How can I remove the smell of rancid body oil from pillow cases?

Question

I have pillow cases that have a weird smell that I can't get out. They'll smell fresh when first coming out of the drier, but after sitting in the closet a few days, the fresh fades and the smell returns. I'm certain it's from body oils, as it's also happened with a few old shirts.

Answer 1

We have some kiddos that have really strong body odors due to meds they take for health conditions.  In addition, they're african/american so the hair products we use are really hard to get out of the pillow cases (I know the girls should wear sleep scarves/caps but they don't leave them on!) The best thing I've found to remove the build-up and keep laundry fresh is good old white, distilled vinegar.  Soak them in a mixture of 1 cup vinegar/1 gallon warm water overnight to remove all the grease, etc.  Then wash them as you usually would only use 1/3 the amount of detergent you normally do. Too much detergent actually soils your clothing!  After soaking and washing once, you can just add vinegar to your rinse cycle like you would a fabric softener.  It does the same job, is cheaper and is great for people with sensitive skin since the scents in many fabric softeners can cause an allergic reaction.

Answer 2

Either add 1/2 cup borax to the wash or add 1 cup white vinegar to the final rinse. Or you can combine forces and use 1/2 cup borax in the wash and 1/2 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle. Both vinegar and borax are great deodorizers and stain removers. Plus vinegar is a great natural fabric softener and the vinegar smell dissipates as it dries.

Answer 3

send them to the garage to be used as grease rags thats disgusting

Answer 4

Try washing them in hot water with some borax, added to the wash.

Answer 5

Eliminate this problem with Febreze Fabric Refresher Antimicrobial Spray purchased at Wal-Mart.  Pre-soak before starting the wash cycle if necessary.  It works!

Answer 6

TRY LETTING THEM SOAK ALLNIGHT IN DETERGENT AND LEMON JUICE