Body Odor Update

[Cindysphinx]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?

Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks. I tried using the extra rinse feature once, but that washed away the perfume scent and left me with a vague BO scent.

A few of you were going to try a sports detergent. How did the test runs go?

Cindy -- who had sweat dripping off of her ponytail again last night and noticed her teammates discreetly shunning her

 

[Ronaldo]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?

Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks. I tried using the extra rinse feature once, but that washed away the perfume scent and left me with a vague BO scent.

A few of you were going to try a sports detergent. How did the test runs go?

Cindy -- who had sweat dripping off of her ponytail again last night and noticed her teammates discreetly shunning her

Use Method Detergent from Target but before a really important match I soak my clothes and socks in diluted ammonia. Brings a new meaning to stinkin' up the joint! There is also a product called Odor-Ban for animal bedding.

 

[Julieta]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?

Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks. I tried using the extra rinse feature once, but that washed away the perfume scent and left me with a vague BO scent.

A few of you were going to try a sports detergent. How did the test runs go?

Cindy -- who had sweat dripping off of her ponytail again last night and noticed her teammates discreetly shunning her

The WIN and Penguin Sport Wash products are worth every cent. Not only do they remove the smell, the colors are restored as well.

 

[dkim]

You may spray white vinegar to your clothing right after you take them off. Later you can wash them. It worked quite well in my case.

Or you can try WIN detergent (I have never tried, but it seems working based on others' experiences.). You can buy it from TW, I think.

Or you can try Penguin Sports Wash (I use this). You can buy it at REI or even Kroger (grocery store in my area).

 

[mista-k]

what kind of tide are you using?

I use TIDE with LILAC+Baking Soda...

maybe you can mix your stuff with Baking Soda also I use OXIclean powder form(colorsafe) oxygenates stains/odors every now and then...

IMHO-you can do away with OXIclean it only claims "stain removal"

 

[ohplease]

The smell is going from bacteria clogging the fabric's pores. Those pores are what makes the clothes wick moisture so well in the first place. You'll notice your least pleasant smelling items will also wick the least well compared to when they were new.

You need to 1) unclog the pores and 2) get rid of the bacteria. Nothing clogs up technical clothing worse than fabric softener. You should NEVER use fabric softener on anything that you expect to wick moisture - including towels.

Getting rid of the bacteria will be harder. There's arguments for cold water and woolite, as woolite works it's magic mostly through enzymes (which eat protein, bacteria are made of protein, among other things) instead of detergents. There's also an argument for hot water, harsh detergents, and hot dryers (again, in attempts to kill the buggers). Fabric softener clogs are pretty hard to remove once they're in there, so you may just have to bite the bullet and buy some new clothes.

 

[topsltennis]

Adding baking soda to the wash did it for me. I also stopped putting tennis clothes in the dryer- that seems to have helped too

 

[vasquez90]

use clothes with anti-bacteria (just bought a few Prince Aerotech pieces and they all have anti-bac (and UV but it hasnt been to sunny where I am) - have had no problems yet - and the apparel is actually pretty sweet

Or, USE DEODORANT!...may I recommend Degree for men and Dove for the ladies?

 

[fridrix]

What about ozonated water à la the Tersano Lotus?

 

[TourTenor]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?

Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks. I tried using the extra rinse feature once, but that washed away the perfume scent and left me with a vague BO scent.

A few of you were going to try a sports detergent. How did the test runs go?

Cindy -- who had sweat dripping off of her ponytail again last night and noticed her teammates discreetly shunning her

Could be that you need to change your diet! Try a garlic laden Italian meal and see what happens ... you will smell more like a carbonera complement. Or, (I am thinking of the new commercial where the gal in the bar brings a burrito in her purse to attract the guys) go Mexican! Nothing like the fragrance of heurvos rancheros. Now that obvously doesn't address the next problem that gets introduced ............... gas. But hey, this is about body odors not emission problems.

 

[Ronaldo]

use clothes with anti-bacteria (just bought a few Prince Aerotech pieces and they all have anti-bac (and UV but it hasnt been to sunny where I am) - have had no problems yet - and the apparel is actually pretty sweet

Or, USE DEODORANT!...may I recommend Degree for men and Dove for the ladies?

Forgot about the anti-bacterial clothing. Have several Adidas wicking tees that do not trap odors. Our team has decided on this shirt, just need to silk-screen our names somehow. http://www.dancesport.uk.com/wear/dsi2007/4021.jpg

 

[JRstriker12]

I heard this stuff works: http://www.windetergent.com/

It's supposed to be specially designed for sports clothing odors.

