My workout clothes stink! Help!

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  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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    Make sure you are using a very small amount of detergent - the residue can cling to the fibers and absorb odors. I also use baking soda or borax in the wash and use the "allergy rinse" option to make sure any detergent residue is rinsed out. Never use fabric softener.

    I've tried vinegar, and not only did it not remove sweat odors, but it made my clothes smell like pickles, even with a double rinse.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    Wash workout clothes with a detergent like WIN (or similar that is made for this purpose). Never use fabric softener (or dryer sheets). Line dry if possible.

    Clothes that wick sweat from your body can hold smells if the material gets clogged up with detergent/softener. Heat from the dryer is hard on it as well.

    I found that once it starts to stink there's not much you can do.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    this recent study might help explain it
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
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    My boyfriends work out clothes stink so bad they have made me vomit. I add baking soda to every load of his workout clothes and it really helps.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Are the clothes made of cotton or a performance fabric like drifit? Performance fabrics absorb less sweat & less odor. You can find lots of high quality workout clothes cheap at Goodwill.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I tried vinegar first, but I couldn't get it to work for me. Once a month, I toss gym clothes in washer with hot water and oxy clean...soak for a few hours, drain and wash normally.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Febreze spray in a travel bottle. Spray the hell out of them before putting in the bag.
  • MsAmandaNJ
    MsAmandaNJ Posts: 1,248 Member
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    I started adding OxyClean to each load, seems to have taken care of the stink.

    Before, they'd smell clean until I started heating up and sweating...then I'd get a nasty whiff.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    If you've put them in the dryer, you don't have much hope.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray each article of clothing before putting it in the washer. That seems to help.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    I add OXY clean. Some one made the point that it could be a washer issue or well water.

    We have hard water and it'll lime up appliances allowing a breeding place for bacteria. Vinegar might help a little or short term.

    I have one arm pit that gets funky once in a while and it smells up my shirts even after the wash. Wiping my pits with some isopropyl alcohol helped kill the stanky bacteria.

    Let us know what works!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I was always worried about Oxy that it might ruin my more delicate gear. I've been too scared to try it.
  • mandabeth34
    mandabeth34 Posts: 158 Member
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    In the summertime, mine and my husband's running clothes stink to high heavens. I wash them on the sanitize cycle in my washer. I'll do a couple loads a week of just our exercise clothes, and it gets the stink out.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
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    If the vinegar doesn't work, you might want to try a detergent like Sport Wash, which was designed specifically for high-tech synthetic fibers.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    For people who use borax how much do you use in a load?
  • CrabbyCancerMama
    CrabbyCancerMama Posts: 95 Member
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    I use a clinical strength deodorant and add a few drops of essential oil into my wash cycle. no more odor problems
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited January 2017
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    bebeisfit wrote: »
    Any tips?
    Borax, Oxyclean or one of the other similar additives that are essentially backing soda, they are good with clothing smell.

    But you should also target the root problem and that's the bacteria on you (sweat by itself is virtually odorless).
    Try an anti-bacterial bath soap combined with a good luffa scrub.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    Theo166 wrote: »
    bebeisfit wrote: »
    Any tips?
    Borax, Oxyclean or one of the other similar additives that are essentially backing soda, they are good with clothing smell.

    But you should also target the root problem and that's the bacteria on you (sweat by itself is virtually odorless).
    Try an anti-bacterial bath soap combined with a good luffa scrub.

    That doesn't really work with today's tech clothing. Gear that wicks sweat from your body will stink no matter how clean you are if it is not washed properly. I learned this the hard way (replaced much of my running gear). I now use only detergent made for my clothes (Win or similar).
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    Before I really tightened up my diet, when I sweat during workouts, my clothes smelled bad from the sweat. However, I noticed that the "cleaner" I ate, the less my sweat smelled and therefore, the less my workout clothes smelled, even two days later just sitting, airing out without washing. I ate a lot less processed foods, cut way down on grains and reduced my sugar intake while upping my fruits and veggies. Made a difference ...

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