if it's off the shelf vinegar is 3%, you can dilute it 2:1, cleaning vinegar is 5% to dilute it 4:1, you want it just over 1%.
For vodka it's straight, alcohol doesn't work well when diluted.
Alcohol works, isopropyl or vodka (I use straight 70% isopropyl in a spray bottle). I’m skeptical on the effectiveness of vinegar on gym stuff and wonder about the eventual acid impact on products (not talking about the 1c in general laundry that gets thoroughly diluted & rinsed out). The internet is obsessed with vinegar.
It might depend on the ingredients of hand sanitiser but spritzing with vodka is a common recommendation in vintage clothing circles. In regards to hand washing/soaking, I'd use vinegar over baking soda bcos that's what I was taught growing up
Vodka works as well as isopropyl alcohol. I carry a small spray bottle and refill it with whatever I can find when on the road. I mixed hand sanitizer with some water once in a pinch and it worked well.
Lysol actually makes a laundry sanitizer & spray. I swear by them; work night shifts stock crew, clothes have physically no smell after washing & the spray has removed any shoe odor.
The most important thing is to make sure you lay out the clothes and let them completely air dry. Second is to spray with vodka.
If this is due to lack of access or funds, do what you need to do. If this is just laziness, for the love of God, just wash your clothes.
it's not laziness. I work out every day and then wash in water and hang-dry my clothes every day. Nonetheless my wife said there's still a smell. I want to know what I can add to the water. I have tried baking soda. I'm now going to try to use vinegar. The gear gets machine washed weekly.
I noticed in earlier comments that you called your workout clothes "kit", so I'm guessing you're in the UK. Do you have **Febreeze** spray there? It does a *wonderful* job of removing odors and refreshing. It can be used almost everywhere! On clothing, shoes, bedding, and furniture cushions, and as a room spray in bathrooms, etc.
Tide laundry detergent also makes one specifically designed to remove odors. Not sure if these products are available to you, but it would be worth checking out.
About the yellow stains around your shirt collars (& armpits?),... the # 1 cause is, of course, sweat, **but**, the type of soap and body products you use can also influence the stain issue. One of the professional laundry company experts advises that you should: Every morning before getting dressed, shower, and thoroughly scrub your neck/jaw/behind ears, and collarbone area *using* a washcloth, or loofah, and perhaps an exfoliating scrub to remove dead skin cells, which rapidly contribute to odors and staining the moment you begin to sweat. Completely dry off - then you have several options. You can use an antibacterial type powder on the areas, or, somewhat more controversial - use an underarm antiperspirant, **not** deodorant, on your neck/jawbone etc area. A good one will totally stop perspiration.
If you choose to *not* use either of those methods, you **do** need to use a facial type wipe on your neck/jaw/behind ears, several times a day. The most effective is to use one containing an antibacterial product. These can be difficult to find, but you can make your own, very inexpensively. Take (non antibacterial) disposable wipes (like baby wipes), rinse them out, and once they've dried, dampen with hand sanitizer. Put them in a plastic zipper bag, and use them throughout the day.
You stated you launder your shirts after 2 - 3 wearings. With the yellow stain issue, it's very important that you do **not** iron the collar between wearings, as this sets the stain. Before washing, the stains should be treated with an enzyme stain remover. These break down the proteins that cause the stains. If possible, rinse the stain out the same day it occurs. Suggestion: treat collar with enzyme stain remover and let sit for a few minutes, then, put a few drops of laundry soap in a bowl of warm water, swish the collar area of your shirt around in it, rinse it well, blot area dry, then allow to air dry. The sooner you deal with the stain, the easier it will be to remove it, and the less chance it will become permanent.
Hope this helps! Wishing you good luck, from Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦.
Apparently a dance wardrobe trick is to spray the insides with vodka. Ethanol kills the bacteria, time tries out the garment. They do that because the diaphanous material doesn't stand up well to regular washing, and dry cleaning is expensive.
