How do you get the rancid smell of elderly diarrhea out of clothes?

Let the nursing home do Dads laundry .
That is where I drew the line . I did not take home rancid smelling clothes . That smell tends to stay on the synthetic polyester type pants. I used to only take home some of Moms delicate blouses or sweaters so they didn’t shrink them . Mom used to keep them separate from her other laundry (until her dementia got worse ) .

I bought Mom cheap black sweatpants with a wider leg in Wal mart and Amazon ( whoever had them in stock ) and hemmed them to look like regular pants . ( mom was very short ) . She loved that they looked like regular pants and kept her warm and were easy to get on . She never tucked in her shirts anyway , so nobody really knew they were sweatpants . ( Mom was concerned about that because she was a fashion diva) . If some got lost or ruined at least they were cheap .

It took my husband a full day to take our washing machine out to the garage, take it apart to clean it properly, reassemble it, and bring it back into the laundry room. I can't tell you the sludge we found in there, it was mind bogglingly disgusting. And we do not wash poopy clothing. Only heavily soiled work clothes covered in dried mud mostly scraped off, which is why I have a heavy duty washer. Our clothes were coming out of the washer smelling like old sponges. "Washing machine cleaner" products DO NOT remove sludge that is trapped between the washer barrel with the holes and the unit that HOLDS the barrel.

Throw the clothes out and buy new ones, it'll save you a giant, nasty headache in the long run.

1. Make sure to rinse off any poop that's still on the clothes before putting them in the laundry machine—you don't want those particles getting stuck inside your washer. Rinse them outdoors if you can.

2. Then wash the clothes using a combo of lemon juice (1/3 cup mixed with 2/3 cup water—don't dump straight lemon juice on the clothes as it can discolor some fabrics), white vinegar (1/2 cup), baking soda (1/2cup) plus laundry detergent and wash on the highest heat the clothes can stand. You can also pre-soak any stains with the vinegar and baking soda mix (without lemon juice!). This mixture can also work on getting the smell out of your machine, if you run it without clothes.

3. Also if possible and depending on the time of year, a half hour to an hour in direct sunlight.

This combo, minus the sun because I live in a foggy area, helped with a particularly terrible smelling vomit smell that refused to come out of my son's clothing, bedding and rug.

Spare yourself and your washing machine. Toss them and buy new ones in bulk. By the time you buy products to kill the smell and stains, and run a wash cycle so many times, you’ve spent as much time, money, and effort to negate the cost of new ones. Amazon or WalMart sells in bulk.

There’s situations to pinch pennies; this is not one of them.

POOPH?

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Get any of the products listed for "pet accidents" that will have enzymes to break down the waste products - and their smells.

Run washing machine with Ammonia, bleach and a small amount of laundry detergent. Use sanitize level if you have it. Smell should be gone.

I agree with " toss the pants". Perhaps replace with less expensive sweats , something that can also be tossed out if needed w/ o forfeiting too much investment.

Speak with your father and his care team at the facility to be sure that he is being provided and, is complying with use of appropriate incontinent supplies.

I find that doing a pre hand washing and soaking has helped. I never put in washer soiled. I spray with oxi clean and soak. Then I add soap give a quick hand wash and then wash out in washing machine.
Sounds like you now need to get a cleaner for your machine

Texascowgal08: Toss the pants. Run the washer in a very hot water cycle several times. If a front loader, make sure to wipe down EVERYTHING including rubber gasketing.

Good Evening,

I would get rid of the pants and start over.

You could try laundry detergent and vinegar with baking soda for future washings. This also works with athletic clothing.

Try to find him the same pair of pants but don't tell him. You can find everything online these days.

You should have just thrown the pants in the garbage and go out and buy new ones for your dad.

Add baking soda to 4 cups of vinegar. Then run it thru on a hot cycle. Good luck.

OxiClean and Borax are always by my washer.

And I see that BenchmarkKid beat me to suggesting Nok Out. They also offer it in hospital-grade Sniper as well. Buy by the gallon online from their website.

Odo Ban from Home Depot. Don’t dilute, just pour a couple ounces in washer.

Nok Out is a product we order online. Use on dog when skunked but will remove any odor. Heard it was used in morgues.

I have taken sheets and clothes outside, sprayed them with spot remover and disinfectants (there are some for pet stains), hosed them down until clean, let them dry outside before putting them into washing machine. Then used oxyclean along with detergent. There have been some I discarded in plastic bags if they were too bad.

Bonfire in the backyard.

