How to Prevent Sportswear Odor
Does your gym bag smell awful? You’re not alone, but it can be avoided. With proper care, you can keep your gym clothes odor-free. The key is to do yourself a favor and start caring for everything before it starts smelling. But even if you’ve already let things get out of hand, I have a few tips for you.
I’ll go into more detail below, but first, it’s helpful to understand why your clothes and other items that come into contact with your skin develop that unpleasant gym odor. You sweat, but the problem isn’t the sweat itself. The problem is the bacteria that feed on your sweat. So, you need to either remove the sweat before the bacteria have a chance to multiply, or handle your clothes and equipment in a way that prevents bacteria from multiplying. (The same goes for shakers, only instead of sweat, it’s food residue.) If you remember nothing else from this article, just remember: for heaven’s sake, rinse everything immediately or at least air it out.
Rinse your sportswear immediately after taking it off.
These days, many tracksuits are made from synthetic fabrics because they offer stretch or moisture-wicking properties that ensure comfort. The downside is that bacteria can attach to synthetic fibers in such a way that they are virtually impossible to wash off. Therefore, it’s important to prevent the growth of these microbes.
I’m talking about the bacteria that digest your sweat and sebum. I know, it’s gross. But that means it’s not the sweat itself that causes the odor, but the bacteria that multiply while your sweaty shirt sits in the laundry basket.
Address this problem at its source by rinsing your synthetic clothing to remove sweat immediately after taking it off. I do this in the shower, wringing out each item and hanging it to dry. Extra hooks on the shower curtain will provide you with hanging space. I installed a simple sliding rod at the back of my shower stall for this very purpose. If you shower at the gym, wring out your clothes and wrap them in a towel until you get home.
If you can’t rinse your sportswear immediately after wearing it, or if there’s a whole workday between showering and washing it, air it out. Incidentally, cotton clothing doesn’t have this problem. If you wear cotton socks or T-shirts, you can wash them whenever it’s convenient for you.
What to do if your clothes already smell bad?
You may never be able to completely eliminate the odor, but it’s best to use detergents that contain enzymes or are marketed as suitable for “sports” or “high-performance” fabrics. I’ve had good experiences using both Hex (a detergent) and Lysol laundry disinfectant (added to the rinse cycle as a fabric softener). I use either one or the other, but not both. Either can also be used as a soak: soak the soiled garment in a bucket of Hex or Lysol disinfectant, then launder as usual.
And as a finishing touch, if you really want to make sure the odor is completely gone, hang the clothes outside (or lay them out on a surface, like a patio) on a sunny day. Fresh air helps, and sunlight actually kills some of the bacteria that cause odor.
What to avoid
Look, you can try baking soda or vinegar ( not together ), but I haven’t found them to help. If you need a chemical solution, just buy a bottle of hexagonal resin.
Air out shoes, knee pads and other items that are difficult to wash.
What about things that can’t be washed and dried quickly, like shoes and the gym bag itself? Or, even worse, neoprene knee pads? These items develop a strong odor when left damp and warm. If you want your gym bag to smell as strong as possible, I’d recommend filling it with sweaty clothes, locking it in the trunk of your car, and forgetting about it until your next workout. So, if this is already a habit of yours, stop it . You need to air these things out.
If your bag has a mesh compartment for wet items, use it. Also, if you can tie things to the outside of the bag—like hanging shoes by their laces—that helps. Ultimately, though, the most important thing is to open the bag as soon as you get home. I always lift my knee pads up if they’re deep inside the bag to allow airflow. My shoes are in the mesh compartment, but if I have a spare minute, I’ll open the compartment and spread the shoes a bit to allow maximum air circulation.
What to do if the situation has already worsened?
Most items in your gym bag are washable, but check the manufacturer’s instructions for the best method. For example, SBD recommends hand-washing knee pads with soap or wetsuit detergent , but not machine-washing or tumble-drying them at high temperatures.
As with clothing, another good option is to hang or lay items out in the sun and fresh air for a few hours. Sunlight kills some bacteria, and good airing never hurts.
What to avoid
Avoid spraying surfaces with vinegar (I’ve never found it effective), rubbing alcohol (it damages some materials, so check with the manufacturer), or vodka (it’s prohibitively expensive, just buy rubbing alcohol and then see the information above for why you might not want to use rubbing alcohol).
Rinse your shaker immediately after you finish making your cocktail.
Finally, we come to the bane of many a gym-goer’s existence: a smelly shaker cup. Leaving the remains of a protein shake in it, especially a milk shake like one made with whey powder, can cause it to go rancid, and the odors can permeate the plastic and never fully disappear.
To avoid this, rinse the shaker immediately after drinking your cocktail. Don’t tell yourself you’ll do it at home, because we all know you won’t, and frankly, it’ll be too late anyway. You don’t have to wash the shaker completely at this point; just rinse it in the bathroom sink. Or do as I do: drink your cocktail at home, over the sink, and wash the shaker while you’re still holding it.
What to do if the situation has already worsened?
Your last resort is to thoroughly wash it. Use soap and hot water. You can soak it briefly if desired. Thoroughly scrub all the small nooks and crannies (like where the spout and lid meet) to ensure there are no remaining residues. Air it out and let it dry for a few days; you can even try the sunlight method described above. But if that doesn’t help, buy a new shaker and take good care of it.