Wash with vinegar. If you have it or can buy some using Odorban in the wash definitely does the job.

Borax, definitely for the washables. Anything that takes special care, put in plastic containers, or plastic bags, with plain charcoal, activated for fish tanks, or just the stuff you would use to cook on the grill with. Just don't get the MatchLight stuff. Get the plain charcoal. The charcoal will absorb the odor and the bacteria causing it. Once the smell is gone, have them dry cleaned.

OdoBan, OdoBan, OdoBan.

Oh no, not Odoban (sorry to disagree) but the smell is just as bad and takes a long time to air out.

I would do a shout out to MamaPinky here and in the laundry forum, if anyone would know, it will be her!

Presoak with vinegar and wash in hot water with persil, add a cup of vinegar or baking soda or borax. May take several washes. Bleach works on items that can be bleached. Hang outside in the sun. It is necessary to kill the mold spores. Alternately, freezing also works.

I think Raven would know about odoban as it is used by professional cleaners in disasters such as floods and fires.

1/2 cup,of regular Pinesol in the wash as well as your regular detergent. .

Lisa, I have heard of Pinesol but since the formula has changed to no pine oil, does it still work? Some use Lestoil. Don't know if it has changed too.

It's okay to disagree. I just know that OdoBan is a simple solution to many complex odors and musty issues.

There is a laundry OdoBan...FYI

Why do you want to save clothes that have been in the basement long enough to get moldy?

Rural people in the '40s-'50s used sunlight.

Angela Id

The clothes are fairly new, and have only been hanging in the basement a couple of months. There is no mold on them, just that basement smell. Satisfied?

I have good luck getting out scents by soaking in unscented Oxyclean (a little more concentrated that usual) and then washing with regular laundry detergent.

I guess I am dense. If there was a room in my house that had a "musty, mold smell", I certainly would not be hanging "fairly new" (or any) clothes in it. I would be calling Pro Clean to clean, disinfect, and Kilz seal the entire affected areas.

Angela, it's not a room in the house, it's the basement.

The majority of basements are 9' below ground and the majority of basements are not finished. The coolness of the earth permeates the block, creating a cool, damp environment for musty smells. There is less air movement in a basement and the odors of mortar block, underside of flooring materials, byproducts of furnaces producing heat, A/C coils dripping condensation in a pan, overflowing to a drain, and then there's the items stored in a basement. All the odors combine for that "basement smell", regardless how often it's cleaned. So, whether it's clothes, toys, or boxed items, the basement smell will creep in.

My old grandma taught me this- lay the clothes outside in the sun on the grass (your lawn). The combinationof the sun's rays (UV, etc) and the chlorophyll in the grass will get rid of smells. Of course, don't do it if grass has dew or it's rainy. i have also hung shirts, dresses, coats on hangers and hung them in my fruit trees (low branches) and let the wind reach them.

A few years ago someone told me that for laundry with a musty smell, use a powdered detergent rather than liquid. I don't know what the difference might be (maybe the powdered contains more borax?), but when our towels stunk, this worked pretty well. I also like oxiclean soaks, and hanging outside.

Every time I put something outdoors to air out, a bird poops on it.

Ladypat, as your finding out moldy smelling textiles can be difficult to remove. First examine the clothing making sure there is no mold on them...if they have only absorbed the scent than what I would do is....do a cool to warmish prewash. Than do a main wash using the longest cycle and hottest water garment can tolorate using a good top of the line detergent and a good helping of ammonia. Be sure to rinse well. Don't use fabric softener as if the scent of mold remains the softener will trap it making it harder to remove. As Vicsgirl says turn to the sun which is your friend in situations like this. Only problem with the sun is it can fade/bleach out darks so be prepared if that happens and turn darks inside out before hanging on the line or laying in the grass.

Vicsgirl you grandmother knew well the benefits of the sun. Many many moons ago before washers and synthetic detergent you can imagine laundry was a major chore. Most folks used soda ash (washing soda) and soap (not detergent) a brush, boiling water, lots of elbow grease and the sun. Table linen especially in influential households generally received the most attention during laundry day because a family could and was judged by their table linen. No influential household would ever use linen that was dingy or had stains so after washing it was often spread out in the fields upon the grass so the sun could work it magic by bleaching. It worked. Remember white in those days were not the white of modern day. Today our whites are treated with OB's to give it that blinding white which is why our detergents contain OB' to maintain that whiter than white.

There I go again LOL

Ladypat let me mention... if you use the ammonia which is safe to use do not use chlorine bleach...ammonia and chlorine bleach together creates a toxic gas.

quasifish, I also read where some scientist had written to use the powered detergent rather than the liquid and they did not explain why either.

I think it was the same source that said add some ammonia when using ... never mind ... I've forgotten. Please disregard.

Albert. Powdered detergent has always been more of a workhorse than liquids. However liquid often does better at removing greasy food stains. Also liquids can cause mold growth in washers expecially if one generally uses cold, cool or warm washes for most of the laundry. Liquid fabric softener is also responsible for mold growth in washers unless hot (not the dubbed down hot on many machines now days) is used regularly.

For those of you wondering...do this test..if you have a jug of Downy pour a bit into a glass...just a tablespoon...let it sit overnight than dump it out of the glass...you will see a coating of Downy clinging to the glass...now rinse it in hot water...it takes a lot to remove it a lot. This is what clings to washer parts the parts you can't see or get to without a complete tear down, this residue ends up with oils, and soils clinging to it...a perfect breeding ground for mold. Regular, very hot washes can prevent this.