We pour vinegar on pee and poop spots, clothes, pads, bed linens, as a part of the normal process then let it soak for an hour minimum can be much longer. Then I follow the same recommendations Burnt does, oxyclean, detergent, 20 Mule team soak if needed. On my laundry I always use white vinegar in the rinse rather than fabric softener or bleach and do so at Moms when I’m here too (I don’t think anyone else does this with Moms stuff). We also don’t use dryer sheets as they create a film on the fabrics that end up holding on to scents, white vinegar helps rinse that and detergent away. My mom is sensitive to scent so she only likes unscented detergent and I do like squeezing in some regular Tide here and there.

How about using Pooph spray?

The answer depends on the style and size of the washing machine. As mentioned clean the washer monthly with a cleaner designed for your machine. Also, clean after any stinky mess is washed. I am chemically sensitive so I have a subscription to a green company that sends everything I need to handle Mom's poop and pee stains. I have a process of dunking in the toilet, doing a short cycle with detergent and Borax, then treating with my fav enzyme spray, Dreft for baby, then long, hot cycle with detergent and oxy. Sometimes I pull out the washing board and Feels Naptha to get the detergent into the fabric. Often I soak overnight in enzymes, oxy, and hottest water to kill the bacteria. Usually the pee clothes get 3 washes and poopy get at least four. If the fabric is a dense knit, you will just have to dispose of them, unless they were washed promptly. Be extra careful to not lay soiled clothes next to the regular laundry. It contaminates everything and makes extra work. I have a system of dish pans in Mom's laundry room. Products to have on hand always: quality detergent that doesn't cause skin rashes, oxy powder, Fels Naptha bar, enzyme pretreatment spray or powder, Borax (to kill bacteria), Lysol fabric rinse, washboard or fabric brushes

Pooph?

there is a product called Odor Ban and it works great on odors in the air and on hard surfaces as well as on / in clothing. (I still buy this stuff, it is great for general cleaning, sanitizing and an air freshener, I buy it by the gallon at Sam's)
This should work well for taking care of both the washing machine as well as the clothes.

Sometimes, if things WERE washing improperly, and then put in the dryer, that odor is kind of baked in. Especially in the case of better=living-with-chemistry-blends of clothing with some lycra or some polyester. These will basically be throw aways in some cases, as each time they go into the dryer it bakes stuff in more. If good hot water, detergent and vinegar didn't do it I doubt you will have a whole lot of luck with other stuff. Just my guess. Should you find the solution DO post it to us.

A few more things. If clothes are badly soiled.. stuff stuck on them.
remove as much as possible. Swish in toilet to move sticky stuff.

then spray SHOUT on stain, then wash as directed in the posts..

you will discover which solutions work best for you! Good luck!

GROCERY LIST::

OXY CLEAN
BORAX
TIDE.

sometimes I use downy fabric softener for fragrance, but I only add a little.. I think it may break down some materials.

Burnt caretaker has the solution I used when I had a baby and had to get the bad stains out. Over 20 years ago..

babysitter was shocked how clean the clothes were..,

BEST THING I EVER USED.

The first product you need to buy is OxyClean washing machine cleaner. Washing machines have to be regularly cleaned on a scheduled basis or clothes will stink that are washed in them.

I used to use a detergent called '20 Mule Team' borax soap powder with some Tide powder mixed in then do a double rinse.

If a wash is extra nasty, fill the machine with the hottest water it can. Add the 20 Mule Team and the Tide. Let that dissolve. Soak the load for several hours or overnight. Then drain the water, add the soaps again and put the wash cycle on - extra hot. I find that nothing worked as well as this.
I was an in-home caregiver for 25 years, so I've tried every combination of every kind of detergent.

If you have a newer (he) washing machine with no agitator, you can't use the powdered detergents directly. Dissolve them in a half-gallon of hot water first and you can.

For things like towels, sheets, and chux pads I always went Tide powder and old-school bleach in hot water.

I feel after a couple of washes if the odor is still there the clothes need to be thrown away. Do not put in dryer until the clothes are completely clean. Feces contaminated clothes should be washed right away and the washer sanitized with vinegar & baking soda.

Is Dad wearing disposable underwear?
Buy Dad replacement clothes from the thrift store. It will be much more affordable.

There are many 'clean your washing machine' products on the market. I'd try a well known brand.

I think if I'd washed the clothes twice, in warm water & the smell or stains lingered - into the bin they'd go.

I'd try cheaper elastic waist pants until all traces of the gastro infection cleared up.

Then I would be looking into having the facility wash the clothes. Take any woollens or more special items only home to wash.

Buy lots of pants and throw out all feces stained ones. It's going to be expensive but cheaper than replacing your washing machine.

If this is going to be a regular occurrence dad will need to be less picky about his clothes.