Trying to get a detergent to remove odor out of clothing. Any advice?

I remember those partially frozen towels before I gave up hauling the laundry outside to dry! But the clothes most certainly did sell soooo fresh.

GardenArtist, ah yes frozen clothes on the clothes lines :)

My Mom only used her dryer for a few minutes on each load of clothes, then she would pile the damp clothes into the laundry basket and take them down into the basement to hang on the clothes lines. She did this up into her mid 90's.

Next time I try to wash her clothes [using the suggestions above] I will try a lower heat on the dryer. Half I am donating, I just want them to smell fresh.

I think cider vinegar, the eating kind, such as in the anti-arthritis mix of cider vinegar and honey, wouldn't be appropriate but the white vinegar would be used for clothing, although clothes smelling of cider wouldn't be too bad.

If the clothes are synthetic, it may be harder to get the odor out as I've noticed that some of the synthetic blends just don't clean that well, especially if stains have set, and it maybe that odors set in synthetics the same way.

Another factor may be that dryers have set in the stains. I was reading up about getting mildew stains out of some blankets I had used in the car and learned that. I don't use a dryer; everything I have is air dried (to reduce my carbon footprint) but I do recall that dryers can set stains.

Good old fashioned sunlight could help, but not at this time of the year - too cold to be hanging clothes out!

Excellent tip on the vinegar! I have a front loader and the water never completely drains sometimes causing a musty, moldy smell. I'm picking up a few jugs of vinegar tomorrow. Thanks!

White, the kind you can get in the gallon jug! It also will clean your washer while you are at it! I use it to kill the funny smell our washer gets because mom uses TOO much detergent!

Pam, is that white vinegar or the apple cider vinegar?

Oops, make that 20-Mule Team. Maybe the smaller box is 12 LOL.

Vinegar? It works for alot of things, and the smell goes away once its rinsed. Can't hurt and it;s cheap!

Ah, good old fashioned 12-Mule Team Borax, forgot I had a box of that in the basement. Will give it a try, thanks :)

Wash the clothes with a non-scented detergent and a cup of Borax or Baking Soda. Then run them through a second cycle of just water. Make sure the laundry tubs are draining quickly so the wash water doesn't back siphon and return to the washing machine.