What Causes the Difference in Fragrance Between Clothes Washed at Home and at a Laundry Shop?

If you frequently use laundry services outside of your home, you may have noticed that the scent of the clothes is very strong and long-lasting. However, when you wash your clothes at home, they usually have a milder scent that quickly fades away.

Why don’t clothes washed at home smell as long as those washed outside of the store?

Here are some explanations for why clothes washed at home don’t retain their scent as long as those washed outside of the store, even if the clothes have been thoroughly cleaned but still have lingering odors when taken out or dried.

Incorrect combination of detergent and fabric softener

This is one of the main reasons why clothes become less fragrant. Using detergent and fabric softener with additional fragrances can cause these fragrances to mix together, canceling each other out. Over time, this can result in our clothes not only being less fragrant, but also having an unpleasant smell.

To make clothes more fragrant, if you use fabric softener with additional fragrance, you should use detergent without any added fragrance, and vice versa.

Using low-quality laundry detergent

Using low-quality laundry detergents can also cause the fragrance on clothes to fade faster. Therefore, it’s important to choose good quality laundry detergents from reputable brands with high ratings.

In addition, to make clothes more fragrant, you can pour fabric softener into the laundry water or mix fabric softener with water, and then add it to the washing machine. Avoid pouring fabric softener directly onto the clothes as the excess fabric softener can stick to the clothes and create stubborn stains that are difficult to remove.

Avoid using dryer sheets or essential oils

You only need to put 1-2 specialized fragrance sheets into the washing machine to help make the clothes smell more pleasant. You can also add essential oils when washing by mixing them with water and adding them to the washing machine after the washing cycle finishes and before the rinse cycle.

When using dryer sheets or essential oils, there’s no need to use fabric softener as the clothes will absorb the heat and compete with the fragrance.

Don’t wait too long after washing

The reason why clothes washed at home don’t retain their scent as long as those washed outside of the store is because of a delay in the drying process. Many families have the habit of washing in the evening and leaving the clothes in the washing machine until the next morning to dry. Keeping clothes wet for too long in the washing machine can cause them to lose their fragrance and even develop a musty smell due to bacterial growth.

Not cleaning the washing machine regularly

Not cleaning the washing machine regularly can also lead to the accumulation of bacteria, dirt, and residue in the hidden corners of the machine. These bacteria can cling to the clothes and cause them to have an unpleasant odor.

Therefore, to ensure that clothes always smell fresh and fragrant, it’s recommended to wash them outside of the home, and after washing, regularly clean the washing machine.