Freshening up stale linens for holiday guests?

[Halftime Hope]

Aside from washing in hot water, anyone have a sure-fire way to get the "stored away too long" smell out of linens that are used infrequently?  I have some good quality queen and king sheets that I don't want to discard, nor do I want to replace with new sheets. 

 

Help??

 

TIA!!

 

ETA:  I realize now that the way I wrote this made it sound like I wanted something less than washing them.  Nope, it's going to take more than a simple wash to get the "stale" smell out of them.   Thanks!

Edited November 27, 2016 by Halftime Hope

[regentrude]

hang outside on a clothesline for a day

[melbotoast]

I run them through the dryer with a dryer sheet.

[AK_Mom4]

if it's just the dry "stored-too-long" smell, I run them through the dryer with a damp towel.

 

But if it's actually the damp "might be mildew" smell, I run them through 2-3 hot water washes and cross my fingers.

[Laurie4b]

hang outside on a clothesline for a day

 

I agree. Nothing better than fresh air. I dry all my linens that way. Mmmm. They smell so good. 

[VaKim]

If they're just stale, just run them through the wash, as usual. I never put sheets on my bed that haven't just been washed due to that stale smell they seem to get in just a few weeks on the shelf. Yuck. 

[Shellydon]

Why wouldn't you just wash them? 

[ktgrok]

I actually like that stale smell. I'm weird. 

[Halftime Hope]

^{Naw, these are going to have to soak in hot detergent water, get washed, get re-washed, and then maybe soak in vinegar and borax, get a final wash, and then go out on the line to dry.  They do not smell good, and it's a combination of linen closet, old body oil, and time.  I always wash things before putting them in the linens bins, but that wasn't enough, apparently.}

 

^{(I made up that list of steps, but I think it will require some serious laundering to get them clean.)}

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kitten18]

^{Naw, these are going to have to soak in hot detergent water, get washed, get re-washed, and then maybe soak in vinegar and borax, get a final wash, and then go out on the line to dry. They do not smell good, and it's a combination of linen closet, old body oil, and time. I always wash things before putting them in the linens bins, but that wasn't enough, apparently.}

 

^{(I made up that list of steps, but I think it will require some serious laundering to get them clean.)}

I would dump some Odo-ban in the wash with them. Let them soak with that for a little bit. Then rewash with regular detergent if you want to get rid of the Odo-ban smell.

[ktgrok]

What color are they? Can you bleach them a bit?

[Alessandra]

Mistolin? It's a laundry additive, comes in various scents. Lavender would work for sheets.

 

Mrs Meyers also has a line of lavender scents for laundry. Plus there are some more upscale brands whose names I cannot recall.

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/5-ways-to-get-great-smelling-l-132214

Edited November 27, 2016 by Alessandra

[SparklyUnicorn]

Geesh I think after all that I'd just buy new sheets.  I wonder if storing them in those bags where you suck all the air out would help in the future.

 

I think you have to be careful with going too crazy with scents.  Some people don't like strong flowery scents. 

[wapiti]

I would wash with detergent and a cup or more of baking soda.  Let soak for a bit at the start.  Also use liquid fabric softener.  (FWIW, I only use non-scented detergents and fabric softeners - I hate when fabrics carry detergent scents!)  Then line dry.  (In our yard with no clothesline, I'd just throw it over the backs of the patio chairs - it's so dry here it'll be ready in a couple hours.)

 

When I was growing up, I always liked that smell, but maybe it had something to do with the particular house/closet (in the Northeast).  Here out west, I don't like the smell of the sheets sitting in our hall closet.

 

Alternatively, I have come to appreciate the cotton sateen sheets from Costco :)

Edited November 27, 2016 by wapiti

[ktgrok]

what detergent do you use? If it is a natural one, I'd pick up a small bottle of Tide. 

[Nan in Mass]

I wash the sheets, then line-dry them, preferably on a sunny day. That always has worked for me.

 

Nan

[Halftime Hope]

Thanks for all the suggestions. 

 

I may indeed end up throwing the sheets away, but I want to try to see if I can make them serviceable.  They are not worn out or even thin, and they have a beautiful soft, smooth finish to the fabric, nicer than any other sateen sheets I've ever had.  I got them from Overstock a number of years ago, and they have no maker tags.  :-(

 

Again, many thanks, I'll try some of the suggestions!

 

 

[Myra]

Please be aware of your guest's allergies.  One visit to my parents' house resulted in a severe allergy attack by my then 5 year old son.  In the middle of the night, he woke up gasping for breath.   The reason - my mom put a dryer sheet inside each of the pillow cases to "freshen" .   She just wasn't thinking even though she just washed all the linens with fragrant-free and dye-free detergent since she knew of my son's allergies!   After making a 3-hour detour in the middle of the night to the emergency room, it is a holiday we'll never forget!

 

Myra

[Halftime Hope]

Please be aware of your guest's allergies.  One visit to my parents' house resulted in a severe allergy attack by my then 5 year old son.  In the middle of the night, he woke up gasping for breath.   The reason - my mom put a dryer sheet inside each of the pillow cases to "freshen" .   She just wasn't thinking even though she just washed all the linens with fragrant-free and dye-free detergent since she knew of my son's allergies!   After making a 3-hour detour in the middle of the night to the emergency room, it is a holiday we'll never forget!

 

Myra

 

Agreed.  I didn't want to offend anyone who was kind enough to post, but fragrancey things are a no go in my household due to dh's asthma.  Interestingly enough, essential oils don't bother him, so if I wanted to wash with some lavender, I probably could.   But honestly, that's a waste of good lavender!  :-)

[hornblower]

I'm lol'ing at the suggestion to line dry outside "It has rained almost every day for two months in Vancouver"   :laugh: 

Just so happens, dh & I just tackled a clean out & reorganization of our linen closets this afternoon & we have a tip: keep those silly plastic cases the store sells bedlinens in & use them for storage. If you store washed things in those, they don't get the musty smell. Your linen closets will look a bit weird, like an overstock display cabinet, but it really works. All the stuff we had kept in those (which we did because they were going in the basement & I was worried about moisture or the occasional mouse invader) were pristine & ready for use. All the stuff in the upstairs linen closet, which was just all unpacked and stacked, was musty and needed washing. 

[LucyStoner]

I'm lol'ing at the suggestion to line dry outside "It has rained almost every day for two months in Vancouver" :laugh:

 

Just so happens, dh & I just tackled a clean out & reorganization of our linen closets this afternoon & we have a tip: keep those silly plastic cases the store sells bedlinens in & use them for storage. If you store washed things in those, they don't get the musty smell. Your linen closets will look a bit weird, like an overstock display cabinet, but it really works. All the stuff we had kept in those (which we did because they were going in the basement & I was worried about moisture or the occasional mouse invader) were pristine & ready for use. All the stuff in the upstairs linen closet, which was just all unpacked and stacked, was musty and needed washing.

as a PNW girl, same here. No one dries their laundry out of doors in November here.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wash the sheets, then line-dry them, preferably on a sunny day. That always has worked for me.

 

Nan

 

Oh how I long for a sunny day.  *sigh*