General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed. Rss Feed  
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2004-05-10 11:59 PM

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Master
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Sonoma County, CA
Subject: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
The expression is, I believe...."women glow, men perspire, horses sweat"

Alas, I must be a horse because I look at people sweating and I sweat.

So one can only guess what I look like after a workout (sorry about the visual). What's sad is that *includes* the swim.

I don't care how much anti-perspirant, deoderant, body wash I use I get "the smell"

My question is simple...how the hell do you get it out of your sports bras and workout shirts?

I've tried everything I can think of including febreeze and when they get out of the drier I put my arm to pit of the shirt and can still...smell the faint malodorous scent of my previous workout....and once I put the item on again at the first sign of heat and moisture I can smell it....EWWWWWWWWWWWWWww

I'm a clean person. I shower daily. I use products. I'm a functioning member of society who doesn't offend during normal business hours. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has this problem. Maybe it's just me and I'm sensitive to my smell? I don't know.

Any tips? How do you wash your workout clothes? Any secret ingredient that I'm missing?



2004-05-11 12:02 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Extreme Veteran
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The Great Pacific Northwest
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
You probably are more sensitive to it than anyone else is, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm fortunate in that I don't really smell when I sweat and I'm not a big "sweat"er to begin with. I do notice that in the gym the sweat generally smells like hard work, not what I would consider "B.O." B.O. is when people don't bathe and the sweat mingles with the dirt and grime. Probably you just smell like an active woman!
2004-05-11 12:41 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Master
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Berkeley, CA
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
what an interesting visual, nancy!

I'm with Tory, you are probably over-sensitive--but I'll give you my honest-to-God, no-holds-barred opinion this weekend!!

(o:

D
2004-05-11 7:58 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Champion
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Ottawa, Ontario
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
I don't know about sports bra's; being a guy, I hardly ever wear them...lol. Seriously though, I sweat has no odor; it is only when left for a period of time that it "sours" and begins to smell. I sweat like a horse and whenever I finish a workout, my gym clothes are socked, including my socks. As I cannot wash everything after a morning workout, I aerate every piece...yes, my office always looks like a laundry room. Geez, I bike to work so if I left my cycling outfit in a pile and did not aerate it, I could not stand to smell myself when I left in the afternoon. On an even more serious side, this could be a medical problem. There is a condition whereby some people, no matter how many times they wash or bathe themselves in perfumes still smell. I have no idea what the medical term is or why it is, just that this condition exists. If after aerating your clothes and washing them properly the smell still persists--ask someone close to you if they can smell it also--see a doctor.
2004-05-11 8:04 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Regular
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South Carolina
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
I sweat A LOT too but usually do not notice odor unless I've forgotten my deoderant...I often have also wondered if I sweat more than the normal woman. Usually, though, I never notice the smell after I wash my clothes...maybe you are just hypersensitive, and, really, it could be something that is in your head. Like was suggested, I'd get someone to do the "sniff-check" for me (someone who'd be honest!) and then go from there!
2004-05-11 8:54 AM
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New York
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
Once, at the gym, while I was on the treadmill, I kept smelling this awful odor, as if someone had the worst case of bo. I kept plugging along, trying not to gag, just wishing the person would hurry up and finish their workout and leave. Well, gradually, all the treadmills were vacated except for mine and I still kept smelling the awful smell. Yep!...it was me! Three days in a row, the husband and I ate at our fav middle eastern restaurant and I must have overdone the garlic. It was just reeking out of my pores!!! I am a sweat like a cold drink in 95 degree weather also, so you can just imaging how bad it was!


2004-05-11 9:02 AM
in reply to: #24147

Champion
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Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
Nancy, as an experiment, try switching brands of sports bras if you can. I showed your post to my wife and this suggestion came from her. She says that sometimes minor differences in materials may help, since some of her clothing seems to be more likely to hold odor than others. She only does her workouts in tank tops that don't hold odors after washing, and is really happy with the ones she bought at Land's End.

Hey BTW Trac.....welcome to the board!

Max


Edited by max 2004-05-11 9:03 AM
2004-05-11 9:32 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Elite Veteran
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northern Illinois
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
The high performance fabrics in many workout clothes TOTALLY hold odors. It's very frustrating.

I add plain old white vinegar to the rinse water when I wash my workout clothes. Maybe 1/2-1 cup, but I don't measure. The first time you try this, you might want to use the pre-soak cycle on your washer (or soak the clothes in a bucket somewhere out of the way). It really works.

