Why Do My Gym Clothes Still Stink After Washing?
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Short answer: Gym clothes keep stinking after washing because synthetic workout fabrics hold on to sweat odor. To remove it, wash them soon after your workout, skip fabric softener, turn them inside out, and add a laundry booster like the Arrest My Vest Laundry Booster with your detergent. Let everything dry completely before it goes in a drawer or gym bag.
You finish a hard workout, throw your clothes in the wash, and pull them out smelling fine. Then you start sweating in your next session, and the old smell comes right back. Your towels might have the same problem, with a musty smell that shows up as soon as they get damp. The good news is that this is one of the most fixable laundry problems out there.
Why Do Gym Clothes Hold On To Odor?
Most workout clothes are made from synthetic fabrics like polyester and spandex. Those fabrics are great at moving sweat away from your skin, but they also tend to hold on to odor. Leaving damp clothes in a gym bag gives that odor time to settle in. When a regular wash doesn't fully remove it, the smell builds up a little more each time.
How Do You Remove Odors From Gym Clothes?
This routine works for gym clothes, running gear, PT uniforms, and base layers.
- Get your workout clothes out of your gym bag as soon as you get home.
- Turn them inside out so the side that touched your skin gets the most contact with the water.
- Wash them with your regular detergent and add the Arrest My Vest Laundry Booster, following the directions on the bottle.
- Skip the fabric softener, because many activewear care labels advise against it.
- Make sure everything is completely dry before you put it away.
The Laundry Booster works as an additive for smelly clothes. Your detergent handles the cleaning, and the Booster eliminates the odor that keeps coming back.
How Do You Get The Musty Smell Out Of Towels?
Towels stay damp longer than almost anything else in your laundry, and that is where the musty smell comes from. Hang towels to dry between uses instead of leaving them in a pile. Wash them with your detergent and the Laundry Booster, and don't overload the washer so they have room to rinse clean. Dry them completely before folding them.
What About Your Weighted Vest, Gym Bag, And Shoes?
Weighted vests, lifting belts, gym bags, gloves, and shoes usually can't go in the washer. Arrest My Vest odor eliminating spray takes care of those. It uses OAM Technology to neutralize odor at the molecular level, and it works instantly on contact, so you can spray your gear and head out.
Which Laundry Booster Is Right For Your Routine?
If you're new to the Laundry Booster, start with the 16 oz bottle in Midnight for $15.99. If you work out most days and run a lot of laundry, the 64 oz Laundry Booster is $34.95. Want to handle your clothes and your gear in one order? Our Laundry Detergent Sheets + 16 oz Laundry Booster + 16 oz Odor Eliminating Spray bundle is $42.99, compared with $50.97 when purchased separately. It gives you a complete laundry kit for your workout clothes and everything that comes with them.
Who Makes Arrest My Vest?
Arrest My Vest was founded by Paul C. Anderson, a chemical engineer with more than 40 years in consumer products, including two decades leading fabric care. Arrest My Vest has sold more than one million bottles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my workout clothes smell when I start sweating? Sweat odor can stay trapped in synthetic fabric after a regular wash. When you heat up and sweat again, that trapped odor comes back.
What can I add to my laundry to get rid of odor? Add a dedicated odor eliminator like the Arrest My Vest Laundry Booster alongside your regular detergent.
How do I keep my towels from smelling musty? Hang them to dry between uses, wash them with your detergent and the Laundry Booster, and dry them completely before folding.
