5 DIY product methods to strip your laundry for cleaner and fresher smelling clothes. 

Who doesn’t want cleaner clothes?

Ok, here is the deal on stripping laundry and having it smell cleaner, which by the way, can be done. I’ve been using  all five of these product methods and I can tell you that they have helped me get cleaner laundry. Use this for gym clothes, towels, linens, and grease stains. 

These five products have also removed that musty damp smell from my oldest towels and linens. We always hang our towels to dry after using them but they still would get that damp musty smell. I was surprisingly amazed when it was gone that even my mother asked how my towels stayed so fresh. I had to share these amazing tips with all of you. 

At our house, we play sports and work out regularly. We have 2 dogs who we take out daily in hot humid weather almost year round. My smallest child  loves the playground and spaghetti which always ends up on her clothes. 

These 5 product methods have removed the lingering sweat smell, the damp mustiness from both towels and linens, and one method has removed grease stains from our clothes. For anyone dealing with baby diaper blowouts, you are going to want to read all the way through.

1. Active Wear powder

This is my top favorite best kept secret. Let me tell you why, this stuff really works.  This product is made in the US. It uses enzymes that destroy odor causing bacteria. It works great for gym clothes but here is what I found out, you can use it on anything. It is color safe and does not contain any harsh chemicals. 

You can pre-soak clothes in a bathtub with enough scoops of this stuff to soak. My teens sweaty soccer practice clothes left the water disgustingly murky. After about an 8 hour soak, we washed like normal in the washing machine with more powder and our regular go to detergent. 

I got that stubborn mildew smell out of my towels and linens. Now my towels always smell fresh and clean. My bed linens smell cleaner too. I don’t even use it in every load either. I  may use it once a month or when needed. Each bag is made for 90 loads so it will last you several months. You will have clean clothes and above all, they will smell fresh and you will love that. 

2. OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain & Odor

Think sweaty stinky socks, oh my!  You want to throw them in the washer by themselves as if they were nuclear material. Well we need something to blast odor and keep stains out. 

My toddler can’t keep her slippers on and she loves walking around in socks. No matter how much I keep shoes out of the house or mop the floors, those sock bottoms get dark and nasty. It makes me cringe thinking about how she got them that way inside my own house. Trust me when I say I’m a clean floor freak. The issue here is here to stay so lets address how to battle those dirty socks.  

You can pre soak laundry in this with hot water and watch grime leach out for a shock but better clean. Or, you can use this on those wash loads that need TLC. I keep the powder version and the liquid stain remover on hand at all times. 

This detergent is chlorine free and color safe. It also works well in all washing machines. 

The powder can be used to clean stains off mostly anything, carpet, upholstery, even hard floors. Make sure you test it and read the label carefully.

3. Biz- Biz Stain & Odor Eliminator Liquid

I’ve used this liquid for almost 10 years. It’s always a good staple for laundry care. It is safe on colors and it does boost my regular detergent to fight stains and odors in clothing. 

When sorting laundry, you sometimes have a few loads that require extra care to make sure they come out clean. This is a great method for removing stains and odor from clothes you know requires the extra attention. I’ll use it on loads that essentially need a boost. Whether that be work out clothes, mens work clothes, kids play clothes or say a beach or pool day load of laundry. I am confident that adding a few caps of this will enhance my laundry to a fresh clean outcome.  I’ve used both the liquid and the powder form. Try it and let me know how this works for you.

4. Blue Dawn Dish Soap

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Remember that spaghetti stain I was telling you about? Try this. Treat the clothing article as soon as you can, the longer you wait the deeper the stain penetrates. Rinse the spot with warm water and apply two to three  drops of blue Dawn dish soap. I do this over the kitchen sink and use my dishcloth or dish scrub brush, rinse the soap out with warm water and throw it in the washer immediately. This is the perfect time to wash a load of laundry. 

Once it’s done washing and before drying it in the dryer, because the dryer will set the grease stain in deeper, check if the stain is out. If it isn’t, repeat the process. 

Dawn is used to remove petroleum oil off sea animals in the event of an oil spill, it’s gentle enough and removes grease. I always have a bottle on hand and we use it for several other purposes. It’s my holy grail for dishes. I will not use another kind of dish soap. I also use it on my tube and tiles as it’s good for removing oily residue buildup from my tubs and showers. My personal advice to the clean freak in you is to always have a bottle handy. 

5. Purex Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar

When my kids were babies, this was my holy grail for removing those nasty blow out stains off their clothes. I can’t remember how or where I came across this soap but it was recommended for baby poop blowouts. It’s a pre-treating stain remover and laundry booster so it can be used on several stains including those stubborn grass stains.  

Let me back up real quick, to my expectations before having kids…..”There is no reason my kid will have a blowout, they are going to be breastfed and will be eating fresh foods only.” Bahahaha!  That makes me cringe just knowing I had such unrealistic expectations. My children had blowouts!  That was the reality. So if you want to be prepared for the mess like I was, check this method out. This bar will help save those cute clothes from having to be tossed in the garbage. Mind you, my kids poop doesn’t gross me out too easily. With that said, this method is not for the faint of heart. 

You want to wash off, maybe even fully launder the item first. I normally rinsed with soap and water until only the stain was left. Then I used my laundry bar, in a sink of hot water and scrubbed the stain out using the bar and a small scrub brush or just my fingers. You will watch the stain disappear. Some stains were more stubborn but this had such a great success rate that I kept a special tray for my bar and brush in my laundry room. 

Now if it worked on baby poop stains then imagine all the other stains it might help you remove. When I was done, I’d toss the garment back in the wash like normal. It really did save me from tossing all sorts of baby garments away for good. 

For babies who have sensitive skin, you may want to skip out on this. My daughter was not sensitive to anything and we had 100% success in getting her blowout clothes cleaned. This stuff is powerful, so as always be aware of the product label.

Please let me know how these five tips worked for you and I hope they become a valuable staple in your laundry routine. I want these tips to help you with something all mamas dread, with inspiration to getting your freshest load of laundry as the ultimate outcome. Drop me a comment with what you liked or didn’t like and any valuable tips you might want to share. As always thank you my dear Chambamadres for reading my blog and I appreciate your support.

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