keeping your running/ workout clothes stink-free?

2

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I use this wonderful new invention called a washing machine and detergent ....it is a fairly new thing, so you may not have heard of it yet...
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
    I use a detergent called WIN. Made for workout clothes, but didn't leave a strong odor like Tide Sport. Can order on the internet from the company, and used to be from Amazon. Works great. Vinegar didn't work that week for us.
  • DonaGail
    DonaGail Posts: 190 Member
    Im in a navy blue polyesther uniform for 10-12 hours a day and usually have it sweated up in the first hour or two, then have to wear it all day..yuk.
    I know that amonia works wonders. A friend uses it on bed sheets for a child with bladder issues, so if it can get pee stink out, my sweat has no chance!
    I also like Odo Ban from Sams club.
  • ostrichagain
    ostrichagain Posts: 271 Member
    Washing Soda!! I got the smell of puke baked in a hot car out of a blanket by soaking it in washing soda for a day. Rinsed with vinegar. Works for urine odors too.

    Best of all: It's cheap.
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    awesome! i'm going to try this!!
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    There is this detergent that I get from RRS (RoadRunnerSports.com). It is called Penguin Sport-Wash. Seeing as both my husband and I run, we have a LOT of stinky workout clothes and this stuff does the trick!



    mel: i'll have to look into that penguin solution you mentioned.. with all that running you and hubby are doing.. you might just be onto something ;-)
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    Washing Soda!! I got the smell of puke baked in a hot car out of a blanket by soaking it in washing soda for a day. Rinsed with vinegar. Works for urine odors too.

    Best of all: It's cheap.

    awesome! i'm going to try this!!
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    I soak mine in a very strong solution of biological washing liquid every now and then. I leave them overnight to allow the enzymes to break down the bacteria that causes the funk but there is a point where all the washing in the world won't get rid of it.

    Make sure your work-out kit is made from a material that 'wicks'...i.e. absorbs sweat away from the skin but is breathable, These wicking properties also allow the fabric to 'let go' of the bacteria whereas cotton, for example, will hold on to it.

    notdieting: is the biological washing liquid bac-out, from bio-kleen?
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    I sweat a whole lot, but I don't find that anything beyond regular washing is necessary.
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    My husband works for the Forest Service and he has to work out in the field for 8 days in a row every other week. They camp so there is no shower after hiking in the mountains all day with his 80 lb. pack. On top of him being stinky he usually puts his sweaty, muddy clothes and socks in a plastic trash bag until he gets home! You wanna smell some funk... I'm an expert at getting the funk out of his work clothes after 10 years of washing them, haha.

    codapea: 8 days in a row, inside a plastic bag.. wow! how do you manage to even open the bag?! gross!! lol
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    Some clothes just end up staying stinky forever, so I toss them.


    headhits24: some clothes do end up stinky forever!! and the funny thing is that you think you got it out but then you start to sweat and.. poof! there's the funk again!!
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    I have gotten funky smells way worse than BO out of clothes using this. Ammonia and baking soda in wash cycle, and vinegar in the rinse cycle. My son had a bad habit of throwing wet towels in a pile at boarding school, and they also used mothballs in his dorm to control a water bug problem. If it can fix that combination, it can fix anything.
    padams2359: i'm going to look into the ammonia, but i'm not sure how long my running clothes will last using this? and since i do it by hand most times, i might need to get me some industrial gloves ;-)
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    It happens mostly with my sports bras. So I end up just tossing them after 6 months to a year...once the funk is permanent. :\ I wash my workout clothes every few days. I sweat a lot and I also try to rotate what I wear so the funk doesn't build up. I'll have to buy some white vinegar...try that soon. Or maybe just stop working out. :wink:

    sarahg148: that's exactly what i'm talking about!! usually my sports bra is the source of my funk!
    and i'm curious as to what you mean by washing your workout clothes every few days??
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    ah, so many great responses! i've heard it's just part of working out but as i said before, i can't stand the funk! and there's nothing worse that being in a sweaty yoga studio with a major skunk!! at least on a run, it's just you and your funk ;-)

    i think the key is to not let them get stinky in the first place.. this might prove to be impossible, due to the natural bacteria we have on our skin that reacts with our sweat = reason why things closest to our skin gets the most stinky..

    i've also thought about oxy-clean, but was afraid the bleach would ruin the threads in the clothes, esp. anything with compression!

    personally, what i do is.. first rinse really well in a large bucket and swish everything around.. let it sit.. then i empty out the bucket.. add a lot of detergent (ecos from costco) add water and then add everything back in.. i really swish everything around again and let it sit for a while.. then, usually right before bed, i rinse everything super well and hang dry under an a/c vent.. if i do find something is stinky, i hit that area with bac-out and let it sit.. then rewash.. usually it works, but there are a few things i might need to retire soon!

    oh, and the reason i do everything by hand is b/c i find i really need to keep things soaking and i don't want to do such a small load in the washer.. i hang dry b/c i was told the dryer ruins the clothes, esp. things with compression..