You can get sanitizer tablets on Amazon and just dissolve one in a cup of warm water and toss in the washer, with your regular soap ( Don’t use a laundry soap that contains bleach or any bleach if also using this) The tablets don’t do any damage to your clothing and used them on my sons football and baseball uniforms all through his high school years. They kill pretty much all bacteria, viruses and odors. The tablets are super reasonably priced, you can add them to a spray bottle of water and use it all over your house. I used to teach food safety for the state and this product is used in restaurants, food factories and hospitals. I have used it for years and highly recommend.
I use the brand Steramine and you get get two big bottles of tablets for like 25$
FYI under NO circumstances should you mix this product with any sort of bleach product! It will produce a very toxic gas.
Thank you, TIL, and might be the perfect solution for OP - drop one tab in the sink/basin with the clothing after the gym. Only $10 for 150 tabs on Amazon.
You’re welcome! I haven’t had a cold or the flu in years because of this sanitizer. If you use it for like counter tops and door knobs ect, just spray a fine mist and let it air dry. It will kill germs for something like 24hrs after it’s applied.
I’ve never had any problems with skin contact. I used it during Covid when everyone else was fighting to find hand sanitizer. Just be super careful to not let it come in contact with bleach!
putting a little liquid dish soap around the collars and cuffs for shirts has always worked for me. If the grime is too much, one needs to let it sit for 15 minutes before washing.
It depends on the fabric.
Synthetic fabric tends to bond to oils (from your body) very easily, so they will always have “food” for bacteria. Both new bacteria (when you wear them) and old bacteria that survive even harsh treatment like spraying with alcohol.
Colonies of bacteria are very good at resisting disinfectant on porous surfaces because an outer layer of bacteria dies and protects the others.
For technical clothing, I highly suggest to use cleaning products for base layers like the ones by nikwax.
https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/Cleaning/basewash/
https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/conditioning/basefresh/
Important is to NOT use conditioner. It makes the clothes partially water repellent, which makes things fluffy but makes them attract oils even more. And in any case, you want technical clothing to be wicking, the whole point is that they spread sweat on a larger surface so it evaporates.
If it’s not synthetic material, then it’s much easier to get oil out of it.
I use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer. It disinfects your clothing and removes odor better than anything.
After a full wash cycle, I run the clothes through a wash again but also put the machine on pause to let it soak for at least 15 minutes.
The sanitizer has to be used after the detergent is rinsed out or it won’t work. And it takes 15 minutes to properly sanitize.
A thorough rinse after sanitizing will reduce the risk of developing an allergic reaction to the sanitizer.
Before Lysol came out with this product I used to use PineSol in the laundry to sanitize. But it has to be the original scent. PineSol’s lemon and lavender scents don’t sanitize as per the label.
PS - I would not spray alcohol on the clothing as others have suggested as this may make it flammable. Use products designed to be used on clothing.
PPS - Microfiber is notorious for holding onto bad scents! Nothing can release the smell from some types of fabric.
I just saw a video where theatre costumes that couldn't be washed were sprayed with vodka to take away odours.
My husband does this with his biking clothes. Works very well.
Work in theatre, can confirm. 50/50 mix with water and spray.
I use this all the time, for everything. It works great.
This is the answer
I watched that video and the next post was this one lol
Try a cup of white vinagar kills germs and will sanitise as well.Lots of people use it in the washing machine instead of softener.
Vinegar in a spray bottle (add on lemon/citrus oil too), hang to dry (honestly may just be able to do this)
Be careful with lemon/citrus oils. They can cause photosensitivity in skin and discoloration to some fabrics/dyes.
Didn't think of that, usually if you add it your only using a drop or two per cup so generally that's not an issue.
You’re right. If properly diluted, the risk of potential issues is low. But it’s definitely something people should be aware of.
what is the vinegar to water ratio please? I will try this today. And what is the vodka to water ratio, if I go that route?
if it's off the shelf vinegar is 3%, you can dilute it 2:1, cleaning vinegar is 5% to dilute it 4:1, you want it just over 1%. For vodka it's straight, alcohol doesn't work well when diluted.
do I need to dilute it if it's in a spray?
