How to Remove Strong Odors From Clothes

How to Remove Strong Odors From Clothes — You worked out. You deserve a high five or pat on the back, not some icky smelling gym clothes as a result. But inevitably, if you workout often, you know the fierce odor is hard to get out, regardless of how many times you put them through the wash! The buildup of sweat + bacteria leads to that stench, and it’s hard to avoid! 

A lot of that boils down to the new and improved workout clothes we wear these days. The fabric is made to push water out to keep you drier while you workout. The problem is, they also don’t let the warm sudsy water in when you launder them! The Girl runs. A lot.

That means she has this very problem. Or HAD I should say, since we’ve figured out a way to combat it! Below you’ll find some helpful tips to prevent the odor and a few tried and true methods for eliminating it!

Preventing Odor:

Wash immediately: Part of the problem people have is that the stinky article of clothing gets shoved in a gym bag to grow bacteria and get progressively stinkier! Same thing happens at the bottom of a laundry hamper waiting for laundry day.  Wash those sweaty clothes as soon as you are able to prevent that bacteria growth.

Air out: If washing right away isn’t an option, try to air out your gym clothes. Lay them flat somewhere to dry or even drape them over the laundry hamper.

Turn clothes inside out: All that sweat and bacteria and body oils come off on the inside of your clothes. To give your machine better access to them, turn all of your workout clothes inside out before tossing in the wash.

Don’t overstuff your washer: Because your workout clothes need even more room to slosh around in there since it’s hard for them to absorb water to begin with, packing your clothes in means less chance of those clothes coming out actually clean. Small loads are best.

Don’t dry stinky clothes: Before you toss those just washed clothes into the dryer to tumble, take a whiff to make sure they are actually clean. If they still smell, rewash them before you bake in that stench by drying them!

Eliminating Odor:

The vinegar method: This is the method I used for all The Girls running clothes. It’s my favorite method and super simple. Start by filling your machine up with the hottest water possible. Add in a cup of distilled white vinegar and then the workout clothes. Turn off the wash cycle and let the clothes soak for an hour.

Add your detergent and then wash as you normally would {if you have a front loader, you might want to use option 2 or soak clothes in the sink}.

The baking soda method: Sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the washer along with your choice of detergent and then launder as normal. This works just as great as the vinegar method, but I normally have more vinegar on hand than baking soda, so I go with the vinegar method.

If the smell still persists, repeat the process. Also, something to note. Do not combine these methods. If you use vinegar with ammonia or baking soda, they neutralize each other and all you will have left is saltwater. So just pick one or the other.

So there you have it! How to remove strong odors from clothes. 🙂

Happy washing,
~Mavis

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