Stinky Gym Clothes

[The Spartan]

Have a small problem. I workout regularly and sweat profusely when I do. This leaves me with clothes that are soaked that usually wait at least a couple of days before I have enough to run a wash. The end result is that my clothes end up being smelly even after I thouroughly wash them.

I've tried adding more detergent and fabric softener to kill/hide the odor, but I still end up with an odd smell on my clothes. I asked my mom and all she said was that I should run a load every day which I find to be neither economical, ecological nor practical. It makes me think she forgets that I don't generate as much laundry as a family of four living on my own.

At any rate, I need suggestions on how to deal with this. Comments?

[Alex Moon]

Have a small problem. I workout regularly and sweat profusely when I do. This leaves me with clothes that are soaked that usually wait at least a couple of days before I have enough to run a wash. The end result is that my clothes end up being smelly even after I thouroughly wash them.

I've tried adding more detergent and fabric softener to kill/hide the odor, but I still end up with an odd smell on my clothes. I asked my mom and all she said was that I should run a load every day which I find to be neither economical, ecological nor practical. It makes me think she forgets that I don't generate as much laundry as a family of four living on my own.

At any rate, I need suggestions on how to deal with this. Comments?

I've found that if you hang them up as soon as you are finished in an area with decent ventilation, they dry out and and don't stink as much. Mine usually stink when they sit in a pile somewhere humid and dark for a day or two.

[LadyTevar]

OxyClean and/or Bleach on the whites. OxyClean alone on the darks.

Soak them for 5-10 min before washing, add more OxyClean in the wash.

[Broomstick]

If you cram wet/damp/sweaty clothes into a container they'll only get worse. Hang them up to dry.

The stench is from bacteria (mostly) and possibly mildew/mold if they're sitting long enough. You need bleach to kill that. Chlorine bleach. Follow directions on label.

Of course, that has a side effect on colored clothes, so I'd also recommend something like OxyClean.

Wear white clothes (or clothes you don't care about fading) to work out and you can nuke 'em with beach, that's my recommendation.

While caring for seriously ill, incontinent, and occasionally terminally ill relatives I've had to clean underwear full of... well, excrement. A strong helping of bleach will kill the piss and shit (and infection and cancer...) odors even there (won't take out all the stains, though). Unless your sweat is more toxic than that, chlorine bleach will take care of it. If you hang the washed clothes out in the sun and air to dry that will add an extra measure of freshness - the UV in sunlight has some microbe-killing capability, make use of that ozone hole!

[Ypoknons]

Just handwash them in a tub or something after you work out, and then hang them up to dry.

[Kodiak]

I've found that if you hang them up as soon as you are finished in an area with decent ventilation, they dry out and and don't stink as much. Mine usually stink when they sit in a pile somewhere humid and dark for a day or two.

Seconded. If you just hang 'em on the shower or something to dry out, the odor goes away.

[The Spartan]

The stench is from bacteria (mostly) and possibly mildew/mold if they're sitting long enough. You need bleach to kill that. Chlorine bleach. Follow directions on label.

Of course, that has a side effect on colored clothes, so I'd also recommend something like OxyClean.

The smell is more like mildew (On clothes straight out of the dryer no less) than sweaty body odor so I'm going to have to try the OxyClean since most of my workout clothes are dark colors.

[Coyote]

That's from stowing them afterwards without ventilation.

Also, if you take a shower at the gym (as I do), just wear the workout stuff into the shower and take them off after the water hits you, then once you get home, hang them up to dry out as a water/sweat combo. It'll sort of "semi-wash" some of the nasty out of 'em until you're ready for the next wash day.

I sweat a lot too, but I try to wear the same gym clothes for a couple days since it's not like I'm there to look hot, just exercise. Rinsing them out helps, I think.

[The Spartan]

Wearing them more than once isn't really an option for me; there's so much sweat that they stay wet for a while even if hung up to dry and will stink in short order. I used to do that years ago living on my own in an apartment. I would run in the mornings and re-wear the same shirt for the week.

There wasn't the mildew smell but the odor and dampness from day to day was still unpleasant.

Though I will try rinsing them like you suggest and mix that with the OxyClean to kill all that crap.

[Pulp Hero]

Yes, immediate hanging up in an open space does wonders, thats how the Army does it. Also try a spray down with Fabreeze. I recommend immediate washing clothes after workouts, but since apparently you can't, I recommend the trick of just throwing clothes straight into a dryer, wells satisfactory in a pinch.

[Galvatron]

What if you just rinse them with tap water immediately after you work out till you can get around to washing them clean?

[The Spartan]

What if you just rinse them with tap water immediately after you work out till you can get around to washing them clean?

You'll still need to wring them out and hang them or you get a similar issue to what I'm getting with them lying in my laundry basket.

[PeZook]

The solution is obvious - stop wearing clothes when you work out!

For me, it works to simply hang them up to dry right after you work out. The batceria will die if they don't have the sweet, sweet sweat to feed on, and thus you won't have to smell their lovely metabolic products.

Bleach with chlorine for good measure, and buy white clothes to work out in

[Phantasee]

Bleach with chlorine for good measure, and buy white clothes to work out in

Or start bleaching these ones until they're white.

Man, I had flashbacks to my highschool gym class, especially the lockers after. God, that stench...

[The Spartan]

Apologies for the necro but I have an update on the stench: the Oxyclean alone didn't do the trick so I've taken to rinsing them, wringing them and then letting them airdry on hangers. Combined with the Oxyclean it seems to be working.

[Grasscutter]

Air-drying after washing is definitely the way to go. Being a warm, humid environment, the average laundry dryer is actually a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Unless you run a dryer at insanely hot temperatures for lengths of time that can damage your clothes, the stink problem can come back.

Even after a wash there's usually a few surviving bacteria left over deep in the fabric fibers. Over time, these bacteria will multiply again and you've got stinky gym clothes again.

If the Oxyclean and air-dry doesn't do the trick, bring a big pot of water to boiling and drop your gym clothes in for 5 minutes or so on the stove. Stir occasionally to make sure every inch of the fabric is soaked in boiling water. You can throw some baking soda in for good measure too if you want. WARNING: this is a nuke option and will cause the dyes in your clothes to run, so don't mix lights with darks or whites with any other colors.

[Feil]

I always just mix 50% ammonia and 50% detergent. It works.

[spaceviking]

Ive heard putting a bag full of charcoal near stinky gym clothes can help, though ive never tried it