Say Goodbye to Unpleasant Clothing Odours with This Easy Method

One of life's greatest tests comes when we reach into our freshly-washed laundry basket, only to be met with the familiar stench of an old and smelly garment.

It may belong to your partner, your children, or maybe even yourself! Whatever the case may be, you’ve probably faced this problem yourself.

The truth is, some odours in clothes can seem impossible to get rid of, no matter how many times we bring out the washing powder!



But wait, members - what if we told you that a strange yet surprisingly effective cleaning trick had been making the rounds online? It might just be the thing you need to successfully eliminate unpleasant smells from our garments!

The tip was first shared on Facebook by an Australian mother who was trying to remove a nasty odour out of her son’s KFC Uniform.

The mum wrote: 'For all those mums and dads who have kids who work at KFC (and I guess other fast food chains), and cannot get the stale oil smell out of their uniforms no matter what you try.'

'I tried every combination of laundry products I could think of and none worked.'


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One of the most difficult chores is getting rid of the odour from work uniforms. Credit: Pexels/Melike Benli.



Despite numerous failed attempts, the woman did not stop looking for answers to her foul (pun intended) issue.

Now, she came up with a solution that did not only leave her son's uniform smelling great but also stain-free.

The mum said that you don't need the fortune to buy expensive and fancy laundry products to keep your uniforms smelling fresh. Just grab a couple of commonly found items around your home and you're good to go!



She wrote: 'I only used 1/2 laundry tub of hot water with one dishwasher tablet (I used Fairy) and 1/2 cup baking soda.'

Hot water is best for this trick because it softens the soap and makes it easier to extract from the cloth.

The mum then explained that she placed the uniform in the hot water and added the dishwasher tablet and baking soda.

She then let it soak for three to four hours, noting that she stirred them every hour to ensure that the concoction is mixing well with the garment.


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The mum said that the trick was successful in getting rid of the odours from her son's uniform. Credit: Pexels/Ekaterina Belinskaya.



The mum also noted that this method also works great for stains, so you might see some gross-looking water when you check on it after a few hours.

Finally, she squeezed out the excess water, and washed it on a hot cycle with a colour-safe stain removal solution, a washing pod, some grated soap (which smells amazing according to the mum), and a scent booster bead.

And voila! The KFC uniform is as good as new.



'It worked amazingly well,' she said. 'Not only did it get rid of the strong oil smell, but it also cleaned it incredibly well!'

The post captured the attention of more than 1,000 group members, with many praising the mum for her tip and expressing their excitement to use it themselves.

One person wrote: 'My daughter works at KFC! I am going to try this.'

'Where were you when I needed this back when I used to work at Macca's?' another said.

A third chimed in: 'I’m going to give that soak a go, my son also works at KFC and I’ve given up trying to make it smell nice.'



Others shared their own DIY cleaning techniques for getting rid of old or stubborn smells.

One user suggested: ‘I used to boil mine with washing powder and baking soda.’

Another shared: ‘I managed a McDonald’s store and all my girls work in there now. The best thing to wash the uniform is hot water vinegar and car wash. It has a degreaser in it that will lift it and get it out.’



Some said that, while the hack seemed to work, it is exhausting and all the effort goes to waste once they go back to work and pick up the smell again.

Some said that, while the hack seemed to work, it is exhausting and all the effort goes to waste once they go back to work and pick up the smell again.

One person wrote: ‘You do that every single time you wash them? Or only every few times? I'd just let my kids be smelly.’

Another said: ‘As an ex-Domino's employee of 10+ years. I wouldn't bother. It's so much effort for no reward.’

Key Takeaways
  • An Australian mum recently shared a cleaning hack for getting rid of strong and unpleasant odours in clothing.
  • She suggests soaking the garment in a tub of hot water with a dishwasher tablet, baking soda and Napisan or stain removal solution.
  • Other users also chipped in with their own tips, such as boiling the garment with washing powder and baking soda.
  • Some users said that the smell will come back once their son wears the uniform again at work, so it may not be worth the effort.



We certainly understand the pain of having to deal with dirty laundry. It’s annoying when they're not cleaned thoroughly and look neat. We also hate doing ‘extras’ like boiling, more washing powder, more dryer sheets and doing extra washes.

But we’re glad that this trick is simple and easy to do (especially for pieces of clothing that tend to ‘offend’ easily).

Do you know other laundry tricks to get rid of strong odours and stains on clothes? Share it with us in the comments below so other members of the SDC can use them too!
 
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If that occurs, antibacterial laundry sanitiser liquid is great. The instructions say to add it to the rinse cycle, but have found adding it with the washing liquid/powder gets a better result. My son uses it for his work clothes. As for stains on work clothes, it's too hard. As long as the clothes are clean & odour free, it's all good.
 
I certainly wouldn't be using dishwashing tablets on clothes as they contain caustic soda. Better off using baking or washing soda with Napisan.
 
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My granddaughter lives with me and worked at Maccas for 5years and that oil smell was discussing so what I used to do is spray the uniforms with eucalyptus oil spray leave for 15mins then add Vanish and softener then into the wash as normal
 
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