Laundry LifeSaver Part 2

So, in the first part of this series, I talked about the joys of homemade laundry detergent. (3 ingredients, no fragrances or unpronounceable ingredients and completely clean and soft clothes...what could be better than that?)  Now, I have a tip for an annoying laundry issue I came across this summer...that horrible musty smell that sometimes arises.

We've all experienced it.  Sometimes you might get to your load of freshly-washed towels a bit later than you intendend; before you get around to throwing them in the dryer, they smell musty.  Or, sometimes you dig something out of the very back of your closet and the smell arrests you. 

This happened to me a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out our bedroom closet.  Carl and I have lived in our condo for almost 7 years now (sheesh! Time flies...) and while I routinely pull out things I no longer wear or don't want anymore and donate them, there are the few residual items of clothing that have found their way to the back of the closet, never to again see the light of day, despite my frequent weedings-out.  I finally pulled out all the old stuff and decided it obviously needed to be washed before I could donate it. 

Typically, you would use bleach to get rid of mildew and odd stains or smells.  Clearly, you can't do that with a load of clothes.  Knowing that vinegar is a disinfectant, I added one cup to the washing cycle....voila!! All mustiness was totally gone....naturally, to boot!

I now keep a ginormous container of vinegar in the laundry room and periodically add it to my laundry when it first goes in.  In the middle of summer, humidity like we frequently experience can often lead to increased musty smells.  I like throwing it in there to prevent any musty smells from emerging.  Plus, vinegar softens laundry (Megan adds it during the rinse cycle of her laundry instead of fabric softener) and I notice increased softness from using it at the beginning of the cycle, too.

Once again, vinegar is truly amazing and I am so surprised at how often I use it around the house....uses as varied as conditioning my hair with it as a rinse to putting it in my laundry to get rid of mustiness!! Vinegar is awesome!