clothes

[daazander]

How do you get the smell out of your clothes, after washing and drying the fish smell is still there? Have you found any products in the UK that work for you?

[bigvern]

Never had that problem, when ’ive been to the gym and sweated a bit the smell is quite strong – smells like ammonia to me, however once they’ve been through the wash they are ok (I use bold all in one). I’m sure it’s not, but it couldn’t be you smelling yourself rather than the clothes – could you get anyone else to check them?

[daazander]

No, its definitely the clothes. I've tried non-brewed condiment and/or distilled malt vinegar followed by baking soda added to detergent. Fibres like cotton seem to come out smelling better but the man made fibres like nylon and polyester are still ammonia or fish like in smell. Wonder if there's anything else I could use?

[bigvern]

Mine def did smell of amonia befor putting them in - I could smell it myself, but after washing they came out fine (got second opinion from the mrs and she said they were fine) so not really sure what to suggest.

I definately think cotton is the way to go. I do a lot of gym work and cycling and used to use 'ron hill' and 'helly hansen' quick drying tops to train in. They were great at first but after a few months I noticed they really began to stink and 'hold' onto any sweat smells so I've switched back to plain old cotton which is far less noticeble imho.

I was gonna try x-static clothing 0 this has bits os silver in I think which is supposed to help stop any odours from sweating, however its pretty expensive.. sorry couldn't be more helpful..

[Caliban]

Hi Daazander,
I found out about some of the chemistry of washing clothes stained with TMA.
For a start, TMA is basic, about pH 9.8, so normal washing powder which is alkali (high pH) keeps it precipitated out of solution in the washing machine, i.e. stuck in your clothes and not washed away.
Because TMA is an organic compound, it has some attraction for the fibres in clothing, so these two factors mean that normal washing doesn't get it out of your clothes.
I thought about the chemistry, and had heard elsewhere about mildly acidic soap, so I came up with this one myself (after trying to add vinegar to the wash with amusing results - I smelt like fish and chips!). Citric acid is a mild odourless domestic organic acid, which you can add in powder form to the washing powder to acidify your wash. This makes it more likely for the TMA to dissolve and be washed away (though it does slightly reduce the effectiveness of the washing powder at removing other dirt)
I got into a routine of washing my clothes with Ecover non-biological (which I found the most effective) and adding one or two teaspoons of citric acid powder. This seemed to make quite a difference, though the results were not entirely perfect, it was much better.
Also I found adding Vanish stain remover (just one portion) to the wash really helped too. (trust pink forget fish)
I washed everything twice, but only putting the stain remover in the first wash, but putting citric acid in both.
Unfortunately the stain remover has the unwanted effect of bleaching jeans over time, but after years of experimentation I have found this routine the best one for me. Whereas before I had to buy new clothes every couple of months, I find with this washing I can make clothes last for up to 6 months or more before they become unusable.

Regards,
Caliban

[smelly]

caliban,

thats very interesting. but you've got me a bit worried now that my clothes might be smelling really badly after washing and I cant smell it ....since you seem to have a very good sense of smell, can i ask you, where do your clothes smell? is it all over or just the armpits? and does it smell ammonia like after washing or does it change after contact with detergents?

[Caliban]

Hi Smelly,
I didn't mean to get you worried.
It's just that I find that even when I'm having a "good day", I'm let down by my clothes that still smell.
I find that all of my work clothes smell a bit (shirts/pants/socks etc) though for me it is generally worse round the groin area in trousers.
It does smell a bit like ammonia, although I think it's more fishy - not quite so sharp as ammonia.
The worst thing for me is that it's kind of deep in the fabric, so when I smelt the clothes after they were dry they smelt ok, of fabric conditioner, but after a few minutes of wearing them the smell would start to come out again.
I have spent a fortune on new clothes. I just ended up buying cheap ones from Tescos - I can't affort to constantly ruin more expensive ones.
The local Tescos Extra staff see me buying all the clothes regularly - think I'm some kind of wierdo - just another one of the oddities of the condition!!
I found I had to wear a complete set of new clothes each day - this puts a bit of a strain on the washing machine.
When I told my psychiatrist about it (yes I have a shrink - TMAU drove me crazy) he said he could wear the same suit for 2 weeks no problem - I thought that was impossible!
BUT - since I tried the Chlorophyll I have been able to wear one new pair of jeans for Four days in a row! Something I haven't been able to do in years. That's why I'm so happy. And I've even eaten a prawn sandwich last Sunday - something that would normally make me smelly for days.

Sorry for rambling.
Cheers,
Jim

[smelly]

caliban,

thank you for being so detailed on your observations . It helps me understand a bit better what might be going on in my situation. It drives me crazy that I have a very sensitive nose for all sorts of odours but for some reason i dont pick up on this odour that other people do, and that they say is coming from me. If it wasnt completely unrelated people saying it, I would think it was a mind game or something

Anyhow, you have given me something else to try with the citric acid idea. Just hope it doesnt bleach my lovely silk dresses and tops ...that smell of fish / weewee / decomposing hedgehog....blahblahhhhh its not fair!!!!

[Caliban]

Hi Smelly,
don't worry, I don't think the citric acid will bleach your clothes.
It is only repeated use of Vanish Oxy Action stain remover that bleaches eventually.
Cheers,
Caliban

[smelly]

note about citric acid wash - just use the 1 or 2 teaspoons calibac recommends - dont go clumsy like me and pour in half a packet with loads extra washing liquid...luckily i was in the house to see the foam pouring out of the machine and running along the floor !!!