Whether you’ve spent the summer hiking, or you’re one of those amazing humans who jogs daily, or your kids are getting ready for fall sports, you’ve probably dealt with smelly, sweaty athletic wear. Now the first couple of times these garments are washed, they usually still smell and look fine, but by the fourth or fifth wash, the armpits start to darken, and there’s that faint, yet strongly present, lingering odor. Rather than feeling like you have to constantly replace these items, we came up with a list of five ways to treat your sports attire:
- Active.com suggests hanging up sweaty clothes to dry if you aren’t able to wash them right away. You can even put them in direct sunlight! Lifestyle Lounge explains, “One of the easy and effective ways to get the perspiration smell out of clothes is to hang them out in the sun. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to get rid of any foul smell. In the case of delicate clothes, you can hang them inside out in a place that receives indirect sunlight. The clothes would not only be crisp, but also smell good.”
- They also recommend not washing your workout gear with your everyday clothes, especially cotton clothes.
- If your clothes smell really bad, you can pre soak the clothes in a vinegar/water solution, or even add vinegar to the prewash cycle in your machine.
- To treat discoloration in workout clothing, especially in lighter color materials, Lifestyle Lounge says you can even use hydrogen peroxide on the area. “Mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water and pour this liquid onto the stain, allowing it to soak for at least 30 minutes.Rinse off the shirts and let them air dry. For an intractable stain or smell, use heavier dose of hydrogen peroxide.”
- For this last tip, go ahead and open up your spice cabinet and your medicine chest. This mixture comes from Home Ecc 101, “For a stubborn perspiration stain or for treating an unwashable garment try making a paste of 1 TBSP cream of tartar and three crushed full-strength aspirin tablets, mix with a little water and gently apply to the area with an old toothbrush. Rinse with plain water and air dry.”
Hopefully these tips keep you feeling fresh during your workout and after! HappyNest is here to make sure your workout gear is ready to go, you just worry about you.