I'm running out of internet suggestions on getting my synthetic workout clothes to smell clean.

Things I've tried:

1) Washing on cold with synthetic specific detergent (Active Wear brand) and air drying.

2) Hitting the "reset" button on the clothes by putting them through laundry stripping process.

3) Regular detergent (Tide Free) with household vinegar as the "softener".

4) Pre-Soak with water, baking soda, vinegar.

5) Pre-Soak with synthetic specific detergent, then repeat #1.

Nothing has worked. They might come out smelling clean/clean-ish, but one workout and they are back to smelling like they spent the week in a middle school football locker room.

Anyone successfully wash their synthetics? This is high dollar clothing - Vuori, etc - and I'm lost on how to wash in a way that they wont reek after a workout. Its somewhat embarrassing to be in the gym and wearing clothes that smell like they weren't washed.

Suggestions?

We use this detergent and it works pretty well. Rockin Green Active Wear

i hang mine in the bathroom to dry out. once dry, they are washed with my normal clothes. never had an issue with them being smelly.

aggiespartan said:

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We use this detergent and it works pretty well. Rockin Green Active Wear

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Use the same, and it seems to work pretty well. We will occasionally soak a load of clothes in this, then wash.

I wear mine into the shower. Wring them out a few times. Then let them hang in the shower and they go into the dirty clothes for normal wash the next day.

I have not had any issues with odors since I started using the Lysol laundry sanitizer. The Clorox version does not work.

I also add a soak to the cycle when I wash this load, and I use an active wear detergent and put in a scoop of OxyClean. But I really think it's the Lysol product that keeps the odors away.

We use a detergent called Hex. It works well, got it on Amazon.

In the washing machine.

I had the same trouble as you and am a pretty heavy sweater. I have had success using Tide Sport (it has to be Sport, not Free or any other variety of Tide or any other detergent, per my experiences) and putting a cup of vinegar in as the washer is filling with water and then also putting some vinegar in the bleach dispenser. Until I started doing this, my gym clothes never fully smelled clean. As long as I do this, they do, but your mileage may vary.

Same. I always let stuff air dry before it goes in the hamper. Then it all goes in together with whatever tide pods the kids haven't eaten.

Vinegar + baking soda defeats the purpose of baking soda. The acid in vinegar is necessary to kill bacteria and fungi, and baking soda neutralizes it. Adding to the washing machine helps, but most detergent is basic as well and will also partially neutralize the vinegar. Would recommend either adding a ton of vinegar to the wash, or soaking in pure vinegar. A hot wash will also help.

Additionally, the sun has a remarkable ability to kill bacteria and neutralize odors. Due to the UV rays, bacterial DNA gets denatured and they die. Organic compounds that smell also get denatured. Might be worth trying to hang it up on a hot sunny day.

ETA: The OxyClean knock off (LA's totally Awesome brand) from Dollar General I think also has helped me before.

So for tops, I actually use cotton or cotton blend shirts and tanks. I almost only wear tanks for upper body days so that sort of takes care of the armpit smell issue (where a bulk of BO comes to play). But my soft cotton and cotton blends seem to smell good, and I prefer and way they wear while I train. I avoid 100% poly tops. The so called "performance" in performance clothing is mostly a marketing gimmick anyway. I find that cotton allows the barbell to stick to your back better, feels cooler when training and looks better on me. It could very well be the polyesters keep BO better. Most of my stuff is either Better Bodies or Gasp as I train at Destination Dallas so I can get that stuff super cheap. I have Vuori, Lulu and a few other brands too (mostly shorts in high end gear).

Marketing gimmick maybe for lifting and such, but go run in those cotton shirts on a humid day. When your nipples start bleeding, you won't be claiming gimmicks.

AggieOO said:

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i hang mine in the bathroom to dry out. once dry, they are washed with my normal clothes. never had an issue with them being smelly.

