Help-my workout clothes are putrid!

phdiva12
phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So this would be an embarassing problem if not for the fact that the horrible smell coming from my workout clothes is evidence that I'm working my a** off, right? I think that I might be time to just throw some of them away, especially my shirts. However, I wanted to get your advice first. I use Tide Sport, the new laundry pellets, and fabric softener sheets. This seems to get most of the stinch out, but there's still some odor left. I heard that adding baking soda and vinegar helps. What's your opinion? What has worked best for you? How long do you keep your workout clothes, before you accept defeat and throw in the sweaty towel?

Replies

  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    If any piece of clothing smells after you wash it I would throw it out. Nothing should smell after you wash it.

    Are you taking supplements? If so, some of the additives might be coming out through your sweat causing the odor.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    How old are these clothes we're talking about here?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    I do add soda crystals to my laundry but this is mainly to prevent limescale build up. It may help with odours too though.

    If damp clothes are left in a bag or something for a while they will start to smell more. Be sure to put gym clothes in the wash as soon as possible after wearing.

    Other than that I think it may be time to throw them away and start again.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
    Do not throw the clothes away.

    Add a cup of white vinegar to the wash. The new tech clothes hold odors and vinegar will do the trick. I use vinegar on my boat, the head (marine heads are a whole other challenge), the bilge, the galley, and it does better than any household cleaners on the market.

    Also so do not put the tech clothes in the dryer. Hang them up; they dry very quickly.
  • danibu98
    danibu98 Posts: 281 Member
    Are they dri-fit aka wicking sweat workout clothes? If so fabric softener will worsen the smell. It coats the fabric fibers sealing in the stink.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Tide, Borax, vinegar and let them soak for a bit before the wash cycle. If that doesn't help it's time to toss.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    If you read the label, you would see that you are NOT supposed to fabric softener with moisture wicking clothes.

    I'd say throw them out and by new, since you ruined these ones most likely.
  • Amberamazes
    Amberamazes Posts: 9 Member
    I hear vinegar works for smells.
  • lemgang
    lemgang Posts: 1
    Tide & Borax in warm water wash works for our clothes.
  • danibu98
    danibu98 Posts: 281 Member
    Sorry I hit send too soon! I used to cloth diaper so I consider myself pretty darn good at stink removal! I do a pre rinse with just cold water, wash as normal- no fabric softener- and dry as usual. A vinegar rinse will help a lot! Also, letting the clothes dry outside in warmer weather helps- the sun is a natural bleach. Once a tech shirt is around a year old though, in most cases it's best to throw away and get a new shirt! My husband works out on average 9x a week so his clothes get stinkier quicker than mine at 4x/ week.
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    Thank you so much for the advice. Some of my shirts are a couple of years old, so they might have to go.But most of my clothes are about a year old. I forgot to mention that I live in Texas and often jog outside, which means profuse sweating!
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    If you read the label, you would see that you are NOT supposed to fabric softener with moisture wicking clothes.

    I'd say throw them out and by new, since you ruined these ones most likely.

    I don't have moisture wicking clothes.
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    If any piece of clothing smells after you wash it I would throw it out. Nothing should smell after you wash it.

    Are you taking supplements? If so, some of the additives might be coming out through your sweat causing the odor.

    Not taking any supplements-it's just really hot in Texas and I sweat a lot!
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    Tide, Borax, vinegar and let them soak for a bit before the wash cycle. If that doesn't help it's time to toss.

    Thank you- will try!
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    Sorry I hit send too soon! I used to cloth diaper so I consider myself pretty darn good at stink removal! I do a pre rinse with just cold water, wash as normal- no fabric softener- and dry as usual. A vinegar rinse will help a lot! Also, letting the clothes dry outside in warmer weather helps- the sun is a natural bleach. Once a tech shirt is around a year old though, in most cases it's best to throw away and get a new shirt! My husband works out on average 9x a week so his clothes get stinkier quicker than mine at 4x/ week.

    Thank you for the advice- I think I will try to get some tech and moisture-wicking clothes!
  • jelr
    jelr Posts: 98 Member
    Vinegar does help. I think leave the fabric softener out as it causes a residue on any type of clothing and will only make clothes you sweat in even worse. Also perhaps try Nelli's laundry soda. We live overseas and I was noticing my clothes smelling sometimes for no reason (the whole load, I attribute it to the water here) I switched to this laundry detergent and haven't gone back in a year it's great! It's all natural, leaves no odors, cleans great, and isn't perfumed. Saved my sanity also in the potty training phase with my now 3 year old child. http://www.amazon.com/Nellies-NLS-100T-Natural-Laundry-soda/dp/B001GODIEE/ref=pd_sim_hg_2
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    So this would be an embarassing problem if not for the fact that the horrible smell coming from my workout clothes is evidence that I'm working my a** off, right? I think that I might be time to just throw some of them away, especially my shirts. However, I wanted to get your advice first. I use Tide Sport, the new laundry pellets, and fabric softener sheets. This seems to get most of the stinch out, but there's still some odor left. I heard that adding baking soda and vinegar helps. What's your opinion? What has worked best for you? How long do you keep your workout clothes, before you accept defeat and throw in the sweaty towel?

