How to Clean Smelly Sheets

Keep your sheets clean to reduce bedroom odors.

Smelly sheets and bed linens occur due to a variety of reasons. You typically lay in your bed for at least eight hours a day, plenty of time for the sheets to absorb your normal body odor. In hot weather you may sweat in your sleep, which leads to a sour smell in your sheets. Young children may also have nighttime accidents, causing even more severe odor problems in the sheets. Odors usually wash out if proper laundering practices are followed.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Fabric softener sheets

Instructions

1. Wash cotton sheets in hot water, preferably above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot water washes kill bacteria, including those that cause odor. Wash sheets made of synthetic fibers in warm water between 85 degrees and 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Use either powdered or liquid laundry detergent in every wash load of sheets. A heavy duty detergent or one that contains odor-reducing enzymes works well for badly soiled sheets. Use the amount indicated on the label for the size of your wash load.

3. Remove the sheets from the washing machine promptly after the wash cycle ends. Leaving wet sheets in the washer can lead to mildew growth or a sour smell in the sheets.

4. Add a fabric softener sheet to the dryer when drying bed linens. Fabric softeners help soften the sheets, and they contain a fragrance that helps mask or reduce any remaining odors in the sheets.

Tips & Warnings

• Wash your sheets once a week so they don't have time to develop a foul odor.

• Use a washable mattress pad beneath the sheets so the mattress doesn't absorb odors from the sheets.

References

• New Mexico State University; Getting Clothes Clean; Susan Wright; April 2006
• Iowa State University Extension; Getting Better Laundry Results; Janis Stone