My workout clothes stink! Help!
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For people who use borax how much do you use in a load?
i can't recall. just wanted to say that borax absolutely did work, that horrible time i washed all my own clothes with one of my teenage son's baseball shirts and the sweat reek got baked into everything by the dryer.
but it worked best, ime, when you can soak the clothes overnight(ish) first. laundromat experiences haven't been quite as stellar for me.
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My workout clothes could raise the dead before going in the wash but always come out smelling like, well nothing. I wash in hot water with a tablespoon of Tide powder, never use fabric softener on any of my clothes ever, run through a double rinse cycle, then hang dry inside or outside depending on the weather. I don't know which of those things is the trick, but whatever it is works for me.0
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I don't have solid advice, I just want to give a word of warning.
Oxyclean gives me terrible hives. Might test a little bit of it first.1 -
In addition to Borax, we put regular clothes detergent and a splash of Eucalyptus Anti-dust mite stuff in, and use vinegar as the fabric softener. Then we hang dry our clothes ... in the sun if we get some.0
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No they are not essentially baking soda, they may end up with the same result but are very different things.
To the original poster, a lot of issues with smell can be using too much detergent. It can leave a residue which can lead to bacteria growth.1 -
So much advice!! Thanks everyone.0
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I had the same issues about 20 years ago - where my pits would cause hard-calcified white stains as well. I tried different deodorants and laundry detergent.
I now only use Era laundry detergent and Sure deodorant. I have none of these problems anymore.
Maybe there was something I was allergic to? Or my body has a bad reaction to other detergents or deodorants?
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I had a huge problem with this before but now I have a strategy that works every time. I put white vinegar in the prewash compartment, a little regular soap powder in the detergent part, and no fabric softener. Wash at 30C synthetics cycle and air dry. Works like a charm.0
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Borax, Oxyclean or one of the other similar additives that are essentially backing soda, they are good with clothing smell.Any tips?
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.
The link someone posted above found that the bacteria causing the smell isn't usually found on people's armpits which suggests the problem might not be us, the bacteria is just feeding off of our sweat.
I don't smell after I run. I sweat A LOT. But if my clothes are left unwashed they start to smell. They don't smell coming off of me0 -
Does your machine have a "sanitize" cycle? This can kill bacteria that might otherwise survive a warm or cold wash cycle.1
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Borax, Oxyclean or one of the other similar additives that are essentially backing soda, they are good with clothing smell.Any tips?
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.
Given that anti bacterial soaps also kill off the good bacteria not a great idea......
smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-reasons-why-you-should-probably-stop-using-antibacterial-soap-180948078/0 -
I'm a runner who lives in Texas so my clothes are literally drenched in the summer. I add a bit of the powdered OxyClean to every load and it gets the stink out. There is also a DIY mixture you can make to make your sweat stink less. Just do not use this of freshly shaved armpits...OUCH!! Anyway, when I 1st started dieting, my sweat seemed very strong...possibly due to diet change. I found the recipe below and it helped tremendously!! I only made about half and poured it into a small glass spray bottle. You csn buy the flakes on Amazon.
Bring 1/2 cup of distilled water to a boil. Place 1/2 cup of magnesium flakes in a glass bowl, then add the boiled water – stir until dissolved. When the mixture cools, you can transfer it to a spray bottle (or for even easier application as a deodorant, a roll-on applicator). Easy peasy. (Note: DISTILLED water should be used to extend the shelf life of the mixture.)
Some people find that magnesium oil can cause somewhat of a burning/tingling/itching sensation. This may be more of an issue with folks who are super low in magnesium (it usually gets better over time as magnesium stores are brought up). If this is bothersome for you, you can dilute the magnesium oil further by adding more water (you can also apply coconut oil or aloe afterwards, if needed).0 -
Does your machine have a "sanitize" cycle? This can kill bacteria that might otherwise survive a warm or cold wash cycle.
Nope, no sanitize cycle. It's a pretty crummy washer/dryer. I also do not have well or hard water. Lake Michigan water.
I never dry my workout clothes in the dryer, always air dry. And I typically wash them within a day - I never leave them in my gym bag.
I don't eat a ton of processed foods - I cook most of my meals, so I don't think my diet has anything to do with it. I don't smell, but my clothes definitely do!
Last night I washed my bra in the sink with a small amount of laundry detergent and a 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar (it was the end of the bottle) and let it soak for a few hours. I used that one this morning and I think it helped. Right now I'm trying 1 cup of vinegar, 1/2 c. of borax and a small amount of laundry detergent in the washer. I'm going to stop the cycle and let it soak for a while. I will report back tomorrow after I've worked out.1 -
I pretreat with color safe sprays like Shout or Resolve whenever I can.
Dumb question - do you reapply deodorant before you workout?0 -
I launder my workout clothes pretty often - usually the same day I wear them. And no I don't use them for more than one workout. But they really stink. Once I start sweating, I have some serious body odor. I do morning workouts, so taking a shower first seems silly, but I have done it.
I know I should replace some of my clothes, but money is tight and my bras are $58 each. I've added a little bit of white vinegar to the wash cycle, but haven''t noticed a difference. I've purchased a bottle of tide that says it takes out the stink (I don't know the real name), but it seems to have a perfumey smell.
Any tips?
Yikes. Not sure what to tell you. I work out to the point of dripping sweat, but my clothes go straight into a mesh laundry bag in my car, and then into the laundry basket when I get home. I suppose if I left them there for a couple of days they would start stinking, but there really is not much of an odor. Do you use a good deodorant??0 -
This is one of the reasons I like wool.1
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I tried the vinegar & borax combo..I let it soak for an hour and I think it worked. I was on the treadmill for 40 min and I feel like I didn't stink.
Yes I use a good deodorant its definitely the clothes..not me.1 -
rhtexasgal wrote: »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 ...
Ditto for me. I don't consider myself a clean eater per se, but as I moved away from ultra processed foods I noticed less BO.0
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