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I actually typically wear mine into the shower for the initial rinse, then squeeze them out and hang them to dry.

I've found a couple of specialized detergents that help with that workout funk in synthetic fiber shirts. That and rinsing them asap after use seems to help. Letting them sit anywhere warm and sweat soaked for any length of time sets in that smell and it takes a good oxidizer or neutralizer to get rid of.

Maybe it's you, not the clothes.

I smell like roses when I sweat so no clue

What detergents worked well for you?

I can't always get the clothes rinsed or hung up right away. Same day yes, but rarely immediately after.

I can't remember what I bought last but it works ok. I'll take a look and post it later.

Picked this up at Walmart today and washed all of my synthetic workout clothes.

Pre-Soaked them with the Lysol first, then washed with the Lysol laundry sanitizer (sport version) and Active Wear detergent.

They smell great coming out of the wash! I'll update this post next week once I've worn them all and see how it holds up.

Appreciate all the input. Going to try one thing at a time til I find what works.

Sport Wash for detergent, Lysol Sanitizer for "softener".

Best to let them air dry, but if you have to put them in the dryer DO NOT USE DRYER SHEETS.

SPORT WASH LAUNDRY DETERGENT 64 fl oz https://a.co/d/9G2gLIQ

I only wear merino wool shirts to run. Smartwool Sport (an odor-free blend) and merinotech are my two brands.

I can wear the shirts multiple times before they smell, even after a hard 10K+ run. Just hang it up to dry out, and it's good to go the next day. Eventually I wash them because of salt content.

I also only wear merino wool socks. Same pair can last several days..

As for shorts, there aren't good wool options.

I've used Nathan's Power Wash with success for years. Back when it used to be Penquin Sports Wash. I order from the Nathan website, but they sometimes have it at REI.

It may take a couple of wash cycles to have full effect. I'll notice that funk come back when I get a new set of clothes.

The bottle is terrible though and makes a mess. The liquid dribbles from the cap down the sides when you close it up.

AggieOO said:

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Marketing gimmick maybe for lifting and such, but go run in those cotton shirts on a humid day. When your nipples start bleeding, you won't be claiming gimmicks.

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Don't go run! Problem solved! You're welcome!

I hang mine after use and then wash when they are free from the workout sweat

Yeah my shorts have been the most troublesome. Especially those with a built in liner.

I don't wear them into the shower, but I toss them under the running water while I wait for the water to warm up

I've been using Out Pro Wash lately. It has oxidizers and surfactants to try to get the funk loose or chemically deodorized it.

I don't wear liners. I've done 7 marathons and had zero chafing with David Archy bamboo/rayon briefs from Amazon. As for shorts, check out Baleaf unlined shorts on Amazon. Extremely durable. I've got 7500 miles in the 4-5 pairs I own.

As for the shirts, 150-165 gsm wool is the way to go. Period.

I hang my clothes to dry. Once dry they go in hamper. Just wash using normal detergent. My wife has this smell good things we put into the wash for all clothes. I then hang dry workout clothes. Smell just fine.

I dry my stuff in the sun before I wash them

TikkaShooter said:

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Yeah my shorts have been the most troublesome. Especially those with a built in liner.

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I don't use shorts with built-in liners anymore. Makes a big difference in comfort and mostly eliminates chafing.

In my personal experience, I have found that most bad odors come from the athletes themselves, not clean clothes. Body odor is the result of bacteria on the body mixing with sweat.

My personal solution is to occasionally use an antibacterial hand soap on my scrunchie lather maker thing, and do a thorough scrub everywhere (especially smell producing areas), and hair. Rinse thoroughly. I know there are antibacterial body washes, but I have found they aren't quite as effective. If someone has a good experience with one, I'm open. Probably safer and better for you, too. I know regular use of antibacterial hand soap isn't great for you. But VERY effective in getting rid of smells. Even my wife mentioned how much better I smell when sweaty.