergent so that it’s right for your laundry load, you can’t go wrong!
3. Build a powerful scent!
Now your washing machine is nice and clean and you aren’t overstuffing the barrel, you can look at different ways you can build scents to create a fresh smell that lasts.
By combining a family of scents, you can create a stronger smell for your washing that lasts longer.
How about co-ordinating your fabric conditioner with a laundry gel and a dryer sheet from the same range to create the same smell through all stages of your laundry process?
For example, if you choose a Fuchsia and Acai Berry laundry gel, you can build on that with a fabric conditioner in the same range. Add in a Fuchsia and Acai Berry fragrance booster, and then pop in the same scent of dryer sheets and you’re adding layers of the same scent throughout the wash. This can help create a stronger, more powerful scent that can make your laundry feel fresher for longer.
4. Add fragrance when ironing!
You can even introduce some extra scent to your laundry as you iron.
Using some scented ironing water, you can add some extra fragrance to your washing.
As the water is turned into high-pressure steam as you iron, your clothes absorb the fragrance, leaving them smelling fresh and ready to be put away.
5. Hang it out to dry
Some of the worst smells can creep into your laundry during drying.
There are lots of things that can happen in this stage of the wash that leave your laundry smelling a bit whiffy. If you leave it in the washing machine too long, it can start to smell musty before you even get to the drying part.
If you find your clothes have become musty in the machine, here’s a quick trick you can use to get them fresh again. Pop them back in the machine with 200ml of white vinegar or baking soda, give them another wash and the musty smell will be gone.
Overcrowding your washing line or clothes airer will reduce air circulation and stop your clothes from drying properly. This can cause them to smell musty and undo all the good work you’ve just done in your wash.
When it comes to drying, the main thing to do is act quickly and hang your laundry up to dry or pop it in the tumble dryer as quickly as possible. Also use fresh air as much as you can.
If you’re using a tumble dryer, throw in a dryer sheet to help keep them smelling lovely – and if you can, use the same scent that you have used for your conditioner and detergent to build the fragrance.
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