The Best Laundry Odor Removers to Make Clothes Smell Fresh

Best Overall: OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain & Odor Remover

4.7

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A longtime favorite, OxiClean Odor Blasters Versatile Stain Remover deserves all the praise it receives. The powerful stain-fighting formula is specially formulated to also conquer the worst odors—think body odor, sweat, musty towels, smoke, baby spit up, pet dander, and more. Bottom line: With this product in your supply closet, your clothes will never smell funky again.

But because the formula is oxygen-based, it's chlorine-free and color-safe—ideal for keeping your clothes in tip-top condition.

Using the product couldn’t be easier. You simply add it to every load. Or, for tougher smells and stains, you can use it as a pre-treatment. Simply soak your items for up to six hours before washing to restore them to like-new condition.

Best Budget: Arm & Hammer Clean Scentsations In-Wash Scent Booster With Odor Blaster

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If you thought you had to spend a fortune on specialized cleaning formulas or even professional laundry services to restore your favorite garments and fabrics to like-new condition or—worse—toss them entirely, think again. Arm & Hammer Clean Scentsations In-Wash Scent Booster With Odor Blaster does wonders to eliminate the stink from dirty clothing and soft goods.

Simply add the formula, which is compatible with all kinds of machines (including high-efficiency), to the washer before putting whatever it is you’re washing inside. The result is a sweet-smelling load that’s bursting with notes of orange flower, violet, and lily of the valley. 

Importantly, the product is safe for all colors, washable fabrics, and load types for maximum versatility.

Best Detergent: HEX Performance Advanced Laundry Detergent, Free + Clear

4.5

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If you truly prefer to work with one product and one product only, the HEX Performance Laundry Detergent is the way to go. This incredibly tough wash easily cuts through the worst offenders, including sweaty gym clothes and mildew-infused towels.

Rather than bathe duds with an artificial fragrance that only serves to mask scents—not eliminate them—this product truly eradicates the source of the problem (even on synthetic fabrics, like gym clothes).

Still, it’s gentle enough for just about anyone to use, thanks to the eco-friendly, unscented formula. (It doesn’t contain any dyes, fillers, perfumes, optical brighteners, or phosphates.) Another bonus: It’s also tough on all kinds of stains, plus works with all temperature cycles, as well as high-efficiency washing machines.

Best Natural: Branch Basics Oxygen Boost

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This multipurpose solution hinges on the powers of sodium percarbonate—a mineral-based brightener and deodorizer—and sodium bicarbonate—a mineral-based water softener more commonly known as baking soda. The result is a powerful, but all natural product that tackles stains and smells without bleach, ammonia, fragrances, or dyes.

Use a scoop with your laundry detergent to banish stains and odors in a single load. (The two-pound container has enough for 32 loads of laundry.) Or, use it to strip laundry for a deeper clean. Alternatively, you can also use the powder for other cleaning tasks, like restoring grout to its former color, cleaning high chairs, scrubbing tile, and even scouring pots and pans.

Best for Smoke: Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator

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Unfortunately, smoke is one of the more stubborn smells, whether stuck to clothes, towels, sheets, or even upholstery. Luckily, though, Febreze’s In-Wash Odor Eliminator is no match for the foul and funky smell. The 50-ounce jug is filled with a professional-strength formula that excels at removing not only smoke smells, but also those caused by pets, sports, cooking, perspiration, grease, mildew, and more. 

It works in all washing machines, including high efficiency machines. And it’s easy to use: Simply add a bit to your favorite detergent and let it work its magic. Alternatively, it can be used as a pre-treatment: Place the garment in hot water, then add a cupful of the odor eliminator and let soak before laundering.

Best for Mildew: Biokleen Bac-Out Natural Enzyme Stain and Odor Remover 128 OZ

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Biokleen is a unique blend of live, enzyme-producing cultures, citrus extracts, and plant-based surfactants that work to remove the toughest stains and odors from a wide range of things, including laundry, carpets, and other upholstery without the use of phosphates, chlorine, ammonia, petroleum solvents, alcohol, brighteners, artificial colors and fragrances.

Still, you won’t have any trouble with tough musty smells, like mildew-soaked towels. And because the jug contains a whopping 128 ounces, you’ll have plenty on hand for all of your other laundry needs, like stripping cloth diapers, eliminating body odor from workout clothes, and even removing stains and the persistent odors that linger because of them.

Best for Activewear: Tide Odor Rescue In-Wash Laundry Booster Pacs

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If you have an excess of sour-smelling clothes to contend with, whether from your own workouts or your kids’ sports practices, Tide Odor Rescue In-Wash Laundry Booster Pacs are here to save the day. The pods, which get added in with either liquid or powder detergent, help eliminate odors at the source by cleaning deep into the fibers of your clothing (even synthetics!). Rather than simply covering the odors with new, nicer scents, the formula breaks down built-in odors and layers of body soil and dinge that can lead to odor issues over time.

There’s no learning curve—simply add detergent, then add the odor booster directly to the drum (or directly into the dispensing tray in high efficiency machines), add clothes, and start your washer.