Best place to store dirty laundry?

[TopHatFox]

Just wondering what the best place to store dirty laundry is. I'm seeking to avoid excessive smells and take up the least space. I've been stuffing my dirty laundry in a spacious desk drawer, but a close friend of mine has noted that my room smells (hence my recent showering & laundry posts), so, that might not have been the best storage location.

Where do you put your dirty laundry so it doesn't stink up the place? (especially if your living space's windows are closed)

[jacob]

A big plastic bag in the closet. If it starts stinking up the place, you go too long in between laundry ;-P

[GandK]

If you cant do laundry more often, keep it in the bathroom. People expect bathrooms to be stinky on occasion. If you lack floor space for a hamper, hang a cloth bag on the back of the bathroom door with one of those over-the-door hooks. Rein in the stench inexpensively and without chemicals with an open box of baking soda once a month.

[5to9]

One solution to both this and your laundry frequency problem is to hand wash socks and underwear in the shower each day. It might require a small investment in quicker drying underwear and socks (I like Icebreaker for underwear, and Smartwool/Darn Tough for socks), but then you can wash a pair each day in the shower, and have it dry by the next day, so 2 sets of each is sufficient. It's possible with cotton socks/underwear as well, but I found they took too long to dry, and got somewhat stiff / uncomfortable after a few hand washings, wool is worth the investment, IMHO.

I suspect that if you weren't collecting weeks worth of dirty socks and underwear, the smell from the laundry pile would be greatly reduced. I have noticed it as an unintended side effect of using this method, with the other benefits of having to do laundry less frequently, and this system also works incredibly well to help pack light when traveling.

[IlliniDave]

On this one I go with an ounce of prevention. I keep myself clean and change clothes long before they get ripe on me. That way they don't make their presence obvious while they're waiting to get washed. And if they are wet, make sure you dry them before "storing" for later laundering. I've taken to running a room fan (not an exhaust fan) on a timer in my bathroom after taking a shower. Helps a lot with mold/mildew in my climate, including towels. Little gets stinky faster than a wet towel tossed on the floor in stagnant damp air away from sunlight.

I spend more time and $ than the bare minimum on clothes, laundry, and personal hygiene. Maybe I'm foppish, dunno. But stinks in the house are among my strongest pet peeves.

When something does get really funky, I'll toss it in the garage or even put it outside in the back yard until I can wash it. Dog bedding is the most common recipient of this treatment. But that solution doesn't work for all living arrangements.

[WYOGO]

Strongly agree on the investment in wool garments. Especially for minimalists and those with extended mobile living. They are soft and even if you are slightly irritated by the natural fibers and or manufacturing chemicals, a light wash with a soft soap should eliminate the problem. I have worn shirts up to 10-15 times backpacking and such between washes and no much as a hint of odor as wool is naturally antimicrobial.

I have switched completely to Merino wool for performance base layers for this reason for every activity except cycling due to the slower drying time of wool garments.

If you are in a fixed location however, and are not concerned about space for your wardrode, a rubbermaid bucket with a locking lid or sealed trash bag is a much less expensive investment.

[OTCW]

I throw my laundry right in the washing machine. When it gets full, I add detergent and do a load. I don't have any white clothes or special fabrics for that reason. Everything washes in cold water and can go right to the dryer.

As an added bonus, laundry never piles up on me, and I never have to do more than one load at a time.

[JamesR]

Instead of throwing it in a closed box or a plastic bag like Jacob mentioned, why not a mesh bag? If the clothes can dry out and stay dry, then they might smell less. Alternatively, you could leave an open box of baking soda in/near the laundry to cover up the odour.

[jacob]

Mesh bags cost money. Plastic bags are free and easily replaceable. By all means though, the mesh bag is the better choice when available.

The most important factor though is NEVER to throw any dirty laundry in the bag/hamper when damp.

[zb2]

also, for things like towels, soaking in vinegar occasionally might help.

[Riggerjack]

Plenty of laundry advice here. I have nothing new on that front.
Instead, I say go on offense. Activated charcoal. Get it from aquarium/pool supply/internet sources. Put it in a bowl, add decorative touches. Done. It absorbs the odors, is inconspicuous, and adds no perfume of its own.

[JohnnyH]

3 separate piles: hot, medium, cold. When I do laundry it takes about 30 seconds.

Seconding what Jacob said; maybe dry wet items outside, then throw them on the pile.

[KevinW]

First I agree with the idea of minimizing the categories of laundry. I have three, cold wash (dark), warm wash (whites), and hot wash (rare heavily soiled towels, napkins, handkerchiefs, etc.). Avoid clothes that require dry cleaning or specific instructions like the plague. When I was single I had a pile on the floor for each category, now that I'm married we have a mesh bag like the Ikea "Fyllen" for each ( http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80099224/ ). When a bag gets full we just dump it directly into the washer.

The smells are probably coming from wet or sweaty fabric that supports mildew or anaerobic bacteria. Toss damp items on a shelf or rack to air dry for a day before putting them in a pile. I think this is why many bags are mesh instead of solid plastic. You could also toss it to keep it aerated, like compost.

[JamesR]

I'm not sure whether to be shocked that two guys mentioned 3 separate piles for laundry

Personally I'm a one pile guy. I'm not all that consistent about what temperature I go with, sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's cold. Usually cold if I have the new proper cold-water detergent that came out in the past 5 years?

[Alphaville]

In a small studio apartment, I keep a hanging hamper behind bathroom door.

Looks like this:



(that’s not my photo. but looks the same)

Laundry done weekly. Does not smell.

Plastic bags are a no-no for me because trapped moisture causes rot.

I second the merino trend for minimalist wardrobes. Massive piles of anything are a plague.