Tips on How to Banish Bad Odor from Your Gym Clothing

If you work out regularly, then you might be familiar with one of the usual annoyances of staying fit: stinky gym clothes. But here’s a surprise, our often-overlooked daily habits could contribute to smelly gym clothing too. In today’s post, we are giving you tips on how to eliminate bad odors from your gym clothes for good:

Stop Using Fabric Softeners

Sure, fabric softeners make gym clothes soft and silky but the strong fragrance will react to your sweat too. The chemicals in fabric softeners create a barrier that makes it hard for body odors to dissipate in the air. So when you perspire, the moisture cannot escape away from the body as efficiently. Worse, fabric softeners actually ruin the fit of your clothing. Certain compounds in the fabric softener loosen the stretchy fabric of gym clothing.

Use Laundry Detergent Sparingly

Who knew minimizing the use of detergent in the wash make for fresher-smelling clothes? Surprisingly, laundry detergent affects clothing material similarly like fabric softener. Laundry detergent breaks down the stretchy fibers of spandex and Lycra. The detergent also leaves residues that build up in the clothing. This build-up can turn into a breeding ground for bacteria, which leads to body odor! To keep your gym clothes fresh and in pristine condition, use only ½ of the usual amount of detergent you use to wash your clothes. You can also opt for detergents made specifically for gym clothes.

Wash Gym Clothes Immediate

Never leave wet, dirty gym clothes in the laundry bin for too long. The bacteria that cause body odor in your gym clothes could soak deeper into the material. Our advice is to clean your wet gym clothes as soon as possible.

Pop Your Gym Clothes in the Freezer

Sounds crazy but it works, popping smelly clothing in the freezer helps reduce bad odors. This tip works so well for denim and gym clothes. The freezing temps will destroy odor-causing bacteria in your gym clothes.

Use White Vinegar

Vinegar is teeming with odor-fighting compounds. Soaking your smelly gym clothes in vinegar helps neutralize odors and remove deep-seated detergent buildup. To use vinegar as an odor eliminator, mix a cup of vinegar in cold water. Pour the liquid in a basin and add your gym clothing. Let your gym clothes soak in the solution for 30 minutes before washing it as usual.

Use Baking Soda

Just like vinegar, baking soda is an effective clothing deodorizer too! Just pour about a cup of baking soda in the washer and clean your clothes as usual. Once your gym clothes are dry, there will be no trace of bad odor left, we promise!

Hang Gym Clothing to Dry

It is tempting to use a dryer when doing the laundry because it is the most convenient way to dry clothes. But the dryer will not kill bacteria left over after doing the laundry! Instead of using the dryer, hang your clothes outside to dry. The sunlight will kill leftover microbes in the fabric while neutralizing bad odors. Even better, you save more on your utility bill by hanging your clothes outside to dry!