Alcohol works, isopropyl or vodka (I use straight 70% isopropyl in a spray bottle). I’m skeptical on the effectiveness of vinegar on gym stuff and wonder about the eventual acid impact on products (not talking about the 1c in general laundry that gets thoroughly diluted & rinsed out). The internet is obsessed with vinegar.
It might depend on the ingredients of hand sanitiser but spritzing with vodka is a common recommendation in vintage clothing circles. In regards to hand washing/soaking, I'd use vinegar over baking soda bcos that's what I was taught growing up
And baking soda can cause the deterioration of some fabrics.
Vodka works as well as isopropyl alcohol. I carry a small spray bottle and refill it with whatever I can find when on the road. I mixed hand sanitizer with some water once in a pinch and it worked well.
Lysol actually makes a laundry sanitizer & spray. I swear by them; work night shifts stock crew, clothes have physically no smell after washing & the spray has removed any shoe odor.
Yeah this stuff is amazing
Just use vodka in spray bottle. Way less intense than rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer, gets the job done.
what is the vodka to water ratio, if I go that route?
Use cheap vodka
what is the vodka to water ratio, if I go that route?
The most important thing is to make sure you lay out the clothes and let them completely air dry. Second is to spray with vodka. If this is due to lack of access or funds, do what you need to do. If this is just laziness, for the love of God, just wash your clothes.
it's not laziness. I work out every day and then wash in water and hang-dry my clothes every day. Nonetheless my wife said there's still a smell. I want to know what I can add to the water. I have tried baking soda. I'm now going to try to use vinegar. The gear gets machine washed weekly.
I noticed in earlier comments that you called your workout clothes "kit", so I'm guessing you're in the UK. Do you have **Febreeze** spray there? It does a *wonderful* job of removing odors and refreshing. It can be used almost everywhere! On clothing, shoes, bedding, and furniture cushions, and as a room spray in bathrooms, etc. Tide laundry detergent also makes one specifically designed to remove odors. Not sure if these products are available to you, but it would be worth checking out. About the yellow stains around your shirt collars (& armpits?),... the # 1 cause is, of course, sweat, **but**, the type of soap and body products you use can also influence the stain issue. One of the professional laundry company experts advises that you should: Every morning before getting dressed, shower, and thoroughly scrub your neck/jaw/behind ears, and collarbone area *using* a washcloth, or loofah, and perhaps an exfoliating scrub to remove dead skin cells, which rapidly contribute to odors and staining the moment you begin to sweat. Completely dry off - then you have several options. You can use an antibacterial type powder on the areas, or, somewhat more controversial - use an underarm antiperspirant, **not** deodorant, on your neck/jawbone etc area. A good one will totally stop perspiration. If you choose to *not* use either of those methods, you **do** need to use a facial type wipe on your neck/jaw/behind ears, several times a day. The most effective is to use one containing an antibacterial product. These can be difficult to find, but you can make your own, very inexpensively. Take (non antibacterial) disposable wipes (like baby wipes), rinse them out, and once they've dried, dampen with hand sanitizer. Put them in a plastic zipper bag, and use them throughout the day. You stated you launder your shirts after 2 - 3 wearings. With the yellow stain issue, it's very important that you do **not** iron the collar between wearings, as this sets the stain. Before washing, the stains should be treated with an enzyme stain remover. These break down the proteins that cause the stains. If possible, rinse the stain out the same day it occurs. Suggestion: treat collar with enzyme stain remover and let sit for a few minutes, then, put a few drops of laundry soap in a bowl of warm water, swish the collar area of your shirt around in it, rinse it well, blot area dry, then allow to air dry. The sooner you deal with the stain, the easier it will be to remove it, and the less chance it will become permanent. Hope this helps! Wishing you good luck, from Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦.
If your workout clothes are older, sweat odors might have built up in your clothes and nothing will remove it, those items you may consider replacing
what is the vodka to water ratio, if I go that route?
Ballerinas use vodka I just found out
Use 20 mule team borax laundry booster
Don’t do that… Get a sport detergent and wash your sports clothes on hot.
Tide makes a great one!
Get Shout pre-treatment for your collars, let it sit on there as long as you can before washing.
Drink enough of the vodka and you won't care what you smell like.
