Anyone in the military or those who work out a lot know workout clothes that stay in a locker or workout bag for several days between washes get a funky smell that can only be described with a scowl on ones face. If you use synthetic workout gear with wicking fibers you may have noticed some particularly obnoxious odors that stay around, even after a couple of washings. In the laundry industry it’s known as “permastink”. Fortunately, there are ways to fight the stink.
To fight this stink, soak your stinky items in a laundry detergent that includes a sodium percarbonate also known as OxiClean for two hours with half a cap of detergent and two gallons of warm water before washing. If your washer has a soak cycle this is perfect for this soak, if not, try a 5 gallon bucket. Soaking helps eliminate permastink because it gives the detergent time to separate body oils from the fabric while the sodium percarbonate tackles the foul odors. Any detergent that contains Oxi should give you results.
How to avoid this in the future? Wash those workout clothes more often and don’t allow them to dry in a confined space.
Now that your clothes smell better how about those shoes? Here are some tips to get the funk out of the shoes.
Good old fashioned soap and water and allow to dry overnight.
Use half Isopropyl alcohol and half water solution spray in each shoe and allow to dry overnight. Kills bacteria living in the shoe and should remove the smell as well.
Rip a dryer sheet in half, place half in each shoe and leave overnight to help with the smell.
Always wear socks and rotate your shoes so you don’t wear the same pair two days in a row.
Good luck with your shoe and clothing funk!