gym gear stank

JessiBelleW
JessiBelleW Posts: 831 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

Does anyone have an excellent way to get rid of the stank from my gym gear? When it comes out of the drier it smells clean, but once I've heated it up (with body heat) I can tell which set of stuff has been worn in the gym!

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I add Oxyclean to my laundry.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    Tide makes a sport detergent that supposedly kills the bacteria.

    I’ve had success with soaking stinky gym gear in straight vinegar then washing as normal. Just adding a cup to the wash didn’t work for me.

    Lately, though I just wash gym gear in hot water. I can use less soap and I save a step from having to soak.

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited May 2018
    Besides obviously washing my knee sleeves I will put a dryer sheet in my bag to soak up the scent in between washing.

    As weird as it sounds certain materials just hold onto it more than others. I use SBD knee sleeves. I've heard people that own Bell's sleeves swear the stink up faster even though they are simular material.

    I know there is spray that is sold to help as well, but I don't know how effective it is.
  • vallary14
    vallary14 Posts: 215 Member
    Try giving them a soAk in vinegar solution before final rinse cycle. It can be hard to get stink out of fibers but maybe add borax or baking soda to wash and then the vinegar rinse anything else is just going to mask the odor.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    edited May 2018
    I soak mine in oxyclean before washing. Lysol makes a new laundry sanitizer that might do the trick.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,268 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    1. Wash the cloths soon after wearing. No letting them fester in a dark hamper or gym bag for a week.
    2. Add vinegar to the wash water.
    3. Have enough clothes that you don't wear them multiple times between washings.

    This (above).

    I've been going to the gym 3-4x/wk since January. Most of my clothes are one-time-wear (I really work up a sweat), and get washed soon after use. We happen to use Arm & Hammer liquid detergent rather than Tide, and this seems to work fine. Most of my clothes are cotton, not manmade (60+ yo guy, not into stretchy modern gym clothes, LOL). I have been wearing old-fashioned sweatpants, and they get used a couple of times between washes. Again, no issues.

    On the other hand, I wear a neck lanyard (from some tradeshow) on which I carry my gym member swipe card, locker key (I can't read combo lock numbers without glasses) and a medical ID card. It is nylon or some sort of poly fabric, and it really absorbs the sweat. It became truly nasty after a couple of weeks - suddenly - and I found a vinegar soak followed by antibacterial dish soap to be a great help - but not perfect (there's a very, very faint residual smell). I avoid using chlorine bleach other than on whites, although I've seen the Lysol laundry disinfectant and Oxyclean products other posters have mentioned. I make this point because I think manmade fibers - other than those advertised as being low-scent - might hold on to odors more than cotton in many wash/care situations.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    I add OxyClean and Fabuloso.
  • thinbybday
    thinbybday Posts: 32 Member
    There are enzymatic cleaners specifically for tech gear, but Nature’s Miracle pet odor remover does the same thing.

    I wash in cold w/ oxyclean, then a 2nd wash w/ the enzyme cleaner.

    Don’t put tech clothes in the dryer: air dry.
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 831 Member
    I only wear my clothes once before tossing them in the laundry (are there people who really mulit use theres?) but I don't wash every day. I shall hunt out some Oxi clean and give it a go :) thanks!
  • mochapygmy
    mochapygmy Posts: 2,123 Member
    A lot depends on if you have hard or soft water. Never use fabric softener on workout gear as it seals in funk and makes clothes less absorbent. You need a good detergent with enzymes and possibly a booster as well. A laundry strip and/or deep clean is likely necessary to get out the embedded sweat and funk before proceeding with a new washing routine.
  • amelisegb
    amelisegb Posts: 58 Member
    Similar to some of the posters above, I have had success using a vinegar soak. It's cheap and you probably have some in your pantry :) Plus I have allergies to lots of scented detergents & such, so this is the most effective for me.

    I fill a bucket with water and add ~a half cup of white vinegar, then I let my gym clothes soak for about 10-15 minutes. Then I wash as usual with settings for "Heavy duty" clean. Unfortunately, I find that you have to do the vinegar soak every time (or at least every-other wash) for it to work.

    For shoes/your gym bag, you can use baking soda or those special deoderizing inserts. I like the dryer sheet idea above, I'll have to try that myself!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I add a scoop of good old Borax to a load of my sweaty running/cycling gear (I'll also second washing it as soon as is practical)
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited May 2018
    JessiBelleW wrote: »
    I only wear my clothes once before tossing them in the laundry (are there people who really mulit use theres?) but I don't wash every day. I shall hunt out some Oxi clean and give it a go :) thanks!

    I sometimes wear the same clothes for lifting more than once - I work out in my basement which is generally pretty chilly and I don't always sweat much. So far the dogs haven't complained about any smell!

    ETA: Speaking of dogs, I started using the cold-wash-with-vinegar-followed-by-normal-wash trick with their blankets and it's really cut down on smell. Can't speak for gym clothes but it seems worth a try.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    A standard wash cycle doesn't remove all of the soap or debris from clothes. If it's bad, I'd suggest
    1. running a light load through with borax or vinegar or other deodorizing product.
    2. running 1-2 times with no detergent at all.
  • JetJaguar
    JetJaguar Posts: 801 Member
    Well I work out at home, and I find it helps to bring the clothes in the shower with me and rinse them out in water immediately.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Alright what’s up with all the woo’s on this post??
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited May 2018
    Glad you said something because I noticed my shirt had a smell when I wore it to the gym last week. It had been washed too. I was like wtf I haven’t even worked up a sweat. I thought the material the shirt was made out of was just smelly
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    I soak mine in oxyclean before washing. Lysol makes a new laundry sanitizer that might do the trick.
    I'm gonna try it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    I think certain fabrics are more prone to holding onto odors and dirt than others? I think thats why folks wear some of those more new-style hi-tech fabrics, right? Aren't they supposed to avoid that kind of thing? Cotton can trap dirt and odors no matter what, am-I-right?
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Alright what’s up with all the woo’s on this post??

    I noticed that too. Apparently people have strong feelings about the right way to do laundry? /shrug
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    JessiBelleW wrote: »
    Hi there,

    Does anyone have an excellent way to get rid of the stank from my gym gear? When it comes out of the drier it smells clean, but once I've heated it up (with body heat) I can tell which set of stuff has been worn in the gym!

    My dad sent me some spray - I think it's called Frogger? It helps keep stuff smelling fresh in between washes. I have the issue describe with my knee sleeves. They smell bitter and nasty as soon as I start working out even if they were just washed.
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 831 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Alright what’s up with all the woo’s on this post??

    Maybe its Woo - as In "woo, pooh, you stink girl!"
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
    My husband had that issue with his workout shirts. We figured that after five years, it was time to buy more shirts.
  • SErickson2018
    SErickson2018 Posts: 24 Member
    JessiBelleW wrote: »
    Hi there,

    Does anyone have an excellent way to get rid of the stank from my gym gear? When it comes out of the drier it smells clean, but once I've heated it up (with body heat) I can tell which set of stuff has been worn in the gym!


    Tide sport detergent!!!! Works amazing.

  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    Gonna try the vinegar trick with my gym towels. They are really suffering from having to be rolled up while still damp and then left in my bag while I go about the rest of my day and then have an hour and a half's commute home...
  • guy_1987
    guy_1987 Posts: 48 Member
    If you use them often for a long period of time they will eventually get manky and will need replacing.

    I have a football (soccer) shirt I used to play in and then went to the gym in on/off for 5 years and eventually it just had to be binned!

    Great value shirt and it still looked great but stank!

    I was proud of it though!

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