    also, if anyone wants to add me, go right ahead! i'm looking for other runners for motivation.. or anyone else that works out, stinky or not!
    fwiw: oxyclean doesn't bleach. I use it for lots of things. But yeah, we wash the running gear in it regularly, and once in a while we soak stuff in it over night. It's remarkably gentle.
    And super cheap.
  • SierraZulu
    SierraZulu Posts: 65
    Tide Febreeze Sport plus I add a scoop of OxyClean powder to the wash and that does the trick.
  • fatfrost
    fatfrost Posts: 367 Member
    BK:

    My clothes used to smell terrible even after repeated washings. IT got so bad the the wife was making me wash them separately because it would infect other clothing. I starting rinsing my shirts immediately after the work out in hot water (and putting them in the swimsuit spinner at the gym or leaving them outside if I worked out at home). It made a HUGE difference. Good luck and feel free to add me. I run at least 3x per week.

    best
    fatty
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    BK:

    My clothes used to smell terrible even after repeated washings. IT got so bad the the wife was making me wash them separately because it would infect other clothing. I starting rinsing my shirts immediately after the work out in hot water (and putting them in the swimsuit spinner at the gym or leaving them outside if I worked out at home). It made a HUGE difference. Good luck and feel free to add me. I run at least 3x per week.

    best
    fatty
    I rinse after too. It definitely helps (while waiting for the oxy clean washes!).
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    The Ecos detergent doesn't get the smell out of anything. I bought that once at Costco and will never buy it again.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    ....I wash them...

    +1

    Did not realize this was a problem for some, and I sweat like a *kitten* in church. On a hot day. After eating nuclear hot sauce. And there is no TP in the bathroom. :sick:

    :laugh:
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    I just wash mine, If yours are really stinky use white vinegar as a rinse. It will soften and get any smells out as well. No, your clothes will not smell like vinegar.
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
    I always air dry them/hang them up as soon as I get home. Then just wash normally with my other laundry, never had a problem with smells... thank god.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    I wash them within 2-3 hours of getting home from a workout. I usually use either Tide or Gain and a little bit of Oxyclean or Clorox 2 if I really stank 'em up. Never had a problem with permastink.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    I basically have fresh clothes for each workout and that includes sports bras and then everything gets washed once/week in the washing machine with Purex, fabric softener and then dryer sheets and I have yet to have a problem, thank goodness!
  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
    Fill the washer, add 1 cup of ammonia to the water, then toss in your funky clothes. Do not use detergent. Let it run thru a wash cycle. Warm water, then rewash with your regular detergent. Works every time. You can do the ammonia thing once a week, you won't need to do it every time you wash your workout clothes. They will be "funk free".:smile:

    I use a scoop of borax in all my loads. Anything that doesn't then pass the smell test gets the ammonia treatment...which truly does work every time.
  • runnermama81
    runnermama81 Posts: 388 Member
    Soak them in water, dawn dish soap and baking soda for about an hour before washing.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    I always air dry them/hang them up as soon as I get home. Then just wash normally with my other laundry, never had a problem with smells... thank god.

    Pretty much what I do and it seems to work.
  • moxiept
    moxiept Posts: 200 Member
    I air dry mine, then when I have an adequate load, soak them with liquid detergent, baking soda and oxyclean for about 30 minutes. Afterwards I wash them in cold on a normal cycle. Haven't had any issues thus far, thank goodness.
  • marita_mimi
    marita_mimi Posts: 23 Member
    To all you people who say "You wash them" HOW do you get the funk out even after you wash them?

    Like I said, I wash my workout clothes every day. I even used Tide Sport with Fabreeze. I've soaked them in the vinegar and water, washed them in vinegar and the Tide Sport in HOT WATER. I've also air dried them, dried them on the clothesline outside, dried them in the drier with fabric sheets however whenever I start sweating it reactivates the previous funk.

    Unless I sweat more than you hence the reason the funk is still in there?:huh:

    then its time to throw it out...
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    hey guys!
    i can't stand the funk..lol
    so i was wondering how you all keep your running/ workout clothes stink-free?
    and when they do get stinky, what do you do to get the funk out! oh, yeah!!

    Use a merino base layer, like a polyprop but merino. Merino doesn't capture smell. it also probably won't cause you to stink the way polyester fabrics do. As to your bottom half, the average track pants don't tend to get too bad. Use merino socks in your trainers - tramping socks at $30 a pop are actually incredibly worth it because they last for years and don't go squiffy - and change them every day.
  • salsera_barbie
    salsera_barbie Posts: 270 Member
    As ADINA749 said "I wash them" lol I love that reply! Washing them always does it for me as well...

    I wash my workout clothes every day but it still doesn't get the stuck in sweaty funk that is reactivated when you sweat out.

    I agree, I wash my clothes every day too and it still does nothing for that sweat funk. I do sweat and get funky more than your average person. I've tried the vinegar thing and I didn't see any improvement. Honestly after a while I just get new clothes.

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