It's officially licensed by the US Olympic team so it's gotta work

 

[magmasilk]

Any advice on getting a ketchup stain out ... its been washed once. I guess its just like any other polyester material?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMAST-STMSPP.html#

 

[LuckyR]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?
Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks. I tried using the extra rinse feature once, but that washed away the perfume scent and left me with a vague BO scent.

A few of you were going to try a sports detergent. How did the test runs go?

Cindy -- who had sweat dripping off of her ponytail again last night and noticed her teammates discreetly shunning her

Easy... hit the silver ion button on the Sanyo washer.

 

[mista-k]

re:ketchup stains

^^^^>

spray it on and leave on for an hour or two or longer (5 days) for more stubborn stains...SHOUT ADVANCED GEL stain remover

 

[jorel]

i like the smell

 

[Ronaldo]

i like the smell

Oh dear!!!

 

[Cindysphinx]

Any advice on getting a ketchup stain out ... its been washed once. I guess its just like any other polyester material?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMAST-STMSPP.html#

If nothing else works, you can resort to nuclear weapons.

Buy Ritt color remover. It will remove the color from anything it touches. Put a drop of water on the spot, then rub a bit of color remover onto it. You have to make sure none of the color remover touches anything with color. Rinse carefully.

This might do it, but I'd only try it as a last resort, right before you chuck it in the trash.

 

[goober]

I am also hoping for some updates on bad breath, smelly feet and belly button lint.

 

[AR15]

You might try 20 Mule Team Borax added with your regular detergent. I use it with my wash and my tennis clothes don't stink.

 

[JesseT]

You might try 20 Mule Team Borax added with your regular detergent. I use it with my wash and my tennis clothes don't stink.

yeah for the mule team! I mentioned this today in front of 10 30-40 somethings and *no one* had heard of it!!

And I'm younger than all of them. Made me feel old in a weird way.

 

[max]

I remember suggesting a special product made for hockey players. You might find this at the net. . . I remember how my pads used to stink to high heaven! So if it works for hockey, presumably it's good for you.

 

[MariaS]

Use Seventh Generation. It's eco-friendly. And has a mild pleasant smell.

 

[Swissv2]

I remember suggesting a special product made for hockey players. You might find this at the net. . . I remember how my pads used to stink to high heaven! So if it works for hockey, presumably it's good for you.

Thank god you guys are not experiencing hockey Jersey Odors, Except for you, Max What position do you play in hockey? (Kendo too...they are known for not washing their equipment at all). Imagine a locker room full of people that smell like cat ****.

But if it gets really bad, you may want to spray your cloths, and soak them in hot water for a little while before starting the wash. Afterwards, you can use "Dry Cleaner's Secret" when you put your clothing in the dryer.

 

[pr0n8r]

The penguin sports wash works for me, but I wish I could buy it in town.

 

[Raiden.Kaminari]

The WIN and Penguin Sport Wash products are worth every cent. Not only do they remove the smell, the colors are restored as well.

I haven't tried the penguin sport wash, but I can vouch for the WIN detergent. It really seems to kill off all the odor causing bacteria, and as Julieta indicated, worth every penny.

My wife has now started using it on her delicate items as well because she likes the smell.

 

[pr0n8r]

From Runner's World:

REVIEW: SPORT WASHES
Find out how four detergents tackle stinky clothes.
By Brian D. Sabin

PUBLISHED 10/30/2007

High-tech fabrics wick away sweat but can turn smelly after just a few hard miles. We washed our gnarliest gear with four sports washes and then went on odor patrol.

Penguin Sport-Wash
Penguin uses the same formula that hunters use to keep their clothes scent-free. It did a good job of cleaning our stinkiest clothes, no matter what we threw in with them.
Price: $10
Contact: penguinsportwash.com

Base Wash by Nikwax
While it smells like a chemical plant, Base Wash took the locker-room aroma out of several pairs of old running shorts. Bonus: Its water-based formula is biodegradable.
Price: $9
Contact: nikwax-usa.com

Granger G-Wash Cleaner
Granger prides itself on removing dirt and oil without stripping fabric, and from what we've seen (and smelled), it works. It freshened up some trashed tech shirts and briefs.
Price: $8
Contact: grangersusa.com