The other thing that works, I learned in my other life as a dancer -in a galaxy and time far, far away. Theater costume shops do this all the time with costumes that get soaked with sweat but can't be washed (like a ballerina's tutu, for example). Fill a spray bottle with vodka and spray gently on the stinkiest parts of the outfit. It seems like a terrible waste of vodka, but it works Obviously, our workout clothes are washable, so do that in whatever regular way you use.

If nothing else works, use Oxy-Clean in a dilute solution and then let them dry in the sun. But the colors are likely to fade a little with this strategy.

Good luck!

Andrea
2004-05-11 9:49 AM
in reply to: #24147

Regular
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north end of vancouver island, BC, Canada
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
I agree with Andrea. I use Oxy-clean in the wash cycle and then add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse. It seems to work, plus doesn't add antoher layer of smell from the detergent and the fabric softener. I am allergic to bees, so I need to use stuff that does not add any "perfumey" smell to my clothes, hair, skin etc.
As far as your sweat is concerned, I'd do some medical inquiries if you are concerned about your perspiration level, smell etc. Hope this helps.
2004-05-11 9:53 AM
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Resident Matriarch
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Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.

My question is simple...how the hell do you get it out of your sports bras and workout shirts? 

well, the answer is simple, not the question.  You just don't.  Plain and simple.  Every now and then you just toss it all and have yourself a lovely little shopping spree.....as if shopping for sports bras was fun, right?

2004-05-11 10:09 AM
in reply to: #24147


2

Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
This what I do to my workout clothes and it works everytime. I sweat heavily and
quite easy. I find this works well with all the high tech fabrics out there. What I do,
is put a little extra laundry detergent in the water, fill the machine with warm water.
I then put my workout clothes in and let them soak for at least 30 minutes, sometimes
longer if I have a really stinky group. Then I drain it and wash them normally.
Finally I air dry them in the dryer with no heat. And Voila! You have clean smelling clothes.
Works like a charm.

--John


2004-05-11 10:18 AM
in reply to: #24147

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Master
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Sonoma County, CA
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
wow.
these are all great tips....
I think I'm leaning towards TriMom's and that shopping spree.....

seriously, I'll try some of the washing techinques and subject my friends to the "sniff" test...(sorry, dana )

max, funny you mention it, but now that I think about it, I justt bought some tri ishirts that I have worn a couple of times alreadyand.....no smell....hmmmmmmmm
2004-05-11 11:02 AM
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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
I don't have the smell problem too often, but I am soaked. Sometimes when it comes time to shower I just leave my clothes on. The sweat doesn't have as much of a chance to set in and it seems like a time saver. I use just a little bit of soap and a good rinse and hang them to dry. The are ready to go the next day.
2004-05-11 11:16 AM
in reply to: #24207

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Expert
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Torrington,CT
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
robbertcj - 2004-05-11 11:02 AM

I don't have the smell problem too often, but I am soaked. Sometimes when it comes time to shower I just leave my clothes on. The sweat doesn't have as much of a chance to set in and it seems like a time saver. I use just a little bit of soap and a good rinse and hang them to dry. The are ready to go the next day.


Oh!!!! That is such a GUY solution. LOL
Evelyn
2004-05-11 12:13 PM
in reply to: #24147

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Extreme Veteran
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Midcoast, Maine
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
Hi,
I don't know if this applies but if your work out clothes are high performance, ie clothes that wick sweat from your skin quickly, then they are made of materials that are polyester; these materials move water to the outside great but by there chemical make up actually bond with what causes stink in perspiration. This is a problem that clothes manufactures have been trying to deal with for awhile, INSPORT is a manufacturer that has a contract with the military to produce underware that incorporates silver in the polyester to couteract the chemical bonding. This material suposedly will last longer in the field between washings. A recent article in Runners World disscussed this problem and suggest increasing the amount of soap by a 1/3 when washing polyester.
2004-05-11 3:35 PM
in reply to: #24147

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Elite Veteran
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Smyrna, Georgia
Subject: RE: Stanky workout clothes....I'm so embarrassed.
This thread is very interesting to me. Though I sweat buckets and turn bright red, I almost never "get the funk." Seriously, it only happens about 1 day every 4 months or so. I don't even wear deoderant or regularly wash my workout clothes. They're usually good to go until they start getting crusted with salt and stand up on their own.

I've noticed that some workout clothes made by Moving Comfort (I work for their parent company) have anti-bacterial properties. Maybe that's to help prevent funk. Next time you go shopping look for a garment that has that property and see if it helps.

Other than that, you've gotten lots of good suggestions. The best one I can give you is to pretend it's the person beside you. ;-)


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