How to get the Smell out of Vintage Sheets

(Please note that affiliate links have been included in this post)

In April of 2017, we bought a new washer and dryer. I regret it to this day.

We had an old school set, but we noticed something was leaving what appeared to be grease marks on a lot of our good clothing. I couldn’t get the marks out. Too many of our clothes were being ruined. We listed the set on a Facebook garage sale, making note of the grease stains, and they sold almost immediately for $50.

As we searched for a new washer and dryer, my sister had mentioned to me that having an agitator was really helpful from her experience.

I decided not to heed or advice. Instead I read through a string of reviews and recommendations on the internet. We soon bought a new HE washer and dryer with a large capacity. This large capacity and fast service was quickly a blessing for our family with three children.

Then I started to notice our white clothes looked a bit different. They were starting to turn that dingy white. Ugh. I tried adding a scoop of Oxy Clean to each load. They came out with no noticeable difference.

My most recent endeavor was washing our whites in six or seven different loads. My husbands t-shirts when alone in a load. My kids’ socks went in a load. My kids light shirts went in a load. My good white shirts were washed alone. Needless to say, I was doing so many loads in an effort to keep our clothes bright white.

It wasn’t working. The kids’ shirts, especially, looked awful!

I finally resorted to calling GE to see if our washer was under any sort of warranty. Could I possibly exchange it for a washer with an agitator? Is there something wrong with it?

Since our washer was over a year old, I didn’t expect they could do anything.

And that was the case.

BUT.

I did end up on the phone with a kind gentleman who offered some tips beyond what you find in the manual.

He shared a bit about the temperature of water. He mentioned how many of the new washing machines only allow so much hot water in an effort to conserve.

He also mentioned how almost all laundry detergents no longer have Borax. This is a strong cleansing agent. From what I understand, Borax is a type of phosphate, which has it’s pros and cons.

He also mentioned using an enzyme based laundry detergent.

Hm.

I could sense his sincerity in really trying to help me understand what all could be contributing to our dingy clothes.

That evening, my husband bought me two boxes of Borax. (He acted quickly because he knew I was frustrated with this whole laundry situation.)

What does all this have to do with getting the smell out of vintage sheets?

I’ve tried multiple combinations of detergents. I’ve tried baking soda and vinegar. I’ve soaked my sheets in multiple concoctions hoping to rid them of their odor. I’ve never been able to get the full smell out. I even tried some odor eliminator from Norwex. Norwex is a company that touts it’s business model on having the best cleaning products for the home. They’re all chemical free too.

Well.

Despite my initial disappointment in their product, I gave them one more try. (As you read on, please know that I am NOT a Norwex consultant.) They claim they have some great laundry detergent. Better yet, they claim they have a great enzyme based laundry detergent.

The kind gentleman told me on the phone that an enzyme based detergent + Borax = some great clean clothes.

You know what?

It actually worked.

I’m finishing up a quilt for a customer right now. I’m backing the quilt with a vintage sheet. I had washed this vintage sheet twice before. Since I could still smell that thrift store goodness, I gave this enzyme detergent plus Borax combo a try.

Yah. The smell was gone.

For the first time ever, I was able to get the smell out of the vintage sheet.

Side note. Like I mentioned above, I’m not a Norwex consultant. I know their detergent appears to be expensive. It’s $35.00. I’m not affiliated with Norwex in any way either. I don’t reap commissions either.

If you happen to know a Norwex consultant, maybe she’d give you a sample to try. If you don’t know a Norwex consultant, you can order some enzyme detergent from the consultant I use. Here’s the link: enzyme detergent.

I’ve been trying for years to figure out how to simply wash that vintage smell out of a vintage sheet. I couldn’t figure it out.

Hopefully this will relieve you of washing sheets time and time again hoping they come out of the dryer smelling fresh.

And for those of you who have ever bought one of my products with vintage sheets, I’m SORRY they arrived still carrying some of that wonderful vintage / thrift store goodness smell. 🙂

I hope you find this helpful.