how to get my running gear properly clean?

I am having this issue as well, mainly due to the recent temps.

I sweat so freaking much when I run in 103 degrees, it just won't come out. The weird thing is that I do not stink when I am done running, nor do my clothes, but the clothes come out of the washer stinking after they have been laundered.

I got some color safe bleach that I am going to try. My wife says it might help.

The worst part is that the other morning I went to a Habitat 4 Humanity build and wore one of my running shirts. 5 minutes into the build I began to sweat and the shirt just started reeking. I had another tshirt in the car that I switched into and was fine.

This only happens to me in the really, really hot months.

BTW, they also make a runner-specific clothing detergent but it does not help with this problem, nor does OxyClean.

Jabronica wrote:

BTW, they also make a runner-specific clothing detergent but it does not help with this problem, nor does OxyClean.

Actually I bought a running specific detergent called "Win" and it was amazing at getting smells out of fabric (including those horrible smells that are somehow reactivated by even just a couple minutes of sweat exposure) but now it's apparently out of business. damn....

pre-soaking the clothes in a tub of water and detergent for 3-4 hours seems to help.

glacier fweeze wrote:

pre-soaking the clothes in a tub of water and detergent for 3-4 hours seems to help.

This does work, but I run twice a day, so this would be kind of a constant process...

Completely dry the sweaty clothes on your porch first. There is something about letting them dry out that helps. You could even pop them in a hot dryer cycle. Then put clothes in washing machine with normal detergent and add some vinegar to the wash cycle.

Use ammonia instead of detergent. Use an extra rinse cycle. That does it for me and mine have been really foul.

thanks for the tip. Any others out there?

Smell My Finger wrote:

Use ammonia instead of detergent. Use an extra rinse cycle. That does it for me and mine have been really foul.

I just want to point out that you should always be VERY careful anytime you bring ammonia into the mix with laundry. As you know well, mixing ammonia with bleach creates a very deadly gas (chlorine gas). If you have bleach remnants in your washer, this can take place.

Just be careful.

wash however you want, then line dry them out in the sun for at least 6 hours. the UV is what kills the microbes making the smells.

best in dry climates, but will work just about anywhere

also, don't let your gear hang out on the floor or in a bin, hang it up as soon as you strip it off.

I use ECOS soap (can get it at Costco),along with a tiny amount of bleach (1/8th of a cup). Works perfectly. Make sure that you don't use fabric softener (whether dryer sheets or in the washer)as it binds the crud to microfiber fabrics.

'Win' is definitely the magic stuff. According to their FB page they are undergoing ownership changes and hope to have it back on the market by the end of summer. We'll see....

Switch to cotton. Tech fabric is the worst odour retainer known to man.

put one cup of white distilled vinegar in with your wash. if its really bad presoak it in a water vinegar mix....guaranteed.

Liquid Tide with Fabreeze works great. It's a bit pricey so I just use it for my running gear.

[quote]ez, UV wrote:

wash however you want, then line dry them out in the sun for at least 6 hours. the UV is what kills the microbes making the smells.

That works for shoes as well. I just put them on the porch

Stick your gear in the wash straight away, modern quick dry fabrics are worse for some reason

tsquaredcali wrote:

Liquid Tide with Fabreeze works great. It's a bit pricey so I just use it for my running gear.

No, that just masks smells. Awful. People think Fabreeze makes things smell better but it really just adds a perfumery smell to the ass smell.