Smelly running clothes (Read 2879 times)

I've had decent success with a dettol antibacterial laundry rinse with eucalyptus in it or also a soak that is designed for nappies and then wash as normal. I find natural fibers get a lot less stinky in the long run and the higher tech the fabric, it seems the worse it hold stink but YMMV, If you are wary of using things like dettol or a nappy soak then try borax in the wash.

I toss in some Borax, too. Washing BEFORE clothes sit around for days can help. Some people rinse them immediately after a run before washing to get rid of yuckeys. Could also be your diet. Is it just your running clothes, or are you otherwise funky? You could also get a new family. A family of the nasally challenged.

Another Vote for Penguin Sport Wash.... Lot's of times you can find two bottles for 20 dollar deals at places like REI, but you can get it from amazon as well... GREAT stuff, and it will totally restore the worst smelling musty running clothes.

If I can't do that I leave the clothes out to dry before throwing them in the laundry pile. Nothing worse than pulling damp smelly running clothes out of the hamper after a couple of days.

This is what I do. Since washing machines are not an instant access thing for me (apartment life), I tend to wear stuff a few times. Each time, I hang them up to dry and I have not noticed any smells. I'm also a biiiiig sweater, so I'd expect the clothes to get stinky.

I've had good luck with Win, but OxyClean works well too and is much cheaper and more easily available. Like others have said, let the stuff dry before tossing it in a hamper, and wash it without any fabric softener.

First off, you don't say what kind of material you're wearing, but my experience is the opposite of wee_little_me. Cotton workout clothes always end up reeking over time for me, but technical clothes (relatively cheap C9 stuff from Target) are stink free and more comfortable to run in for me. I'll second the rinsing out after a workout that someone else mentioned. I read it on a previous stinky clothes thread, and I've been doing it ever since. I take them off and throw them in the shower with me and rinse them out when I'm done showering. The best part is that my clothes actually stink less even while I'm hanging them to dry, which I also do before throwing them in the laundry pile. You also mentioned vinegar, which I have used to good effect in the past. The elastic strap on my HRM got really nasty smelling once before, and I soaked it in vinegar for a day or so before washing. Completely cured it. Since then, I've been hanging it up after running too, and the stink hasn't come back on it at all. For convenience, I have one of those over the door towel bars with three tiers that I hang my running clothes on after rinsing them in the shower, and since the bathroom door stays open virtually all the time, that lets my running clothes dry very inconspicuously. We use Arm & Hammer detergent for everything, so I may also be getting some baking soda benefit. Since listening to what folks said on a previous thread like this, my clothes have been daisy fresh.

An easy way to remember to forget about dryer sheets is to not use a dryer. Since all my stuff is DuoDry or LightningDry or DryDry I just hang 'em up when I take 'em out of the washer and it seems to help.

BD makes an excellent point. I've noticed on clothes if they go into the dryer with a penchant for stinking, this will simply bake it in. This is more so on Polo type shirts since my running stuff (non cotton) is usually dry enough from the washer spin cycle to just hang up in the laundry room for the next run. Perhaps this will help too