    Add a tbsp of Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) to your wash cycle and then add vinegar to your rinse. I would ditch the softener as it may coat your clothes in stuff that will prevent water from passing through. I bought a couple of shirts from brooks that have soemthing in them to prevent stink and it actually works.
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    My husband had this problem a lot before we got a Samsung SilverCare washer. It pushes silver particles (highly antibacterial) through the wash cycle. Makes all the difference, and he rarely has to soak anything now. Obviously getting a new washer isn't always possible. The white vinegar sounds like a very good tactic.

    Anytime we need to soak something for odor (even cat pee), I use Simple Green concentrate. Since it's a degreaser it might also help remove some of the residue from fabric softeners from the tech fibers.

    I hate liquid fabric softener, can't get my husband to part with it though. Nevertheless, the SilverCare seems to prevent the odor trapping issue from happening.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    I sweat a lot but my clothes that are several years old are just fine. I suggest you air them out before they go into the hamper and have enough so you can rotate them.
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
    Vinegar (apple cider vinegar specifically) is good at removing musty smells. Baking soda and vinegar is good at making volcanos, and cleaning toilets (with said volcano action). I don't know about a volcano in my washing machine.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I just throw a small scoop of OxyClean detergent in with each load and it keeps the smell out as well as doing a great job on keeping sweat stains from setting.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    I live in Texas, so I completely know what you mean.

    Definitely ditch the fabric softener. It is the worst thing ever for trapping smells in.

    If they are light colored (ie bleachable) clothes soak in straight 3% peroxide (added bonus is it will usually get sweat stains out).

    If they are darker colored clothes, sprinkle liberally with baking soda then pour on the vinegar. Yes it needs to be an over-sized bucket to soak, this will cause a chemical foaming reaction, but it does a great job of removing odors. I have had a few clothes this has ruined, but if you are only planning to throw them away anyway, baking soda and vinegar are cheap, and you aren't risking anything.

    Then wash as usual. From then on just add vinegar to the wash. And I'll agree with another poster, if you aren't washing them immediately, make sure the clothes don't just get dumped in the hamper, hand up to air dry till washing.
  • squeakyfish
    squeakyfish Posts: 109 Member
    I'm having the same problem too. So embarrassing. Since it's never been a problem before, and my friend has the same issue, I think it has to do with the water quality itself. My friend uses a sports wash, but it's spendy. The only thing that has worked for me is to always use white vinegar as the rinse agent, instead of fabric softener and to gather up the offending items and soak them for a while in a few cups of vinegar before washing. The soaking is what finally killed the stench.
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    So this would be an embarassing problem if not for the fact that the horrible smell coming from my workout clothes is evidence that I'm working my a** off, right? I think that I might be time to just throw some of them away, especially my shirts. However, I wanted to get your advice first. I use Tide Sport, the new laundry pellets, and fabric softener sheets. This seems to get most of the stinch out, but there's still some odor left. I heard that adding baking soda and vinegar helps. What's your opinion? What has worked best for you? How long do you keep your workout clothes, before you accept defeat and throw in the sweaty towel?

    Add a tbsp of Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) to your wash cycle and then add vinegar to your rinse. I would ditch the softener as it may coat your clothes in stuff that will prevent water from passing through. I bought a couple of shirts from brooks that have soemthing in them to prevent stink and it actually works.

    Thanks! Can't wait to get home and try. Although, I think I will have to invest in some of the stink-reducing clothing-lol!
  • phdiva12
    phdiva12 Posts: 79 Member
    I'm having the same problem too. So embarrassing. Since it's never been a problem before, and my friend has the same issue, I think it has to do with the water quality itself. My friend uses a sports wash, but it's spendy. The only thing that has worked for me is to always use white vinegar as the rinse agent, instead of fabric softener and to gather up the offending items and soak them for a while in a few cups of vinegar before washing. The soaking is what finally killed the stench.

    Thank you- it seems like vinegar and/or baking soda is the best way to go!
  • Lonewolf1507
    Lonewolf1507 Posts: 507 Member
    My workout clothing goes straight into the machine when I get home from the gym, a 40C wash with no chemicals or cleaners most of the time then a full wash with powder/liquid every few weeks, I do have enough gear for 4 days which gets rotated.

    Andy
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
    Plain white vinegar added to the rinse cycle should help. And no...it make your clothes smell like vinegar :smile:
  • HappilyLifts
    HappilyLifts Posts: 429 Member
    Are they dri-fit aka wicking sweat workout clothes? If so fabric softener will worsen the smell. It coats the fabric fibers sealing in the stink.

    I didn't know this! Thanks! :)
  • mcsweetly
    mcsweetly Posts: 133 Member
    Sounds like a good tip. I am actually going to try that on my hubby's towels!

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