Although many people believe body odor is created by the body, it actually isn't a product of your body. It comes from the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) given off by bacteria that colonize in moist and sheltered parts of your body like your underarms, groin, or feet. You might have left your smelly laundry a little too long before washing, giving the microbes time to really feel at home. Your washing machine might even harbor some bacteria somewhere, or maybe you have a genetic mutation that makes you smell particularly awful after a gym session. Whatever the reason, few household nuisances are as frustrating as laundry that smells bad when it comes out of the dryer after being freshly washed.

How to Banish Body Odor from Your Clothes

1. Without the washing machine

If your clothes smell bad, you might want to save the hassle of having to machine wash them twice by using these simple hacks.

• Vinegar: If you ask your grandmother about deodorizing, you will probably end of learning how to get body odor out of clothes with vinegar. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Just mix one part vinegar with one part water and spray it on the smelly area for spot treatment.

• Baking soda: Baking soda is able to easily react with unpleasant smelling acids and neutralize them. Mix an equal quantity of baking soda with water to make a spreadable paste. Turn the offending article of clothing inside out and spot treat the dirty parts. Make sure to spot test a hidden area of the fabric to make sure it won't harm the color. Never substitute baking powder instead!

• Vodka: The ultimate clean deodorizer, vodka has no smell or color itself and evaporates rapidly without a trace, taking any bad smells with it. Dilute vodka with equal parts water and spray it on your dirty clothes to get rid of the stink instantly. This is a fabulous DIY solution if you've soiled expensive clothes that can only be dry cleaned. Not only is it a fail-safe way to remove the smell, it can also save you on dry cleaning costs.

• Hydrogen peroxide: Dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide in equal parts of water and soak the smelly garments in it before hanging them out to dry. Be sure to use only 3% peroxide and don't skip the dilution step as hydrogen peroxide is a strong bleaching agent.

• Salicylic acid: Some people swear by crushing an uncoated aspirin tablet, mixing it with a tiny bit of water, and smearing the resulting paste across the smelly parts of clothes for instant deodorizing and disinfection.

2. With the washing machine

You might wonder how to get body smell out of clothes using a washing machine, with or without pre-treatment.

• Sort clothes: When loading up the washing machine, do NOT mix your odorous clothes with the fresh-smelling ones - even if they're all dirty. The stench will spread, so wash them separately.

• Baking soda: If you have too many dirty clothes to spot treat, simply load them all in the washing machine, add detergent as usual, and then add a cup of baking soda dissolved in warm water on top. The baking soda will deodorize the clothes as they wash.

• Vinegar: You can add ⅓ cup of vinegar to the water in the washing machine when it first fills and another ⅓ cup at the end during the final rinse cycle. If you're using this trick or even if you're washing clothes pre-treated with vinegar, make sure to use a bleach-free detergent because bleach and vinegar don't mix!

• Warm water: Sometimes, the simple step of increasing the water temperature in the washing machine is enough to deodorize the clothes. Be careful when you do this with wool clothes though, as wool can be damaged by heat. Many people don't use warm water because of a growing awareness of its effects on the environment, so if you don't have a way to recycle the warm or hot water, maybe you should consider other options.

• Sundry: Don't put clothes that smell into the dryer, even after a pretreatment or a treated wash. It may seem counterintuitive, but the drying process can actually lock in odors that washing may have not have removed, making it much harder to deodorize them. Instead, hang the clothes out to dry or blot them on a dry towel after wringing out.

When wondering how to get body smell out of clothes, be careful with silk or wool. These fabrics are very delicate, so harsh treatments like hydrogen peroxide or hot water should be avoided as should multiple rounds in the washing machine. Instead, spot treats with vodka or isopropanol alcohol and hang dry.

Tips to Tackling Body Smell at Its Source

If lingering body odor on your clothes is a regular problem, you might consider investing some effort in the root cause.

• Wash frequently: Bacteria that release VOCs thrive in moisture, so take baths regularly - maybe even twice a day - to wash the sweat off before odor caused by bacteria growth has a chance to grow.

• Antiperspirants: These are chemicals that prevent your body from releasing sweat. Don't overuse them, and it may actually be beneficial to wear them at night so the sweat from your day's work doesn't wash it off before it's had a chance to block your sweat glands. However, don't confuse antiperspirants with other popular spray-on product.

• Deodorant: This product masks body odor with a pleasant fragrance, but it does not prevent it from developing in the first place. Many antiperspirants also have a deodorant components.

• Thick socks: If your feet smell, try wearing thick cotton socks that both mask and absorb the odor.

• Hydrogen peroxide solution: On a really sweaty day, try wiping a hydrogen peroxide solution on your skin to prevent microbes from multiplying.

• Diet: If you want an odor-free day, abstain from eating odor-producing foods like onions, garlic, fatty foods, and curry. Opt for herbs like oregano, thyme, and mint in order to smell fresh.

Finally, if none of the above is working and you're still embarrassed to go out in public, think about seeing a doctor. You might be prescribed a medication that mitigates the problem of body odor, or you might have a serious illness causing body odors.

The Final Word

In conclusion, body odor on fresh clothes can be an embarrassing problem, but it isn't unsolvable. Think about how to get body odor out of your clothes by using some of the tips mentioned above, and don't be afraid to ask for further help. When getting dressed for a day full of possibilities, you deserve to smell as fresh as you feel.