A WOMAN who has a "secret obsession" with laundry has finally discovered why her dark wash always smells so "funky".

Veronica admitted she's been searching for the "perfect laundry smell" since her early 20s, and also regularly cleans out and services her washing machine.

But regardless of how much she cleaned the washing machine and took out the old water, the "dark wash always smells funky".

"First I thought it was the washing machine that was the problem, but it's not," she said in a video on her TikTok page.

"It's the clothes, and more specifically the soap and fabric softener from all these years of washing that builds up in the fibres."

To counteract this, Veronica decided to soak all her dark washing in her bathtub with water and baking soda to get rid of the build-up.

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And her theory seemed to be correct, judging by the grimy state of the bath water after the soaking.

After soaking the clothes, she took each item out and rinsed it with cold water.

"And I noticed that the smell is better but also the colour is so much better," she added.

In the video caption, Veronica wrote: "You’re gonna think I’m crazy but I think this is one of those capitalism secrets where they make you believe your washing machine is broken so you have to buy a new one or you need to buy special soap for the dark wash… none of that!

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"It’s the product that breaks it! From now on I will use just soap and no fabric softener."

People in the comments were quick to admit that they also suffered from the same laundry issue, with one writing: "I have the same exact problem with the dark clothes. like only the dark ones whyyy?"

"Omg so it is not only my dark that just don’t smell fresh. They don’t stink but they don’t smell washed either," another added.

"yes!!!! finally someone drawing attention!! most laundry detergents do gradually build a layer on your clothes!!" a third praised.

And lots of people suggested Veronica add white vinegar into her laundry routine to help.

"Wash your dark clothes with 2 spoons white vinegar," one said, explaining that it's the dye used to colour the clothes that makes the smell.

"Try not to use fabric softener at all! it helps to add a bit of vinegar to the laundry in the second half of the washing process," another said.

As a third added: "I soak my darks with vinegar for at least an hour before I wash."

The smell on Veronica's darks wash could well be to do with soap buildup.

"Whilst we know not enough detergent won’t be enough to kill off all the bacteria, too much is counterproductive," Kegan Kimball from the 24-hour dry cleaning delivery service Laundryheap explained.

"It causes a build-up of suds which then cling to clothes and trap bacteria there, instead of lifting it away."

Turning the temperature up on your washing load can often help – as heat helps to kill bacteria – but just check your labels to ensure that your clothes won't shrink if washed at a higher temperature.

And the laundry pros over at Persil said Veronica had the best idea by soaking the clothes in a baking soda solution.

They advise "soaking your clothing in a bowl of cold water mixed with one cup of baking soda".

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"The baking soda will help release any odours that are trapped in the fabric," they added.

They did also recommend trying out the baking soda solution on an unseen area of the garment first – in case of any adverse effects.

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