I'm fighting something right now.... grr! but I am hoping an overdose on tea and cough drops and wearing a ridiculous amount of clothing will help. Because I have the slight issue of running 20 miles this weekend.... and maybe even by myself! Gulp!That's going to be a toughie.
Thank you all for participating in my Mind over tummy issues topic yesterday!
And now I return with another request for advice... and yet for another embarrassing topic.
Stinky Laundry.
Yup. *blushes uncontrollably* I have to admit it. I work out a lot. I sweat. A LOT. And when I do.... well, I guess I could put any 18 year old boys' college dorms rooms to shame! Ok no more details needed. You get the
Now my main problem lies with my dry-fit/tech shorts/pants. You would think that I would have a bigger problem with my cotton gear, but no. The problem lies in my tech material gear.
I wash it in the Cold Cycle and let it air dry. But I cannot, for the life of me, get that nasty smell out! As Steve once called it, the Swass smell. It's so awfully noisome now that as soon as even a drop of sweat touches the pants, it unleashes a fury of absolute putrid torture on anyone within a five-mile radius. I've tried soaking it in water as soon as I'm done working out, I've tried washing it with scented detergent, I've even thrown it in the dryer.... nothing works!
It's especially bad in my Nike pants, because they sew on a piece of
cotton right under the crotch. My lululemon pants and CW-X pants don't have that extra fabric, so it's not as bad, but it's still pretty foul. (image source)So now that I've bared my soul and my deepest darkest secret for the entire world to read (thank god they haven't invented smellavisions yet!) I really need your advice!
Short of doing my laundry every single time I sweat (which is almost every day , so it would be a huge waste of water), and short of buying an entirely new workout wardrobe (which is the ideal scenario, but alas, I am a broke-ass mofo), what can I do to salvage my malodorous clothes?
I've seen Febreeze Sports, Win Detergent, and other "sports specific" odor eliminators.... but are they worth the $$?Do you know of any at-home remedies for the stinky stink? (image source)
So from here on out, I should probably just change my name to "stinky mcstinkyson shoestrings", huh? Oh well. I'm stinky, nice to meet you. Wanna be my friend? :)
Ok time to go nurse my mug of tea and hang my head in shame :)
I love those Nike capris!!! So cute!
ReplyDeletei unfortunatley don't have any suggestions - but just wanted to let you know this post cracked me up. :)
ReplyDeleteI bought a 4 pack of the Win Detergent and gave it a shot. It worked but it didn't get the really TOUGH stenches out.
ReplyDeleteWhat seems to be working though is this: I let the washing machine fill up till it's about to start washing then add baking soda to the water ... yep, regular old backing soda ... I use the exacting hand full method but just measuring out what my hand can hold and toss it in ... then I add the regular detergent and toss in the offenders.
I've done it for about 2 weeks now and I have noticed a difference. (KNOCK ON WOOD :)
I would say baking soda too, sprinkle it on the inside of your cloths right after you exercise and take them off of course let them sit for a few hours and throw them through the wash! I hope maybe that will help baking soda absorbs the smell of everything!
ReplyDeleteI used to scuba dive, and neoprene dive suits would get horrendously bad after several dives. We used to use a product called "Sink the Stink". Lots of people had very good luck with it. I've also used Woolite. I'd let the suit soak in the tub with Woolite. Just a few inches of water and a couple capsful of Woolite.
ReplyDeleteI've also been finding my well-worn workout gear extra stinky lately. SAD! I'll be looking for some responses here too. I always wonder if it's worth it to shell out the extra cash for "sport" detergent, especially when we go through so much of it!
ReplyDeleteI also suggest baking soda. I put it in with the wash every time that I do a load of workout clothes. It might not remove all of the scent, but it helps and it's cheap.
ReplyDeleteYou could also try soaking your clothes in a mix of (white) vinegar and water or adding vinegar to the wash. The vinegar smell should wash out of the clothes. (But don't add vinegar and baking soda to the wash at the same time.)
Upcoming 3 day weekend? How did you get so lucky?
