Consumer champions at Which? have shared a simple hack to tackle stubborn stains and unpleasant odours in laundry: pre-soaking items in baking soda. The product costs 59p at Morrisons and 65p at Aldi, and is also known as bicarbonate of soda.
How to use baking soda for laundry
Which? advises people to "pre-soak any smelly items" before putting them in the machine. The guidance says: "If your laundry basket is full of grass-stained rugby kit or sweaty gym gear, the chances are it's already not smelling its best. Rather than chucking these items straight into the machine, give them a good soak beforehand to help minimise the chance of odours clinging on through the wash."
The recommended method is to dissolve half a cup of baking soda in a basin of warm water, soak the garments for half an hour, and then wash them in the machine as normal. Particularly smelly items can be soaked for longer if necessary.
Alternative and other uses
If baking soda is not available, white vinegar can be used instead. The consumer experts reassure that this "works well too". Use a 1:4 vinegar-to-water mix and follow the same method, rinsing everything thoroughly before it goes into the drum, as the acidity could damage the machine.
Baking brand Dr Oetker notes that baking soda is not just for cooking: "It's also great for tackling all kinds of tasks around the home thanks to its alkali properties." Suggested uses include mixing bicarbonate of soda with vinegar to create a kitchen cleaning spray, making a paste with lemon juice to remove grease from an oven, adding a scoop to the washing machine to get rid of stains, and placing some in an open bowl in the fridge to eliminate odours.
What to avoid and next steps
Which? warns that repeatedly adding fabric conditioner can actually make clothes smell worse over time. It can leave a residue on fabrics that accumulates, making it harder for detergent to soak in and clean clothes properly. It can also "trap" odours by creating a coating over the top of them, making them much trickier to shift for good.
Once washing is done, clothes should be hung up straight away. Leaving items to sit in a warm, damp drum for hours after the cycle ends can lead to unpleasant smells, especially for fabrics like cotton and wool that retain moisture longer. Which? states: "The general rule is that a few hours is the limit before you'll need to wash the items again, but in an ideal world, you'd remove your clean items as soon as possible when the cycle ends. The delay-start setting on your machine could come in handy here, allowing you to schedule a load to finish when you'll have time to handle it."
