To avoid the smell of damp on your bathrobe, use these simple remedies

Just as happens with hand and face towels, even bathrobes can come out of the washing machine with an unpleasant smell, (which we sometimes call a "musty" smell). This can be due to various factors, starting from poor maintenance of the washing machine - which perhaps has not been cleaned for a long time (including the drum, the detergent drawer, the door seals and the filter). The smell can also come from using an excessive amount of detergents or softeners.

To remedy this phenomenon - in addition to cleaning the washing machine properly and using the correct detergent doses - you can also take the steps indicated below:

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• White vinegar or mild bleach (without chlorine): add half a glass of one of these ingredients (not both together!) to the wash. Alternatively just start a rinse cycle with one of these ingredients, and you will remove the bad smell from both the washing machine and your bathrobe.
• Vinegar and bicarbonate: if you can stop the washing cycle shortly after it starts, pour bicarbonate into the drum (one cup) and then add 2 cups of white vinegar after a couple of minutes. Otherwise, pour the baking soda into the drum and the vinegar into the detergent dispenser and do a quick wash at medium-high temperature.
• As a general measure, every time you wash towels and bathrobes, you should also decrease the usual amount of fabric softener used and add a little vinegar directly into the drum.
• Always as a preventive measure during washing: you can add a few drops of essential oil to a couple of teaspoons of baking soda, and put this into the drum.
• Citric acid: this can be a good substitute for fabric softeners in case of bad smells, as it is capable of correcting the pH of more alkaline detergents.

If you have a dryer, this can sometimes help to eliminate bad smells, but it's always better to avoid clothes getting smelly in the washing machine.

Have you ever used any of these remedies?