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Right now, I suffer bout after bout of laundry amnesia. Laundry amnesia occurs during the middle of a washing machine cycle and causes me to forget to put the fresh, clean, wet laundry into the dryer.
I am very good at starting the laundry. When I hear the washing machine start swishing, I feel smug and accomplished. I am getting thinnngs dooonnnne.
But somewhere between smug and accomplished, I get forget to put the clothes in the dryer.
Unfortunately, laundry amnesia can lead to a Laundry Situation. For me, this happens most often when we are living in two places because by the time I remember, I am usually nowhere near the washing machine with the wet laundry.
What is a Laundry Situation?
A Laundry Situation occurs when a wet load of laundry is left in the washing machine too long. The result is a mildewed, soured load of clothes and a washing machine that’s taking on a funk of its own.
The Solution: Downy Sport Odor Defense
A couple of years ago, GymGirl started wearing neoprene ankle supports. By the end of practice, these supports were so sweaty and gross that I kind of gagged when I had to touch them. No matter what I washed them in, the stench remained.
I tried spraying them with one of the travel-size bottles of Febreze that I keep everywhere--cars, suitcases, and my GymMom bag.
My husband suggested spraying them with foot spray.
I tried spraying them down with a vinegar and water solution.
I tried using vinegar in the wash cycle.
I tried soaking the supports in a vinegar and water before we washed them.
Nothing worked.
One afternoon a hockey mom overheard me complaining about the smell and told me about Downy Sport Odor Defense.
“It works,” she said in a voice so somber that I wondered how close she had been to burning her kid’s hockey gear for the greater good.
I stopped at Target and bought my own Downy Sport Odor Defense--essentially a plastic container of green beads that get tossed into the washing machine. I wasn't that impressed because I considered this product to be a marketing ploy to get us to buy yet another laundry product. But desperate times and all.
I tried Downy Sport Odor Defense that night, and it worked! The ankle supports didn't stink! It was a laundry miracle!
But, could Downy Sport Odor Defense work on a Laundry Situation?
Yes!
During this latest round of living apart, I have perfected my method of dealing with a Laundry Situation (mostly laundry left in the washing machine at the NewHouse while I visited the OldHouse).
This is my process, and it works really well on smelly sports gear, smelly laundry left in the machine too long, and a rogue, wet beach towel forgotten in the trunk of a car:
Washing Smelly Sports Gear
If the sports gear hasn't been sitting and mildewing in a gym back for three days, using Downy Sport Odor Defense, is easy. Simply toss in a half a cap full into the regular wash cycle. Wash and dry as usual. Set a timer for the length of the wash cycle if you are prone to laundry amnesia.
I started doing this with my husband's workout clothes, too, and they never have any lingering "gym" smell.
Forever Fixing a Laundry Situation
If things are really bad, you may need multiple steps to recover from a Laundry Situation.
Start with a vinegar rinse. I add 1/2 cup of cleaning vinegar like this one (but don't buy this one. It's too expensive. A jug of cleaning vinegar often less than $2 at the grocery store. After you add the vinegar, run the load of laundry through a rinse cycle.
Next, use the regular wash cycle with regular detergent and add about half a cap full of Downy Sport Odor Defense beads.
Set a timer for the length of the wash cycle as a reminder to move clothes from the washer to the dryer.
Downy Sport Dryer Tip
I love the Downy Sport scent so much that I became disappointed when our dryer sheets would overpower its clean, fresh scent. I now use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, and the load comes out smelling great.
How do you clean smelly gym gear or recover from a Laundry Situation?
My husband suggested spraying them with foot spray.
I tried spraying them down with a vinegar and water solution.
I tried using vinegar in the wash cycle.
I tried soaking the supports in a vinegar and water before we washed them.
Nothing worked.
One afternoon a hockey mom overheard me complaining about the smell and told me about Downy Sport Odor Defense.
“It works,” she said in a voice so somber that I wondered how close she had been to burning her kid’s hockey gear for the greater good.
I stopped at Target and bought my own Downy Sport Odor Defense--essentially a plastic container of green beads that get tossed into the washing machine. I wasn't that impressed because I considered this product to be a marketing ploy to get us to buy yet another laundry product. But desperate times and all.
I tried Downy Sport Odor Defense that night, and it worked! The ankle supports didn't stink! It was a laundry miracle!
But, could Downy Sport Odor Defense work on a Laundry Situation?
Yes!
During this latest round of living apart, I have perfected my method of dealing with a Laundry Situation (mostly laundry left in the washing machine at the NewHouse while I visited the OldHouse).
This is my process, and it works really well on smelly sports gear, smelly laundry left in the machine too long, and a rogue, wet beach towel forgotten in the trunk of a car:
Washing Smelly Sports Gear
If the sports gear hasn't been sitting and mildewing in a gym back for three days, using Downy Sport Odor Defense, is easy. Simply toss in a half a cap full into the regular wash cycle. Wash and dry as usual. Set a timer for the length of the wash cycle if you are prone to laundry amnesia.
I started doing this with my husband's workout clothes, too, and they never have any lingering "gym" smell.
Forever Fixing a Laundry Situation
If things are really bad, you may need multiple steps to recover from a Laundry Situation.
Start with a vinegar rinse. I add 1/2 cup of cleaning vinegar like this one (but don't buy this one. It's too expensive. A jug of cleaning vinegar often less than $2 at the grocery store. After you add the vinegar, run the load of laundry through a rinse cycle.
Next, use the regular wash cycle with regular detergent and add about half a cap full of Downy Sport Odor Defense beads.
Set a timer for the length of the wash cycle as a reminder to move clothes from the washer to the dryer.
Downy Sport Dryer Tip
I love the Downy Sport scent so much that I became disappointed when our dryer sheets would overpower its clean, fresh scent. I now use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, and the load comes out smelling great.
How do you clean smelly gym gear or recover from a Laundry Situation?
