It’s no secret that it’s best to take your clothes out of the washer and air them as soon as possible because the earlier they’re out of the washer, the fresher your clothes. Don’t ever get so busy and forget your laundry in the washer. If you’ve ever wondered how long your clothes can sit in the washer, then this article is for you.
How Long Can Clothes Sit In The Washer Before Smelling
No hard and fast rule states precisely how long clothes should sit in the washer, but for optimal freshness, you can leave your wet clothes in the washer for eight to twelve hours. After this, they start to develop an odor, which is usually a sign of the growth of mildew.
This time-long recommendation is according to an expert from the Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science, Lucinda Ottush. Even Martha Stewart, the home-keeping guru and queen of smart living, agrees with this, saying that it’s okay to leave wet clothes in the washer overnight.
Martha, however, warns against making a habit of leaving clothes in the washer overnight or over an extended period if you want your clothes to come out looking and smell their best.
What Happens After 8-12 Hours
After 8-12 hours, the clothes begin to smell due to the accumulation of bacteria and mildew. When this happens, no amount of air drying or sun drying will get the horrible odor out of your clothes. Just in case you’re unsure if your clothes have stayed too long in the washer, try the smell test.
It’s a great way to tell if bacteria and mildew have begun to grow on your laundry because they always produce a pungent smell. This smell test is part of why it’s essential to use a detergent that’s non-scented and free of harsh chemicals. This will let you know if your laundry has been properly washed or if there’s a need for your clothes to be rewashed.
Can You Leave Your Clothes In The Washer Overnight
While you shouldn’t leave your clothes for more than 12 hours in a washer, leaving your clothes in the washer overnight could be good, especially if you plan to air dry clothes on a clothesline. A clothesline helps maintain the quality of your clothes better than a dryer.
Line drying, compared to using a dryer, prevents fibers in your delicate items of clothing from breaking down. This is because the juggling act of the tumbling dryer rubs the clothes against each other and the drum of the machine, breaking down clothes’ fibers.
Mildew On Clothes
If you’ve ever left your clothes in the washer for a long time, you know that after some time, it begins to develop a pungent smell. As established earlier, this unpleasant smell is caused by the growth of bacteria and mildew. The longer your clothes stay in the washer, the less fresh they become, with unpleasant odors coming right out of them.
What Is Mildew? Mildew is a thin dusting of black, grey, or sometimes yellowish growth on damp clothes, upholstery, or occasionally walls. Mildew usually grows in a humid environment and spreads mostly on clothes made out of cotton, linen, and silk.
It is a small category of fungi; hence, the accumulation produces a musty smell or a color change. It could be powdery or downy.
Mildew grows spores that not only cause an unpleasant smell in your clothes but could also cause severe damage to your clothing fabrics. For mold to thrive, it usually needs a humid environment, moisture, and darkness, and because it is a living organism, it needs a food source.
Health Issues
Mildew is not only harmful to your clothes but your health as well. In some cases, it has been proven that one can get sick breathing in mold. People who have existing respiratory conditions such as asthma are more susceptible to getting sick from exposure to mold.
Other people have more severe allergies to mildew. Exposure to mildew could also irritate your eyes, throat, lungs, and skin. Watch this video on the possible effects of mold and mildew:
Washer Mildew
Apart from causing an odor that does not go until you rewash and, in severe cases, ruining your clothes, mildew on clothes left too long in the washer can damage your washing space, including your dryer.
Since mildew needs moisture to grow, it is only natural that mildew grows in the washer due to humidity. This mildew is commonly called ‘washer mildew.’ It not only lives in your washer but also transfers to other mildew-free clothes when they are placed in the washer. It causes an offensive odor that leaves your clothes smelling worse than when they were put into the washer.
How Does Mildew Grow On Clothes After Sitting Too Long In The Washer
As previously stated, for mildew to thrive, it needs moisture or a humid environment, a dark space, and as a living organism, it needs a food source. There are two common types of mildew: powdery and downy.
Mildew Or Mold: Which Grows On Stale Clothes
Most people mistake mold for mildew and vice versa. Both are types of fungi that are found in moist environments. Mold is what grows on your damp clothes after decay has been left to rot for a long period. Mold often looks white or sometimes greenish-black. Mildew, unlike decay, only grows on the surface of materials, is usually flat, and doesn’t penetrate surfaces.
Moisture/Humidity
This is one of the most important factors in the growth of mildew on your clothing fabrics. When an area or item is left moist or damp for an extended period, mold can grow. Humidity above 65-75% creates the perfect environment for mold to grow.
This humid and wet environment is always found in wet clothes and, by extension, the washer. There is also little to no ventilation in the washer, especially when damp garments are in it. This is why leaving wet clothes in the washer for too long breeds mildew.
Dark Space
Another critical factor in the growth of mildew in your washer and clothes is darkness. It’s a fact: mold loves the night. When your clothes are left in the washer with the door closed for an extended period without sunlight, of course, there would be mildew.
This is because sunlight and heat can kill mildew, so what better place to thrive than your long-closed, airtight washer with clothes in it?
A Food Source
Mildew is a living organism, so it requires a food source. Mildew can get the nutrients it needs to grow from dirt, wood, fabric, and paper. In a washer full of clothes left too long, it feeds off the ground and material of your clothing fabrics.
This destroys and weakens the fabric of your clothes by creating rot in them. So, if you don’t want your favorite clothes getting ruined from mildew, take them out of the dark, damp environment that your washer creates.
