Can You Leave Wet Laundry in the Washer Overnight? Here's What Martha Says

We've all been through it: You put a load of laundry into your washer only to forget about it until the next morning. When this happens, it's common for your clothes to develop a mildewy odor due to the growth of bacteria overnight. But if you leave wet clothes in the washer and find they still smell fresh and clean, do you really need to run the load through a second cycle? Martha says this isn't always necessary.

Can You Leave Wet Laundry in the Washer Overnight?

While it's best practice to place your garments in the dryer or on the clothesline right after the cycle finishes, it's perfectly okay to leave your wet clothes in the washer overnight, Martha says. "I mean, don't leave it for a long time—don't leave it for a week," she says. "If you get up in the morning and throw it in the dryer, it should probably be okay."

How Long Can You Leave Laundry in the Washer?

The exact time wet clothes can be left in the washer comes down to your specific laundry habits, but most people agree that clothes shouldn't be left in the washer longer than eight to 12 hours. "Soil level, detergent, wash water temperature, whether an extra rinse is selected, and whether the appropriate amount of laundry bleach for the load is added all impact how clean the laundry gets and whether you can get away with waiting a few hours to take the laundry out," says Mary Gagliardi, in-house scientist and cleaning expert for Clorox.

Washing your clothes with bleach will give you more leeway when it comes to leaving wet clothes in the washer overnight. "Bleach loads (socks, towels, sheets, underwear, t-shirts, dishtowels, etc.) are perfect overnight loads—start them before you go to bed and deal with drying them in the morning," says Gagliardi.

How to Tell If Your Clothes Were Left in the Washer for Too Long

If you're unsure if your wet laundry has been sitting too long, try smelling it. "One way you can kind of tell is if it smells all right," says Martha. "That mold and that bacteria that starts to grow on damp clothes and environments, that's very pungent."

Even if one item of the bunch smells, it's a good indicator that the entire load needs to be re-washed. For this reason, it's helpful to use a non-scented laundry detergent that's also free of harsh chemicals. Doing so will allow you to smell if your clothes haven't been properly washed or need further attention.

How to Prevent Your Laundry From Smelling Bad

To prevent bad-smelling laundry, you must first learn where the source of the stench is from. Of course, if you left your wet clothes in the washer for a few days, it makes sense that would be the reason—but there can be other causes. "One very common source is from soil buildups on the inner workings of your clothes washer, especially high-efficiency clothes washers," says Gagliardi. "Soil buildup can include leftover dirt, stains, oils, and lint that stay behind after the cycle is complete, where you can't see them inside the inner workings of the washer." Ahead are a few ways to make sure your clothes smell great after every wash.

Remove Soil Buildup From Your Washer

If your damp laundry stays in the washer after the cycle is over, it can pick up the odor from the soil buildup. "Running a monthly bleach clean-out cycle of your washing machine is a very effective way of eliminating soil buildups," Gagliardi says.

Here's how to run your washing machine through a cleaning cycle with bleach:

1. Select hot water.
2. Select the "extra rinse" option if your washer has this feature. If not, you can do this manually when the cycle ends.
3. Add disinfecting bleach to the bleach dispenser. Fill to the maximum level.
4. Run the cycle. Don't put any laundry in the washer.
5. Run an extra rinse cycle if you couldn't add one to the first cycle to ensure that no bleach remains in the washer.

Wash Smaller Loads

Cramming too many articles of clothing into your washer means that not everything may be cleaned efficiently. Stick to smaller loads that don't overload your washer so that your items are guaranteed to be washed well.

Dry Out Wet Clothes Before Washing Them

If you have damp clothes, like your gym clothes, for instance, you'll want to let them dry out a little bit before tossing them into your hamper. This way, you prevent your damp, possibly smelly clothes from making the rest of your laundry smell bad before it hits the washer.