We all intend to remember to put our laundry in the drier, but sometimes life gets in the way and we return to a stinky clump of clothing that often smells stale even after you dry them. Instead, a half cup of white vinegar will do the trick:

Many people already know that white vinegar in a small bowl will remove smoky or musty odors, and that you can put the bowl on a closet floor or shelf if those odors happen to be stuck in your coats and jackets. What many people do not know is that, if you put white vinegar in your wash water at the beginning of a laundry load, it will both freshen and soften the clothes being washed. The scent of vinegar will have miraculously disappeared by the end of the wash cycle, but everything will smell very clean. You don't need much vinegar: a half cup is sufficient, a full cup is plenty, and exact measurements probably aren't necessary. Don't forget to add your usual detergent, too!

You don't need to run the wash for quite as long the second time. Make it short and sweet and say goodbye to that stale smell.