HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
As winter draws in, so does the age-old washing conundrum: crank up your radiators to dry your clothes and end up adding a packet to your energy bill or leave them to dry in their own time, but risk them smelling musty.
It’s not just the smell you need to worry about – folding the mildew-smelling clothes up and popping them away can risk your whole clothes drawer (and its contents) adopting an unpleasant scent. And amid the current cost of living crisis, turning up the thermostat is even less appealing than usual.
However, one cleaning fan is going viral for their genius cleaning hack (tried and tested by the HuffPost UK team themselves) to avoid clothes smelling gross as they slowly dry in colder conditions.
Paul Kinsella, known as the Real Housewife of Drumcondra, shared the hack on Instagram which has left his followers ‘mind blown’.
And the best bit? You might even have a bottle of the mildew-destroying miracle in your food cupboard already.
Yup, it’s not just delicious on your chips – vinegar can actually stop your clothes from getting musty as they dry (and, don’t worry, they won’t be left smelling like a chip shop either).
According to Kinsella, you simply fill your fabric softener compartment of your washing machine’s drawer to the brim with distilled vinegar.
You can pick up a botle of Sainsbury’s own brand for 40p – and other supermarkets have their versions, while a 568g bottle of Sarson’s distilled malt vinegar will cost you just £1.25 from Amazon,
Even Persil agrees that vinegar can destroy musty scents and mildew from your clothing (and can help keep your washing machine clean).
Not content with trusting their word, we tried the hack out for ourselves – and we were treated to amazing results.
Thanks to a chilly Edinburgh single-glazed flat, clothing rounds ours tends to take a couple of days to dry on a clothes horse and can end up smelling grim – but the switch left it smelling fresh days on as it slowly dried.
Mustiness be gone!
Winter calls for us to take greater care of ourselves and each other at this time of year, from our health and homes to our headspace and matters of the heart. Whether you’re seeking motivation or hibernation, HuffPost UK’s Winter Well series is here to help you through the short days and the longer months.