keeping your running/ workout clothes stink-free?

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  • Randyamc
    Randyamc Posts: 365 Member
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    OP... thank you for asking this question!! :flowerforyou:
  • janupshaw
    janupshaw Posts: 205 Member
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    Obviously not everyone has the same "brand" of sweat. My husband sweats like crazy but never has the funk. I, on the other hand, got the funk! I've tried vinegar, it didn't seem to help. I'm going to try the ammonia & see how that goes. A friend of mine heard lemon juice will get sweat stains out, but not sure if that's supposed to help the stink or not.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Some of my favorite workout clothes dont seem to get completely stink free after just regular washing either. They smell fine when I put them on but start to get smelly after a I start to warm up.

    Mix
    16oz water
    16oz of hydrogen peroxide
    1/4 cup baking soda
    couple squirts of hand soap (helps suspend the baking soda in the peroxide so it does not settle to the bottom)

    I put it in a gallon jug and poke a hole in the lid, so it does not build up pressure, and store in the fridge. Put it in a spray bottle when needed. Spray clothes after washing and hang to dry.

    One of the best scent killers out there. Works good in shoes. Even gets out skunk smell.

    It will cause a white powdery film if applied heavy.
  • rsalty
    rsalty Posts: 68 Member
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    Classic soaking sweat when I commute in by bike (particularly in summer), and then I get to put them back on when I bike home to soak them again in sweat. Never had the persistent funk problem though. My standard washing ritual is a little detergent and a decent sized scoop of oxy-clean (releases oxygen into the water, instead chlorine like bleach does), put white vinegar in the fabric softener cup (I can't stand the smell or the feel of fabric softener, but the vinegar leaves the clothes fairly soft and gets rid of a lot of the detergent perfumes), start the load but leave the lid up so that it will soak instead of proceeding to drain and then start the rinse cycle. Next time I'm downstairs, I set the timer back to the start of wash cycle, close the lid for a full regular wash cycle.

    Well... except for white cotton socks and shirts. They get real bleach, chlorine and all - and one of these loads gets run, needed or not, after every time one of the kids forgets a load in the washer and the *washer* goes funky. They still the vinegar too, but it doesn't do as good of a job at getting rid of the post-bleach chlorine smell.

    I suppose an alternate solution might be to apply the historical definition of "gymnasium". But that could possibly lead to a situation with other undesirable aspects, at least in the country I live in.
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
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    so happy to see i'm not the only one that has these crazy washing rituals!

    all the suggestions are awesome..
    it seems a lot of people swear by ammonia.. i'll have to look into that..
    i use oxy-clean on other things, but never my running gear.. many people have mentioned this as well, and it'll be the first thing i do..

    i've never thought of air drying first.. you'd think the funk would definitely stay in the clothing.. so i begin the rinsing and soaking immediately after my run..

    and i forgot to mention that i live in miami, fl.. and i run outdoors, usually in the afternoon.. so it's gets super hot and humid here.. no merino wool for me.. i'd die! hahaha
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I live in south Louisiana, so we both live with 200% humidity. Add a dog that occasionally doesn't feel like going outside to pee to the list of the other things I have to clean. She has her own set of towels, and those come out clean. You may also want to try cleaning your washer. Tide makes a washing machine cleaner. Use with empty machine on a long hot cycle once every couple of weeks to a month.
  • litoria
    litoria Posts: 239 Member
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    If you can, hang them out to dry in the sun. Those UV rays will murder the bacteria that causes the gruesome stench :)
  • HeyGoRun
    HeyGoRun Posts: 550 Member
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    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:
    Purex Crystals!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I'm really confused at what people do with their clothes I wash mine the same way I do all my laundry I just put mine in the washing machine with a biological washing powder and softner. They are then line dried and they smell lovely and fresh. So have some of you got more noxious sweat than me?
  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
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    I spray 3% hydrogen peroxide on the stinky parts before washing. Hydrogen peroxide is amazing, we use it at work (hospital) to get blood out of fabrics..

    If that stops working I have some Natures Miracle that I'll try, which is an enzymatic odor remover I use for my pets funky beds and accidents.
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
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    Make sure you hang them out to dry before throwing them into the laundry basket. Plus Tide makes a detergent with Febreeze that works wonders. Definitely air them out, that helps the most.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I'm really confused at what people do with their clothes I wash mine the same way I do all my laundry I just put mine in the washing machine with a biological washing powder and softner. They are then line dried and they smell lovely and fresh. So have some of you got more noxious sweat than me?
    Yes.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
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    I'm really confused at what people do with their clothes I wash mine the same way I do all my laundry I just put mine in the washing machine with a biological washing powder and softner. They are then line dried and they smell lovely and fresh. So have some of you got more noxious sweat than me?

    Mine smell lovely and fresh when I take them out as well. It's the re-activation of the washed out funk that comes out when I work out and start to sweat again.

    I have zero issues with my other clothes that I wash. It's my workout stuff that has the ground in sweat funk.
  • horndave
    horndave Posts: 565
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    when all else fails, workout naked.
  • TheDarlingOne
    TheDarlingOne Posts: 255 Member
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    i saw a news report where this lady puts her running shoes in gallon freezer bag and freezes them between use. says it helps....
  • stephiehampshire
    stephiehampshire Posts: 160
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    I dont have to do anything special all my stuff just goes straight in the wash,

    I wash my trainers once a week but to be honest this wasnt because of them smelling its because I am blister prone so lets just say I get frequent red staines in them! haha
  • annie7hudds
    annie7hudds Posts: 199 Member
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    I find that no matter how high the temperature of the water, or what type of detergent most of my running clothes retain a slight whiff. It isn't pleasant, but I often run alone, so it doesn't matter :)

    I do have some vests from this company http://www.bambooclothing.co.uk/ and they don't stink. So I may get more - they aren't super cheap, but are very comfortable, and feel nice.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    so happy to see i'm not the only one that has these crazy washing rituals!

    all the suggestions are awesome..
    it seems a lot of people swear by ammonia.. i'll have to look into that..
    i use oxy-clean on other things, but never my running gear.. many people have mentioned this as well, and it'll be the first thing i do..

    i've never thought of air drying first.. you'd think the funk would definitely stay in the clothing.. so i begin the rinsing and soaking immediately after my run..

    and i forgot to mention that i live in miami, fl.. and i run outdoors, usually in the afternoon.. so it's gets super hot and humid here.. no merino wool for me.. i'd die! hahaha

    I found a huge difference since I started air drying my clothes that I didn't wash right away. I used to just throw them in the laundry.
    Sometimes I'll even get right in the shower with my clothes, rinse them, then hang to dry until I wash them (that's mostly when I travel because they won't get washed right away)

    I also add 1/4 cup vinegar to the wash.
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
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    I wash mine at least once a month whether they need it or not!
  • OgdenBT
    OgdenBT Posts: 9 Member
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    For me, it boils down to the material that my workout clothes are made of. Most of my workout clothes are made of synthetic fibers that are designed to wick away moisture. The problem with these types of fabric is they have a tendency to hold on to oils & residue that natural fibers would not cling on to. So even after I wash these types of fabric, they will smell 'funky' as soon as I start to break a sweat. This is due to the fresh sweat that suddenly contacts the left over oils & residue that normal detergent doesn't break down as easily as it would on natural fibers. There are a few brands of sports specific detergent on the market. I use WIN detergent on all of my workout clothes and it is fantastic.

    http://www.amazon.com/Win-Sport-Detergent-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B006NY72G2

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