We always want our favorite blanket to always be clean and smelling good, but how to get the smell out of the blanket in case it gets caught in odors that bother us. Not only that, if this phenomenon continues, it can lead to mold.
Not only damage your blanket but also seriously affect your health. In addition to being irritating, mold is also potentially hazardous to respiratory health. To get rid of those lingering odors in our laundry – and to prevent any unhealthy side effects from coming into contact with our skin – we need to understand where they come from and what works against them.
In this article we will help you to point out the common causes of this annoying phenomenon and the specific remedies in each case. So read on to find the best solution for your blanket!
Contents
1. How to Keep a Blanket Smelling Fresh
Before learning how to remove unpleasant odors from the blanket, we should know how to keep the blanket clean and fragrant. We believe prevention is so much better than waiting until your blankets stink to find a solution.
After a period of use your blanket can accumulate sweat and body oils which can produce a slight odor. If you sleep with it every night, it can happen so slowly that you won’t notice it for a while and when stored in large quantities it will cause unpleasant odors and even mold.
That’s why it’s so helpful to schedule regular laundry detergents as it not only ensures your blankets stay clean and smell good but also avoids respiratory illnesses caused by mold. So you should have the plan to wash your bed sheets every month on a fixed date so you don’t forget them.
Here are some tips to keep your blankets smelling good:
Store blankets in a cool, dry place away from moisture or moisture to prevent them from smelling musty.
After washing the blanket, you should not put the blanket in a plastic bag. I know that putting it in a plastic bag is very convenient but it has the disadvantage that they are not breathable. Instead, choose a cloth bag to protect the blanket from dust and the blanket to keep a certain amount of ventilation.
When storing blankets, place blankets on wire shelves instead of wooden ones because these shelves have holes that allow ventilation, helping to reduce odors.
You can place scented bags filled with dried lavender or cinnamon sticks in the blanket storage area so that the blanket always has a pleasant floral scent every time you take it out. You can also place drying sheets between blankets to prevent blanket contact.
This can prevent the spread of mold if a blanket is unfortunately moldy or smelly. Do not use mothballs because it has a strong, irritating scent when we come into contact with the blanket.
2. The Safest And Most Effective Smelly Or Moldy Blanket Cleaners
2.1. White Vinegar
The safest and most effective laundry detergents to remove odors are white vinegar. This material is very popularly used by laundromats to remove stubborn stains, even mold, without affecting the texture of the fabric. In addition, it also helps to remove hard water and detergent buildup on clothes.
Many people use white vinegar in the rinse cycle (instead of fabric softener) because it’s safe on many fabrics and helps protect their blankets from damage.
To use white vinegar most effectively, you should fill the fabric softener you use often and select the appropriate wash cycle. Then add one cup of vinegar per wash for top loaders, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup for front loaders. After the clothes or blankets are taken out of the washing machine, the odor or mold will quickly disappear.
2.2. Baking Soda
Another classic deodorant that can’t be missed on this list is baking soda. You can sprinkle baking soda directly on your clothes when you put them in the washing machine.
We recommend using about 1/4 to 1/2 cups of baking soda per wash for the best cleaning and deodorizing effect. In addition, after using baking powder, it does not cause an unpleasant smell on blankets or clothes.
2.3. Enzyme Odor Removers
Because body odor is the main cause of our children’s clothes or blankets having an unpleasant smell, even worse, mold will appear. To get rid of unpleasant body odors, I recommend trying an enzymatic cleanser. In addition, enzymatic cleaners are also extremely effective at removing pet urine odors.
3. Instructions To Remove Odors On Clothes
3.1. Sweat
Underarm odor on your shirt can be caused by outdoor activities or the gym. Although sweat doesn’t have an odor on its own, an interaction between bacteria and secretions from your apocrine glands is what causes it. unpleasant smell.
Also, the type of fabric you’re wearing can make the problem worse. With synthetic materials, there will be more unpleasant odors than with natural materials like cotton
- First, Unpack
Clothes should not be stored in tightly packed gym bags or baskets that can encourage bacteria to grow. Take them out instead, shake them out, and let air come in contact with them until you’re ready to wash them.
- Next, Pretreat
If regular washing doesn’t remove the odor, soak your clothes for half an hour in a 1:4 solution of vinegar and water.
Another effective natural method is to pre-soak 1/2 cup of baking soda in a tub filled with water.
Then wash the blanket as usual or dry it as directed on the label.
3.2. Foot Odor
Smelly feet caused by foot sweat are also one of the reasons why your blanket has unpleasant odors. This odor is created when bacteria break down sweat and dead skin cells on your feet.
Here are two ways to get rid of foot odor:
- Treat Your Feet
We should practice good foot hygiene every day by washing and drying before going to bed. To minimize sweating, you should wear moisture-wicking socks (even in winter). In addition, daily cleaning of footwear should be done by using anti-fungal and antiperspirant sprays
- Soak Your Socks
The second way to get rid of unpleasant foot odor is to treat your laundry, especially your socks so that they are clean.
If foot odor still clings to your socks after washing and drying, try soaking the smelly socks in vinegar water:
Use 2 cups of white vinegar per gallon of water and soak the socks for 30 minutes. Then rinsing out the vinegar and washing, as usual, can significantly reduce unpleasant odors.
3.3. Vomit
As a first step and as a guideline 9Blanket recommends that you protect your health by wearing gloves before cleaning up vomit or other body fluids.
Vomiting is a protein stain. The first step to removing odors is to scrape off any solids and dispose of them in a separate bag so they don’t get sifted elsewhere. Then rinse the blanket in cold water to remove the particles, then wash as usual.
If the manufacturer’s care instructions allow for it, dry it so that the microscopic particles in the fabric are completely removed. After washing the blanket and the smell persists, pre-treat the smelly patches with a mixture of baking soda and water.
Leave the mixture on the fabric for 30 minutes before a second machine wash. After two washes, any vomit as well as unpleasant odors will hit or return the original cleanliness and aroma of the blanket to you.
Our best articles:
- How To Knit A Blanket On Circular Needles
- How To Block A Crochet Blanket
- How To Fix Sunbeam Electric Blanket Blinking