Can Gym Clothes Reach the Point of No Return?

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  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
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    Overnight in the freezer. Double bagged, since you're probably got actual food in there too...
    If that doesn't do it, it's perma-stink and time to get some new stuff.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
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    In all seriousness, smell is from bacteria. Set them out in the sun for an afternoon. That should kill the bacteria off. If it works for my hockey gear it'll work for a t-shirt.

    I'm SO going to have to try this with my son's RANK-smelling hockey gear. I swear that stuff could get up and walk on its own it's so nasty!
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
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    I was gonna say - ask a hockey player! There is no funk quite like hockey funk. :sick: LOL

    AMEN to that!!!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Do gym clothes, in particular dry-weave clothes, reach a funk-saturation point from which there is no hope of ever getting them smelling fresh and clean again?

    I have a few shirts that no matter how much they're laundered, they reek to high heaven. Sadly, I don't always notice this when I first put them on. Guess it's time to retire those bad boys... But I wonder... I've heard that putting smelly running shoes in the freezer kills the bacteria responsible for their pungent aroma... will the same theory hold true for other articles of clothing?

    Or should I just throw out the offending shirts before they EPA comes after me?

    Get some OxyClean (or the generic, cheaper version) and toss a scoop in with the clothes when you wash them next.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    If they're that bad, you don't have to decide to chuck them out, they'll walk out on their own!
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 894 Member
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    I smell like ammonia when I work out and my workout close are starting to get bad. I tried baking soda but that didn't help LOL it's mostly my sports bras that have the odor. I'd love to replace but they are expensive.

    Ebay! i am a DD so i can only wear really good sports bras. i have found many new ones on Ebay for a fraction of the cost :)
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
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    Anything that requires more work for me gets the boot.
  • katya143
    katya143 Posts: 313 Member
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    THIS IS MY ISSUE!!!!!! I have tried vinegar, doesnt work! I bought sport wash, sport suds and all the other crap, havent tried it yet, but have a feeling it might not work either..... I just try to treat myself to new gear when hitting a new goal! Its motivating when u work out and smell the funk! <3
  • rgunn02
    rgunn02 Posts: 169 Member
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    I wash all of my work out stuff in LOTS of vinegar and detergent. I add vinegar to the pre wash dispenser, to the bleach dispenser and to the softener dispenser. Seems to work good for me. Even ones that used to be really rank are like new again!
  • GTOgirl1969
    GTOgirl1969 Posts: 2,527 Member
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    I have a couple of workout T-shirts that smell no matter how many times I wash them. I'll try the vinegar trick before investing in special sports detergent.
  • nileighttig
    nileighttig Posts: 148 Member
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    Treat yourself to some new kit - you've earned it!
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    In the future, try keeping a tub in the bathroom with just water and Tide Sports with Febreeze. I pre-soak ALL my workout clothes, it goes right in after I take them off and I leave them in there until I do a full load in the machine. it works wonders! Someone told me the pre-soaking helps break up the salts and other junk from sweating (and bacteria, I assume). I haven't had anything remotely stinky since. :)
  • chrissismone
    chrissismone Posts: 116 Member
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    Tide sport with freebreze rocks my world. My clothes at one point made me say oh hell that's not pretty..so I went a head and invested..Tide for me knocks odors out very well.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    i notice this too....not when i first put them on clean but once i start to sweat....it's like the new sweat brings out the old hidden sweat from inside the pore of the shirt fabric...very very annoying and super stinky.....funny thing is - as soon as i take off my shirt i dont stink anymore...the stink isnt even "stuck" in my pits lol - just in my shirt pits....i need some new shirts or definitely need to read this thread for suggestions if there are any lol....
  • kgarman
    kgarman Posts: 61 Member
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    In all seriousness, smell is from bacteria. Set them out in the sun for an afternoon. That should kill the bacteria off. If it works for my hockey gear it'll work for a t-shirt.

    I'm SO going to have to try this with my son's RANK-smelling hockey gear. I swear that stuff could get up and walk on its own it's so nasty!

    I should also mention that this has worked for a under shirt that I wore when I was playing football in highschool. How bad was that shirt? It didn't dry out for the entire season. Literally. Put it away wet, put it on wet. The sun cleared the smell and dried it out. Sun is a powerful tool. Unfortunately, my mom washed the shirt and the darn thing literally fell apart.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    I pour white vinegar in the bleach compartment of my washer and it works wonders. My laundry doesn't smell like vinegar afterward either.

    ^^^ yep this will do the trick. It's bacteria that causes the funk and vinegar does the trick. I use apple cider vinegar but either will work. It's cheap and environment friendly :)
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Somebody told me to wash my underarms with hibiclens to keep the smell away. I did this and it does keep the smell away so I thought I would try it with some of my clothes. Basically, I dumped some in a bucket and filled it with hot water and old gym clothes. Then I washed them and the smell was gone.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Yay for sunshine! I didn't even realize that it's only been since winter when I couldn't hang clothes out on the line that they got really nasty.
  • RockaholicMama
    RockaholicMama Posts: 786 Member
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    Vinegar. It works wonders.
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,138 Member
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    I think after time the fabric and the sizing they are treated with breaks down, especially if you put them in the dryer. My son plays hockey.. my workout clothes don't smell nearly that bad. I don't worry about any extra funk while working out. I get more bothered by people wearing too much cologne.

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