Can Certain Fabrics Pick Up Smells? (cut, washing, washed, scent)

[CTGirlNoMore]

First off, I am embarrassed to ask this, but I am also clueless and hope someone knows the answer, or can help.

I have had this skirt for many years (in other words, it been through the wash a time or two, LOL), but I don't know the material. I had to have it altered when I bought it and she cut down the back seam, removing the tag.

When I wash my clothes, I hang them to dry at home - inside my apartment. After all these years, this skirt suddenly smells when it starts drying and the smell stays after it dries. I wash all my clothes together in the same load, so the same detergent and fabric softener are used, and they all hang to dry in the same apartment (as in, the same surroundings/air). NONE of my other clothes wind up smelling, so it can't be the detergent, softener or the air in my house.

The only conclusion I have come to is that it's the fabric (all my other stuff is a cotton tpe material, this isn't), but it just seems strange to happen after all these years. And it's embarrassing.

Any thoughts?

[CTGirlNoMore]

Oh, and it's not a musty smell or anything - it's almost like I soaked this one skirt in pure detergent and softner. It's like a super duper overpowering smell of that. You almost can't tell, but I managed to get that much from it. And I use regular/unscented stuff.

[Peerage]

dry clean it

[shoegal111]

Try washing it in baking soda and vinegar. Let it soak in the machine for a while before the rinse cylce.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I know the sizing on some fabrics smells bad when they are first washed, but I never heard of older clothes smelling.

[Tallysmom]

If it's got polyester in it, it may hold on to scent. if there is decent stretch to the skirt, it very probably does have poly in it...

How to Remove Body Odors from Polyester Fabric | eHow.com

Use this for any odor...

As to baking soda AND vinegar? While baking soda and vinegar cause a chemical reaction, in this case it won't really work due to all the water in the wash. If you want to try baking soda and vinegar, use the vinegar in the wash, and toss the soda in the rinse to neutralize the vinegar.

I'm an bit odd here -- I know people who use vinegar in their rinses, because I can smell the vinegar. I tried it as a substitute for fabric softener -- supposedly just 1/4 of a cup will soften your clothing by really getting out all the soap -- but even at that ratio I smelled it.

I'm not alone in this...

[stepka]

Yes I have this one t-shirt and it's one of my favorites but I've begun to notice that after wearing it for a couple of hours it smells like I forgot to use deodorant that day even when I know that I did.

[cb at sea]

Yes...materials CAN hold scent! Hubby was in a band years ago and they wore these awful polyester shirts....and played for 2 weeks in a Crab Restaurant.....lordy...could NOT get the odor of seafood out of that shirt....finally, had to throw it away.

[gentlearts]

I call it polyester stink. One of the many reasons why I don't buy it.

[CTGirlNoMore]

Ahhhh, this makes sense. I bet it's a polyester type.

Bummer, cuz I really like it