How to keep laundry smelling nice beyond laundry day – 4 tricks to enhance your routine

That fresh laundry scent is one of my favorite smells. So much so, that I look forward to drying my laundry inside so my house ends up wafting of my fabric softener. However, this fresh aroma doesn't last very long on my clothes and linens.

This had me thinking, how do you keep laundry smelling nice beyond laundry day? To find out how the pros do it, I spoke to top cleaning and laundry experts for their fragrance tips.

Here, I share their best advice to make laundry smell better and keep yours fresh for longer.

How to keep laundry smelling nice beyond laundry day

From making scented ironing water to cleaning a clothes closet, there are several ways to keep your items smelling fresh between laundry day and use – and none of them break the bank.

1. Use high-quality laundry products

You wouldn’t buy a cheap perfume and expect to still smell it on your wrists 10 hours later – so don’t expect the same from cheap laundry detergents, says Salvador Villarreal, dry cleaning professional and owner of VIP Cleaners Delivery.

Salvador explains, ‘To keep clothes smelling fresh beyond laundry day, I often recommend using high-quality, hypoallergenic laundry detergents and adding natural fabric softeners like using white vinegar in laundry. From my experience with a delicate silk wedding gown, I found that vinegar not only helps maintain the fabric's softness, but also freshens up garments significantly.’

Be careful not to use too much laundry detergent however as that is a laundry mistake. While you might think increasing the volume used will make the fragrance more potent, you are more likely to make your laundry smell bad as the detergent residue clings to dirt.

Cutting down on laundry detergent will help to save your clothing and keep them looking their best – and smelling their best – for longer.

All prices correct at time of publication.

2. Store in a clean, dry place

One thing people who are good at laundry always do is store their fresh clothes and linens in clean storage ideas. Putting your fresh linens in dusty, musty under-bed storage idea is a surefire way to dampen the fresh laundry smell.

Staying on top of cleaning bedroom drawers, closets, and storage bags will keep everything smelling nicer for longer.

Salvador Villarreal, a dry cleaning professional, says, ‘Storing clothes in a clean, dry place and avoiding prolonged exposure to damp environments prevents mildew and keeps them smelling fresh.’

Victor Zhu, CEO of Zechuang Clothing Co adds, ‘I’ve found that using breathable garment bags or hanging clothes in well-ventilated closets helps maintain freshness. Adding scented sachets or using linen spray can keep clothes smelling great between washes.’

If you are looking for a comforting DIY, you can make lavender sachets for closets and dressers at home for a custom fragrance.

3. Use linen mists

Linen sprays are not only used to make your home smell nice. They can also help to freshen up your laundry and help it retain its fresh ‘just-washed’ scent beyond laundry day suggests Salvador Villarreal.

He shares, ‘Another tip is using linen sprays lightly on clothes post-iron. At VIP Cleaners, we occasionally use lavender or eucalyptus essential oils mixed with water as a natural spray.’

You can also mix up a DIY linen spray using white vinegar to beat musty odors or combine two parts distilled water with one part fabric softener in a spray bottle, available in packs at Walmart, to create a linen spray to maintain that fresh laundry smell.

4. Use an odor buster such as Borax

There are several secret laundry ingredients you can add to your washing machine during a cycle that will keep your clothes smelling fresher for longer. One example is Borax for laundry.

James King, operations manager at DeluxeMaid explains, ‘Use half a cup of borax [available at Walmart] and toss it into your washing machine along with your regular detergent for a nice, fresh scent. It’s especially handy for those gym clothes or towels that seem to hold onto odors.’

Once you have washed your laundry, it is important to dry clothes quickly. Avoid letting laundry sit wet for too long as it will encourage musty odors to build and undo the hard work of your detergent and fabric softener warns laundry pro Salvador Villarreal.

He says, ‘Getting them out quickly minimizes odor build-up, as seen when we handled sports apparel that required quick and effective cleaning cycles. These small steps collectively keep clothes smelling and feeling fresh for longer.’