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It seems to perpetually happen to me with whites. I’ll try to rewash them to get the mildew smell out and it never helps. So all my white undershirts smell like shitty mildew for a week until the next time I wash them, then they’re fine again , the cycle repeats like every two or three weeks.
Depending on what style of washing machine you have, you might need to clean the washer itself btw
Have you tried using an enzyme detergent? I find that helps substantially with that issue.
I use the enzyme detergent every 3-4 times I wash, or whenever I forget my laundry long enough for that to happen (4hrs in summer, overnight in winter). The sanitary (extra hot) cycle plus the enzyme detergent is a winning combo for me.
I will have to look into that. I usually just get the cheapest detergent in bulk at Sam's Club and don't usually think twice about it, so I don't remember ever seeing anything like that, but I'll keep an eye out for it and give it a try.
I buy mine online from dirty labs because I need fragrance free stuff, but I’ve seen scented varieties at most hardware+home goods type store (Menards, fleet farm, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc). Haven’t really looked elsewhere, but it’s all niche brands. You’ll probably need to read the ingredients to find a good one for your needs, unless you do some looking before you go or order online. The link below has info about the available enzymes and what they are used for - most detergents I’ve seen in stores have 1-3 (of 5) of them. The stuff I get has all 5 types because I’m too lazy to sort out what stains/smells are from what.
https://caringconsumer.com/products/cleaning/laundry-detergent/enzymes/
It’s a bit (very) pricy, which is why I don’t use it every washing (some exceptions like underwear and bedding always get it), but it does a pretty good job at getting rid of the oily residue that causes “stale body” smell out of undershirts/sheets, which is very noticeable when using fragrance free detergent. And ofc that sour mildew smell.
I feel like there’s either reasons or fixes for this but I can’t remember either. Top of the head theories are… vinegar and… dirty.