Had trouble with my machine. Ended up buying a new one. The clothes kept smelling, so I washed them without softener and sprayed them down with cleaning alcohol when I hanged them to dry. Smell is gone now

The mildew is likely not in your clothes, it's in the washer, which contaminates them every time you run it. If you leave the washer closed immediately after unloading it stays damp and grows stuff. Does the inside of the washer drum (while empty) smell bad?

If top load, fill washer as much as you can with warm/hot water and shut it off. Treat it with a fuckton of bleach, mix it and let it sit 30 minutes then drain and run a rinse cycle. If it's a side load washer fill it with bleach and let it run without clothes.

Always empty clothes immediately after the wash cycle is finished, even letting them set 15min can begin to increase mold/mildew.

This would be a good crosspost for !cleanit@slrpnk.net I did just add the laundry section to the wiki. I don't think it fully answers your question though.

Your last paragraph makes me think you really need to run a washing machine clean cycle with a washing machine cleaner in it a few times.

Are you drying inside or outside? If inside, you may need to clean any vents/fans/aircons in that room.

Airflow is also important if not using something like a dehumidifier.

If you have space in your shower stall/tub to fit a portable washing machine, it's worth it. I'm in a similar situation to you with this and bought one a few years back and it's been the most practical £150 I've probably ever spent on myself.

Sorry for linking amazon, I just want to show you an example of the type of machine I'm talking about.

Also citirc acid may lighten the clothing no?

It can take away a grey/dull effect from hard water especially on cotton clothing.

But about 1/10 of your planned amount already does that, and you rinse it away at the end of washing. I don't know what really happens with so much acid!

Source: I have read a book and I do that for >20 years now.

I went through all this with my home washing machine a while back. The culprit in my case was trying to DIY laundry detergent and not knowing what the fuck I was doing.

I would skip the citric acid. I don’t see that moving the needle.

If your clothes stink, it’s probably biofilm left on them because the washer didn’t properly rinse off all the detergent. That comes from 2 places: too much detergent you added to your wash, and excess detergent stuck all over the washer internals from other people.

You’ll know that’s the problem if your clothes smell “ok” but if they get slightly damp it suddenly smells like wet dog.

One-time symptom treatment: make a strong mix of oxyclean and hot water in a bucket. Soak all your smelly clothes in it for at least 4 hours. Then drain and wash them normally.

If it’s in the machine, you’re in kind of a shitty position because the machine ultimately needs to be cleaned. If you have the time and are willing, run the washer empty with a cup of bleach. You might need to pause the washer and add it after the cycle starts - my machine drains when it turns on and pumps out the bleach, but if I add it a minute later it stays inside. Run the load with hot water.

Another thing you can do is run the machine with a cup of washing soda. That’s apparently better at removing biofilm, but imo bleach does a pretty great job on its own.

Moving forward, make sure you use the recommended amount of detergent. Too much and you’re back in the same place. Too little and there’s not enough detergent to actually clean your clothes (but the biofilm will still cover everything).

Why does it take so long to dry your clothing that mildew can grow? Take it out of the machine as soon as its done, don't dry it in a sauna?

I would guess that citric acid will cause damage, but realistically there shouldn't be any detergent or chemicals left over after a washing cycle anyway. The final rinse should clear it completely.

I don't know if it will help to ask lemmy for advice about the effects of soaking 325 GSM cotton in citric acid. I think you may already be the world's leading expert on the idea of soaking clothing in citric acid.

Other than that though, if mildew is growing on your drying laundry I can only guess that you might want better ventilation or to wait until it's not raining.

Is citric acid free? How much before you could have bought a tumble dryer?

Or do I just need to hang dry the clothign for like a century after washing it and that will destroy the mildew?

Aye , any solutions are welcomed so have a swing at it if you like.

I used to run a dehumidifier in the room while hang-drying clothing indoors.

Can you dry them in an electric dryer? It's humid here and air drying can be problematic. I haven't noticed any stretching of the clothes as long as the washer spins adequately.

If you are washing at a Laundromat do they have an extractor? One of those centrifuge machines? Those leave the clothes more dry.

No idea what may be causing the mildew smell. However, seeing as how it's less prominent when you hand wash try seeing if the washing machine needs cleaning. Mold, mildew, and grime can build up in the washing machine and get onto your clothes with every wash. There's filters on newer machines that need cleaning, rubber door gaskets, etc.