Win High Performance Sport Detergent
Despite its fresh smell, Win didn't completely get overused running duds to smell as nice. After a relatively short time, the stink rose up all over again.
Price: $14
Contact: windetergent.com

 

[Ronaldo]

Never heard of Granger's G-Wash, heck of a name, eh? http://www.grangersusa.com/faq.html

 

[Raiden.Kaminari]

From Runner's World:

REVIEW: SPORT WASHES
Find out how four detergents tackle stinky clothes.
By Brian D. Sabin

PUBLISHED 10/30/2007

High-tech fabrics wick away sweat but can turn smelly after just a few hard miles. We washed our gnarliest gear with four sports washes and then went on odor patrol.

Penguin Sport-Wash
Penguin uses the same formula that hunters use to keep their clothes scent-free. It did a good job of cleaning our stinkiest clothes, no matter what we threw in with them.
Price: $10
Contact: penguinsportwash.com

Base Wash by Nikwax
While it smells like a chemical plant, Base Wash took the locker-room aroma out of several pairs of old running shorts. Bonus: Its water-based formula is biodegradable.
Price: $9
Contact: nikwax-usa.com

Granger G-Wash Cleaner
Granger prides itself on removing dirt and oil without stripping fabric, and from what we've seen (and smelled), it works. It freshened up some trashed tech shirts and briefs.
Price: $8
Contact: grangersusa.com

Win High Performance Sport Detergent
Despite its fresh smell, Win didn't completely get overused running duds to smell as nice. After a relatively short time, the stink rose up all over again.
Price: $14
Contact: windetergent.com

Thanks ... more stuff to test out :twisted:

I think what they wrote about Win was correct though on some of the stuff I've washed. The smell comes back, but just not as quickly. So I guess it is time to test out Penguin

 

[Fay]

I'll try some of the other products which I hadn't heard of before ...

I put dishwasher detergent in my whites and it works great.

 

[Ronaldo]

I'll try some of the other products which I hadn't heard of before ...

I put dishwasher detergent in my whites and it works great.

Doesn't it smell like chlorine bleach?

 

[Fay]

No, the clothes don't have any smell doing that ... I put the regular Arm&Hammer soap in and then some dishwasher detergent ... I use tanning cream and that takes all of the stains out too.

I put my tennis hats in the dish washer (by themselves) -- saves wear and tear on the hats and they come very clean.

 

[Cindysphinx]

The WIN and Penguin Sport Wash products are worth every cent. Not only do they remove the smell, the colors are restored as well.

OK, I finally popped for some WIN detergent. Two bottles at $6.99 per bottle from TW.

I did a test load, not very big. The bottle said you could use half a cap full for a normal load, but I couldn't bear it. It looked too skimpy, so I used a full cap.

I hung the items to dry and then took one older shirt to my husband for a test smell.

He buried his face in it, took several big whiffs, and pronounced it clean, a thousand times better than usual. He said I should buy a case of this detergent immediately.

I have to say, I dislike having to save all of my funky tennis clothing in the basement until I have enough dirty stuff to justify a load. Also, I have to do the whites and colors separately . . .

This is gonna get expensive, fast.

 

[Fay]

Try tossing in a bit of dishwasher powder with your regular detergent ... works great. Or 20-mule team borax works well too.

I wash my tennis clothes the same day I wear them set on small load.

 

[fridrix]

Use Seventh Generation. It's eco-friendly. And has a mild pleasant smell.

I have been surprised at how well Seventh Generation cleans.

 

[Ronaldo]

Not sure which Adidas products have the anti-bacterial odor guard but it really works. No Oh Dear even before washing.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Try tossing in a bit of dishwasher powder with your regular detergent ... works great. Or 20-mule team borax works well too.

I wash my tennis clothes the same day I wear them set on small load.

I'm afraid what that strong stuff might do. This wicking fabric stuff feels awfully delicate and cost a pretty penny. Are you sure it wouldn't damage it somehow?

 

[Fay]

No I am not sure ... you might try one garment that isn't so costly. Or not.

I have bought very nice white tennis clothes from the tennis shops in Phoenix, and also gotten great tennis stuff (synthetic) from consignment shops.

I would NOT wash silk in dishwasher soap, but the new spun polyester seems to stand up for the year I have been doing that somewhat okay, but don't go on my recommendation if you have expensive clothes, LOL.

I wash my tennis hats in the dishwaster with dishwasher soap. Until I figured that out, washing them in the washing machine did trash my hats is short order.

