Athletic clothes were made to sweat in, but unfortunately the fabric the clothing is made from has a tendency to hold onto that sweaty smell, even after being washed. Follow these tips to remove the sweaty smell from athletic clothing (T-shirts and thermal undergarments too).
Immediately Air Out Clothing
As soon as sweaty clothing is removed, hang it up to air out. Hang garments across a chair back or shower curtain rod until they are dry. Tossing sweat dampened clothing into a dirty clothes hamper causes the fabric to sour while it sets in the moisture. The salt in the sweat will also damage the fabric, so air dry then launder as soon as possible.
How To Wash Sweaty Clothing
Pre-treat sweaty athletic clothes before washing by turning each garment (especially tops) inside out, then pouring full strength laundry detergent under the arms and rubbing it in. If you sweat profusely around the collar and/or down the back of shirts, pre-treat those areas the same way.
Only wash a few pieces of sweaty athletic clothing at a time. Cramming the clothing into the washer defeats the purpose and the clothes will not be clean nor smell clean. Sweaty clothes need plenty of wash water and rinse water to penetrate every fiber and remove odor causing bacteria. Rinse athletic clothes twice and air dry if possible.
White Vinegar for Lingering Odors
After the clothing is dry, give it the sniff test. If clothing still has a lingering sweaty smell, grab a bottle of cheap white vinegar. Pour the vinegar (full strength) directly onto the smelly areas. Wait five minutes and pour white vinegar on the areas again. The vinegar will kill any lingering odor causing bacteria that is trapped in the fabric. Re-wash clothing as usual without rinsing the vinegar out of the clothing. The vinegar will not harm the fabric of the athletic clothes and actually makes a great laundry additive for most fabric types.
Smelly Shoes and Gym Bags
Sweaty, canvas shoes and gym bags that are machine washable can be treated just like clothing to remove the odor. Air dry, turn gym bag inside out, pre-treat and douse with white vinegar to remove any lingering odor.
Non-washable shoes and gym bags should be aired out and if sweaty odors linger, dampen a paper towel or cloth with white vinegar and place inside each athletic shoe or gym bag to help absorb lingering sweat smell.
Source:
- Sweat Stain Solutions hints on Tide.com website, accessed April 11, 2011
Helen Stewart - Ms. Stewart resides in Georgia where she is enjoying her career as a freelance writer. She writes for many online publications including ...
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