ReplyDeleteThe Penguin Sport Wash seems to work pretty well, although I wouldn't say my clothes ever get super stinky... the farthest I've gone is 13.1 miles. If you don't want to shell out the money for that you could also try Oxy Clean. It's geared more towards stain removal, but I found it helped with odor too. One thing that I've never tried, but I've heard might work is to dry your clothes in the sun. Not sure if that's feasible for you or not...
My clothes get pretty stinky too, but I use Arm & Hammer powder detergent and I think it's fine. I guess I don't notice them smelling again until after I've worked out. Hopefully they don't start smelling right when I start sweating again! But, I find Arm & Hammer works well, something about that baking powder! I love Tide too, but A&H is what's rolling in the laundry room right now.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely going to try the baking soda idea (why didn't I think of that?!). Only certain of my workout clothes get smelly (usually the cheap ones from Target). My good cold gear tech shirts and tights have done good so far (fingers crossed).
ReplyDeleteThe sports washes work, but are expensive. Through a cup of vinegar into your washs every once in a while. It works, it's cheap and it does NOT make your clothes smell like vinegar.
ReplyDeleteThe Win Deo works well for me and a lot of runners I know! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHello, I hope you get better before the weekend. I saw that you are training for the LA Marathon. Me too! I also have a 20 miler this weekend. Going to try to do it tomorrow and get it out of the way. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteah, hope you start feeling better for the 20 miler!!
ReplyDeleteUm, I have no special tips on the laundry thing :-/ oof, sorry! I sweat a lot too, but haven't noticed that my workout clothes don't let the stench out....? maybe I just don't smell it? haha, gawd I hope that's not the case...
I used to have Win and I would just wash all of my workout clothes separately as to not use a lot of it. It's good for protecting your expensive workout clothes. As a fashion designer with knowledge of performance fabrics, I can tell you not to wash your clothes in hot water or you'll ruin the wicking properties of dry fit. I'd recommend a few good splashes of good old fashioned white vinegar in your laundry, on cold or warm cycle, and wash them on the longest cycle, so there's plenty of time to get the stink out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, try not to throw the wet clothes in a pile, this makes the smell worse. If you can, throw them over a towel rack or door handle to dry out before throwing them in the laundry basket. This will keep them from intensifying in there and rubbing the smell off on your other clothes!!!
Good luck!
I agree about the Win Detergrnt, it was good but the hot days were still left in the clothes. I usually use a little bit of the Win detergent and then take some Dial bath soap bar and pretty much act like I'm washing my hands as the washer is filling up. I get a bunch of the Dial suds in the machine since it is anti-bacterial and wash that way. It has worked so far, so I guess that's my trick! :)
ReplyDeleteAWESOME POST! Glad that I am not the only one with stinky workout clothes :) All of the suggestions are awesome!
ReplyDeleteAw, feel better!! As for running the long run by yourself, you can do it!! Sometimes I enjoy the long run by myself. And I feel great pulling myself through it alone.
ReplyDeleteThere is a product called Dropps. It's a little packet that dissolves in the washer to release the detergent.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I use this on all of our clothes. We live in Tucson, AZ and after a few weeks of living here in the 100+ heat all of our clothes reeks like we were digging cesspools for a living. I am also a nurse so I get some 'biological' stank on my clothes from time to time.
We went to the laundromat and put all of our clothes in the washer, let it fill, left the lid up to let them soak for 1 hour with a Dropps in each and voila....we smelled like fresh water and soap! We have since moved on to the scent free and they work better than the scented! All of the copious amounts of sweat and minerals are gone, leaving clothes that are brighter and smell fresher than the day we bought them.
We air dry the majority of our clothes on hangers after we wash them...with 10% humidity they dry super fast!
No I don't work for Dropps or sell them in my spare time! I just love the little buggers and give them away to friends when they are expecting because nothing gets out nasty smells or spit up and poop better!
love the post. made me laugh---which I needed. I get pit stains which are just as embarrassing--I buy new stuff and tell myself I HAVE TO throw away the pitt stained shirts but usually don't haha! We all have are dirty secrets...lol
ReplyDeleteHope youre feeling better!
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