I have a cfew white long sleeve "supposedly state of the art" wicking tops which I bought new, but they do look a little warn after a year of washing on and off with other stuff, but I thought it was from rubbing against the short zippers and such.

No way I have time to wash by hand, but you could try that on one item first and isolate the variables.

If you already have something that works no need to change. It was just cheap and easy to toss in a small amount of dishwasher soap and it was handy and it seemed to work.

Since I found that nice-quality consignment-shop cottons stand up better to everything than expensive wicking synthetics, and cotton and silk are more comfortable overall, I have gone with natural fibers more and more.

 

[Cindysphinx]

The hat in the dishwasher thing is a good idea. I have a number of messed up visors from putting them in the washer. Now I just wash them in the sink next to the laundry machine and hang them.

OK, I will find a guinea pig piece of clothing to try with dishwasher detergent. Something old I can afford to lose.

Geez, I just had a match and it is killing me not to be able to wash this stuff until I have a big enough load.

 

[Ronaldo]

Suspect there is chlorine bleach in automatic dishwashing liquid so beware. My nose catches a whiff of chlorine.

 

[Serve em Up]

I have a blue Nike Dri-Fit cap that I couldn't get the funk out of. I tried WIN and that didn't work either. I have lots of technical clothing and have no problems with any of it other than that one hat.

It's retired until I find the solution.

Smells OK right out of the wash, but the stench comes back within 5 minutes of exercise. Gag!

 

[Nellie]

On a different matter - how do you get sun tan lotion out of polyester (e.g., dry-fit) clothes? It turns into a grease stain for me.

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

Remember last year when we tried to figure out how to get the BO out of tennis clothes?

The weather is getting hot and the clothes are getting funky. Has anyone tried anything new?

Me, I've been using a cocktail of Tide, liquid Clorox, and fabric softener. It's perfumey, but my husband still says my clothing stinks.

Cindy,
hand him a blanket and a pillow and tell him to go "stink up" the couch.

The lout!

 

[zebano]

Since we're on the topic of those wicking shirts, my wife uses fabric softener on everything. Is there anything I can do after the fact to get that junk back out of the shirts?

 

[Cindysphinx]

Cindy,
hand him a blanket and a pillow and tell him to go "stink up" the couch.

The lout!

The man is crazy-sensitive to smells. I mean, way out of the ordinary.

He find the smell of ordinary popcorn being prepared to be highly objectionable. As in "Throw Open The Windows In The Dead Of Winter" objectionable.

He doesn't seem to mind the smell of wet dog, however.

For the sake of the marriage, I've decided not to take that personally.

Cindy -- off to do a gigantic load of tennis stuff with WIN

 

[MTXR]

I picked up some penguin sports wash at REI. 9.99 for 20 loads. I just put in a wash with all my tennis gear and some regular clothes. I'll let everyone know if it works or not. It's a very small cap of liquid you put in, i am somewhat skeptical.

 

[Cindysphinx]

I picked up some penguin sports wash at REI. 9.99 for 20 loads. I just put in a wash with all my tennis gear and some regular clothes. I'll let everyone know if it works or not. It's a very small cap of liquid you put in, i am somewhat skeptical.

Yeah, the small cap is off-putting, isn't it? So far, I have been able to restrain myself from adding some Tide, and the WIN has been working well by itself. I don't do enormous loads with it, though. And I always use a full cap, even though it says you can use half.

REI carries Penguin, eh? That's good to know. I hadn't been able to find it.

 

[MTXR]

alright my wash and dry is done. Penguin sports wash does work. No smell whatsoever with my tennis gear.

it works real good, i was skeptical but now that has changed.

My shirts feel like they are renewed and ready to go and also my shorts.

This stuff does work.

 

[waves2ya]

I got funky gear too...

I work out - a lot.

Based on threads bought Penguin sports wash and tried Woolite (yeah, right)...

The Penguin stuff does work, but I was really surprised that Woolite did an ok job too. I let things soak for about 1/2 hr prior to tossing in w/ a load. The whole enzyme cleaning differently process is right on the money.

Funky clothes are a pain; thanks for this thread...

 

[Steady Eddy]

This is one of the reasons my tennis clothes have a short life. Because I know I won't have them for that long, I buy inexpensive clothes to play in. After a few times, (depends what season it is, summer in AZ is very hard on tennis clothes!), out they go.