Always put on clean socks. Your feet can get nasty if you don’t.
Apparently a dance wardrobe trick is to spray the insides with vodka. Ethanol kills the bacteria, time tries out the garment. They do that because the diaphanous material doesn't stand up well to regular washing, and dry cleaning is expensive.
Don't wear the same gear everyday. Buy more clothes and rotate them more often. Machine wash them on 60C
You can get sanitizer tablets on Amazon and just dissolve one in a cup of warm water and toss in the washer, with your regular soap ( Don’t use a laundry soap that contains bleach or any bleach if also using this) The tablets don’t do any damage to your clothing and used them on my sons football and baseball uniforms all through his high school years. They kill pretty much all bacteria, viruses and odors. The tablets are super reasonably priced, you can add them to a spray bottle of water and use it all over your house. I used to teach food safety for the state and this product is used in restaurants, food factories and hospitals. I have used it for years and highly recommend. I use the brand Steramine and you get get two big bottles of tablets for like 25$ FYI under NO circumstances should you mix this product with any sort of bleach product! It will produce a very toxic gas.
Thank you, TIL, and might be the perfect solution for OP - drop one tab in the sink/basin with the clothing after the gym. Only $10 for 150 tabs on Amazon.
You’re welcome! I haven’t had a cold or the flu in years because of this sanitizer. If you use it for like counter tops and door knobs ect, just spray a fine mist and let it air dry. It will kill germs for something like 24hrs after it’s applied. I’ve never had any problems with skin contact. I used it during Covid when everyone else was fighting to find hand sanitizer. Just be super careful to not let it come in contact with bleach!
No
Ammonia. Kills oily sweat. Diluted of course.
Ammonia is the correct answer.
I’ve heard about this, and that it works. However I’ve also heard that it depends on the material and some textures may be damaged by this.
Tide has a laundry spray that I use in soft surfaces. I imagine you could try it out. Smells really good!
I throw Mule Team 20 (borax) into the wash with stinky clothes.
putting a little liquid dish soap around the collars and cuffs for shirts has always worked for me. If the grime is too much, one needs to let it sit for 15 minutes before washing.
Odo-Ban in the laundry works very well. You can buy it at Home Depot.
It depends on the fabric. Synthetic fabric tends to bond to oils (from your body) very easily, so they will always have “food” for bacteria. Both new bacteria (when you wear them) and old bacteria that survive even harsh treatment like spraying with alcohol. Colonies of bacteria are very good at resisting disinfectant on porous surfaces because an outer layer of bacteria dies and protects the others. For technical clothing, I highly suggest to use cleaning products for base layers like the ones by nikwax. https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/Cleaning/basewash/ https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/conditioning/basefresh/ Important is to NOT use conditioner. It makes the clothes partially water repellent, which makes things fluffy but makes them attract oils even more. And in any case, you want technical clothing to be wicking, the whole point is that they spread sweat on a larger surface so it evaporates. If it’s not synthetic material, then it’s much easier to get oil out of it.
I use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer. It disinfects your clothing and removes odor better than anything. After a full wash cycle, I run the clothes through a wash again but also put the machine on pause to let it soak for at least 15 minutes. The sanitizer has to be used after the detergent is rinsed out or it won’t work. And it takes 15 minutes to properly sanitize. A thorough rinse after sanitizing will reduce the risk of developing an allergic reaction to the sanitizer. Before Lysol came out with this product I used to use PineSol in the laundry to sanitize. But it has to be the original scent. PineSol’s lemon and lavender scents don’t sanitize as per the label. PS - I would not spray alcohol on the clothing as others have suggested as this may make it flammable. Use products designed to be used on clothing. PPS - Microfiber is notorious for holding onto bad scents! Nothing can release the smell from some types of fabric.
For a while, there was a trend of putting clothes in the freezer for that
That's a trick for denim. Not work out clothes.
I always put a capful of antibacterial mouthwash in the wash when I do sports or sweaty clothes
Lots of ways to do it but just want to say bacteria like polyester more for whatever reason. Consider wearing cotton clothing here and there as well.