keeping your running/ workout clothes stink-free?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

when all else fails, workout naked.

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

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.

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

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.

Exactly!!! I've just discovered that using those Unstoppable scented beads (Gain also makes them) works to get the funk out.

I find a scoop of the oxi-clean powder added to the drum before the clothes go in makes all the difference.