Removing oils & perfume odors from guest sheets

[Susan4640]

Hello fellow hosts!  Seeking laundry advice!  One of my worst problems is getting perfume smells out of my guest sheets!  This last guest must've worn a perfume with oil in it - or maybe it was a bath product.  I have a front-loading he washer and washed the set of sheets twice.  The first time I added a laundry sanitizer and OxyClean to the wash with detergent, followed by 2 extra rinses and then hung them out on the clothesline.  Still smelled.  Second time, I used Oxyclean, Purex Free& Clear detergent, plus a new product I bought called "Defunkify" Odor & Stain Removing Laundry Booster (also free& clear), and put them out on the clothesline to dry.  Better - but can still smell whatever it was my guest had been wearing.  It's a smell that lingers in the air - my hallway and of course the guest apartment, for which I used my Ozone machine (recommended several years ago by host community center)!  

Thank you!

Susan

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Susan4640 

Whatever it is, it sure is persistent! Yikes! 

Did you try soaking it in vinegar at all? If there is oil involved, it is a good grease cutter. I'd keep trying just to learn more skills, but if nothing works (bleach?) I'd toss it. 

There's a nontoxic cleaner called Krud Kutter that I use on the most stubborn things. That's always in my arsenal, not for fabrics but in this case, I'd go for it. 

We've a house rule that there are no fragrances allowed. Those of us who end up cleaning have issues with fragrances. As a courtesy to everyone else, we must assume that allergies are real, and any one of us could have a stay ruined from someone's love of a fragrance being a health hazard. Not to mention VOC contamination which would ruin more than a vacation for me. Alas! Clean fresh air is one of the increasingly rare things we offer here to our guests. 

Definitely share your results, we all need to know what works.

[Frances3408]

@Susan4640 . For stubborn smells I use a liquid laundry wash with eucalyptus oil. I run a hot 80 degrees C wash and then hang on a Hills Hoist rotary Line on a hot and sunny, preferably slightly windy day. 

If that still doesnt do it, time to relegate sheets to a secondary use, such as drop sheets for house painting or furniture dustsheets.

[Alex]

Hi @Susan4640! 

That's a great question! @Marie8425 and @Patricia2526 do you have any suggestions for Susan? 🧼

[Marie8425]

@Susan4640 

I am sorry but that much work and cleaning products, is that cost effective?  I don't have cheap sheets but the price of my sheets is moderate enough that I would just toss and replace.

If the scent is that strong to you,  it is a big risk to your rentals to use again.  Even if you think better, all it takes is one Guest with a sensitive nose, you get a bad review.

I buy from Costco, their online site, has good quality items better than the store for things like sheets or towels.

[Chris24975]

I use Pine Sole for strong smells.  Just a teaspoon goes a long way.  The clothes do not smell like pine sol when washed.  I have gotten rid of stain smell before.

[Lorna170]

@Susan4640  A capful of Mr. Clean antibacterial all-purpose cleaner (lemon) added to the wash load detergent is quite effective at eradicating odors in sheets.  I learned this trick from a hospice care worker who helped me take care of my elderly parent who was incontinent.