keeping your running/ workout clothes stink-free?

BOOBYKAT
BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
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!!
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Replies

  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    I've heard that if you soak them in vinegar and then wash them that helps.

    Also adding vinegar to the rinse cycle or the cycle that would add the fabric softner helps as well.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I add a cap full of vinegar to the water when I wash my workout clothes.
  • MelisRunning
    MelisRunning Posts: 819 Member
    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!
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    ....I wash them...
  • moopity
    moopity Posts: 54 Member
    I add a cap full of vinegar to the water when I wash my workout clothes.

    This.
  • Imabemee
    Imabemee Posts: 36
    Super hot water, don't cram your washer full, they need room to move around in the water.

    Baking soda and white vinegar in the wash cycle.
  • timothydriver
    timothydriver Posts: 147 Member
    As ADINA749 said "I wash them" lol I love that reply! Washing them always does it for me as well...
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    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.
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
    There is one from Tide that i use and it is made for workout /fitness clothes. Works great too!
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    ....I wash them...

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  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    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:
  • notdieting
    notdieting Posts: 116 Member
    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.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    We wash them in oxy clean.

    We buy the BIG BOX at costco.
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  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    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:

    I had problems with stinky clothes when I wore cotton workout shirts, so I moved on to try out the moisture -wicking tech tops, that have at least some higher percentage of polyester mixed with cotton. I find these stay fresh much better that pure cotton shirts. They cost a lot more though.

    My workout clothes ARE moisture wicking and they still stink!:angry: <-- angry face not directed at you
  • SkinnyWannabeGal
    SkinnyWannabeGal Posts: 143 Member
    I wash my workout clothes as soon as I am done exercising. I wash in warm water with Cheer detergent and add Clorox2 or Oxy Clean to every load. I then immediately throw the clothes in the dryer with a dryer sheet. I don't use fabric softener in the washing machine. Never had a problem with smelly workout clothes when I follow this routine.
  • codapea
    codapea Posts: 182 Member
    Use just a little bleach to kill the bacteria and deodorize your workout clothes. Dilute 1/4 cup bleach in 2 cups of water and add that to the washer for a full load. Use less for smaller loads. I usually let the washer completely fill with water before I add the diluted bleach (top loader). It won't bleach your clothes or even lighten them if they are all the typical synthetic fabric they use for work out clothes like nylon/poly/lycra. If it is solid colored 100% cotton, don't use bleach. 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.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    I spray them with febreze.
  • headhits24
    headhits24 Posts: 7
    I've tried just about everything. The penguin detergent, oxyclean, quick n brite, tide for workout clothes. Some clothes just end up staying stinky forever, so I toss them. I've settled on oxyclean and rinsing them after I work out while showering. Also drying them in the dryer seems to help versus air drying.
  • timothydriver
    timothydriver Posts: 147 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

    Got you now sorry couldn't figure out what you meant the first time... I use tide pods or liquid detergent and downy unstopables it works well for me...
  • ltkl7
    ltkl7 Posts: 7 Member
    I have the same problem. I run hard and workout hard. Most times when I am done you can't tell If I have been working out or swimming in my workout clothes. The bad part is most of the time I workout during my workday so the clothes have to go back in my gym bag. In the summertime they stink up the whole car and in the winter time they sometimes freeze. I know it's disgusting. I used to get embarrassed walking out of the gym but now I am used to it.

    Either way I haven't found anyway to get rid of the funk. I try to buy new shirts about every three months. ****s has Reebok workout shirts on sale for 15.00 and get the 2nd one half price. So I usually buy seven new ones every three months. It gets expensive but it's better than the alternative.
  • samb330
    samb330 Posts: 328 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:
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Tide has a version with Febreze. Works very well. Why go to all that trouble of diluting bleach and soaking, or using vinegar or ammonia . . .
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    burn them and get new
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    We have a sanitize cycle you can run on our washer I always use that for workout clothes or for anytime anyone is sick and I add a little baking soda also to the washer that helps alot with getting things really clean.
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 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 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.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I wash them after every use. Once a month or so, I throw a cup of vinegar in with the wash.

    Don't have any problems with stinky clothes.
  • sarahg148
    sarahg148 Posts: 701 Member
    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:
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 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.

    Then perhaps you need a new washing machine? Maybe you're still using a wash board, down by the river?

    My clothing comes out smelling fresh everytime, with just hot water, the washing machine and some detergent.
  • BOOBYKAT
    BOOBYKAT Posts: 11
    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!

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