Korean Job Discussion Forums

[AbbeFaria]

At first I thought it was because I must have left it in there too long but lately, even if I take it out within the hour I still smell the mold. I don't remember this being a problem last time, but it's been awhile. Any tips? Am I just supposed soak everything in Febreeze?

-S-

[djsmnc]

You need Affresh. It's better than the other leading brands.

[andrew]

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[Goku]

You live in Pohang so there's a possibility the sea salts are getting in there if you go down to the beach often.

Sea smells are exceedingly difficult to get rid off. Soaking them overnight doesn't do the trick either.

The only thing that has moderately worked is repeated washing and using a dryer with a fabric softener.

In the case of Korea you might have to bring it to dry cleaning

[Lolimahro]

If you have the time, you can try boiling your laundry. My homestay mom used to boil her white laundry to take out stains and remove odors.

you can mix a little bit of dishwasher detergent (powdered stuff), oxyclean, or whatever in the water. boil laundry for 2~3 hours. Check back every 1/2 hour or so to make sure that the water hasn't evaporated too much and to stir the laundry around a bit. Then put in a regular wash cycle to get the laundry extra clean.

This is what I do with my little boy's onesies and cloth diapers to keep them from looking gray and dingy. It's truly old school, but it works!

[korian]

i never thought the day would arrive in my life where i gave out domestic cleaning advice but hallelujah here we are. i too had some issues with mould and clothing smelling a bit on the funky side despite repeated washings. did some searching and came up with an answer that works beautifully.

just buy some white vinegar (normal vinegar is fine). put 3/4 of a cup (i used a rice cup) of vinegar in the washing machine with your clothes - no washing liquid. wash the clothes on normal cycle. when done, do another cycle with normal washing liquid then hang out to dry.

it's worked an absolute treat for me on a few pieces of clothing that were not responding to anything. absolutely great.

for the doubters just type in vinegar and mold/mould into google and you will see the results.

[nicam]

I wonder if this is an issue with certain machines, or settings on machines. Laundry from my house has always smelled fresh and clean, but when I moved in with my boyfriend (granted, he did the laundry, but it didn't matter how soon he took the clothes out) the freshly washed things would ALWAYS smell sour and moldy. No matter what.

I guess the detergent brand could make a difference too, but...

Maybe you could have a Korean look at your machine to navigate the settings, etc.

[nottina]

I have the same problem and our machine is brand new. I try to do very small loads and use lots of space on the drying rack. I miss towels that smell fresh out of the dryer.

[Jane]

If the washing machine is smelling, make sure the door is kept open when you are not washing clothes (particularly for front loaders)

If clothes end up molding before they have time to dry, take them out as soon as they are washed and hang, preferably one article per two rails of the drying rack. Have the A/C on to reduce moisture in the air and a fan can help if you direct it on the clothes.

Jeans are always trouble, so what I do is hang them above the outdoor part of the A/C unit (mine's indoors on balcony)...the hot air from it drys jeans really quickly.

For towels, wash with hot water, and hand over two rails for the drying rack. That has always worked for me. If that doesn't work, add a little bleach (there's a slot for it on the washing machine), and that should take care of that!

[Kikomom]

What Korian said... plain white vinegar. Try running a cup of bleach thru a empty wash cycle to kill whatever's in the machine, then add about a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle when you're doing a load.

Vinegar will help restore the absorbency and freshen your towels too.

[ajmg8808]

Yes, Vinegar and Bleach are awesome. Also after you have rinsed out the machine, if you don't use fabric softener, try some. I ran out and had to wash some without it and they smelled different. I think the smells in the softener stick better than the detergents. I also think the problem is that you don't have a dryer. I hate not having a dryer here, more lint and hair stick around.

[nuthatch]

use air conditioner in your space when drying clothes

[AbbeFaria]

I'll give the bleach and vinegar a shot. The smell primarily seems to stick to my jeans and towels. Usually the shirts are fine. Thanks for all the tips.

-S-

[blade]

Put oxyclean in your machine and your cloths will be clean.

[blade]

Put oxyclean in your machine and your clothes will be clean.