bandaidman

do not use a clothes dryer to dry synthetics, it does help to keep them from stinking

MessenJah

I haven't tried using vinegar or borax yet, but now I just give the armpits a good scrub with biological detergent then keep them soaking in hand-hot water for a couple of hours - that seems to get rid of whatever bacteria is sticking to the armpits.

As much as I would love a merino jersey, I simply cannot pay that much for an item of clothing to use at work. I might buy one for weekend rides though.

Are you insane? Why would any messenger want to stop themself from sweating? Do you not realise how important sweating is for thermoregulation and for release of toxins?
Nope. The problem is caused by synthetic fibres. It is well-known that synthetic fibres trap bacteria and cause bad odours. It is nothing to do with soap.

kwrides

Have you tried things like Sportwash? This works for me, but I admit my longest rides are like 5 hours
https://www.penguinsportwash.com/sport.html

EvilV

I think that washing detergents marketed as 'Bio' contain the kinds of enzymes that destroy bacteria, moulds and eat stains caused by biological secretions.

Also, if the fabrics can tolerate it, boil washing will remove every trace of biological odour. Most likely enzym rich washing detergents, or any of the other anti bio suggestions such as borax and acetic acid will do the same. I treat my old dog's 'smelly ear' problem with a weak solution of boraccic and acetic acid (borax and vinegar) (about 2% solution). It used to pong, and now a once a week application of about four drops per ear, kills all the bacteria that used to cause her to have Ottitus Externa. The bad smell has completely left her since I started using it, and more importantly she is much happier without a constant ear infection.

apclassic9

try oxi-clean for a soak

rogerstg

Plain and simple, your clothes stink because you are not cleaning them well enough. Before you go soaking in various formulas try this:
Make sure the washer has plenty of room - do not crowd the clothes, and use the recommended amount of detergent.
If that is not enough, stop the washer cycle a few minutes after it starts and let it soak for 5 minutes or until you remember to turn it back on. I do this with my shorts every now and then because the chamois can start to smell. You'll probably need to do this the first time.
The normal wash cycles are not adequate for the kind of deep cleaning your clothes need, so you need to increase the time in solution for the detergents to do their job.
If that is still not enough, add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, then re rinse. DO NOT add vinegar to the wash cycle. Anyone that passed 5th grade science will tell you that the acid in vinegar will counteract the base in detergent yielding a very weak cleaning solution. I've never had to go the vinegar route with bike clothes, but I have used it on clothes that I wore while shark chumming.

Regarding deodorant, it won't help much. You need to use antiperspirant on your body. Some products are labeled as both, but many inexpensive products are simply deodorant (perfume).

Hope this helps.
Roger

nymtber

Try using a "Free and Clear" detergent. I use "all free n clear" It works great, and My synthetic fabrics dont stink anymore. I actually use that detergent for all clothes, I have some nasty (seasonal) allergies, and clothes that smell like flowers makes my allergies worse.

ymmv

CdCf

Are you serious? It doesn't stop ALL your sweating - only where you apply the solution! So, if you apply it where you typically smell bad first - your armpits - the you stave off the stench for a good while longer.

Rowan

The guy rides for a living. Have any of you done that? I have. If you ride your bike at weekends, and sweat, multiply that by five days a week, plus three or four more hours per day. The build-up of smell doesn't have anything to do with bugs in his skin, allergies to soap, the deodorant he is using. It's simply that he supplying a constant meal to the bugs in the fibres of the material and you gotta kill 'em to kill the smell.

I recovered four work shirts I used originally as cycling shirts (they are that awful Dayglo yellow or green as everyone keeps trying to tell me) for three or four years. I still wear them to work now, and a good washing in a tiny amount of borax fixes any smell problem. I am happy to try the vinegar route to see if the result is the same.

As a by-the-by, wool can smell high, too. I bought two new wool/synthetic (50:50) mix jerseys that are lovely, but boy, did they pong the first time they got a bit of my body moisture through them. It was a wet sheep smell, not a synthetic body-odour smell (and yes, I know wet sheep smell because I live in the country among them). My ride partner had the same experience (I bought the same jerseys for her so we could ride co-ordinated). We wore them for four days on tour without washing them, and the smell never really came back -- until they were dunked in the washing machine. We'll see how they go after their first washing.

Rowan

Actually, on a long ride, the smell from my butt area is much worse than anything my armpits might throw up.

And I just might add that I have tried a mild, skin-sensitive spray deodorant in that and adjacent areas prior to a randonnee, and it seemed to work quite well in reducing the sweat production. I tried it more, however, to reduce sweating at top of my pelvis at the front, where I seem to end up with a painful pimple (always in the same spot and about 300km into a randonnee).

dmac49

Go to REI, EMS, Campmor, (all have websites) or any of the larger outdoor suppliers and get 'Dr. Bonners" liquid soap. Follow the directions on it and it will take out that funky smell from you wik tek cloths. I've used it for back packing and especially for kayak equipment that has 100 times worse smell than bike gear. Well worth it. Soaking especially bad items I find works best. Neoprene wetsuits , water shoes etc that I was never able to bring back in the house smell nice and clean.

GreenGrasshoppr

Put your clothes in a mason jar, put the lid on with the rubber facing away from the jar, and don't screw it on tight.

Cook in pressure cooker for one hour at 15 psi.

Everything should be sterilized.

Photosmith

Just curious, but for those of you using wool, are any of you riding in the warmer climates? I've never used wool and am a bit leery of the idea of wearing wool shirts when my typical rides from April to October will be in 80 to 110 degree weather. Does wool stay as cool as the synthetics?

noisebeam

I ride in Phx too year round and stop wearing long sleeve wool if any part of the ride will be over 70 and the coolest over 50. It's just too warm.

I find synthetics (and helmet) don't get stinky for me in the summer, probably because everything dries so fast and is exposed to lots of sun/UV. In the winter synthetics (and helmet) get stinky as things stay damp longer.

Al

MessenJah

Yes but armpits are highly sweaty for a good reason. DO you really need that reason to be spelled out to you?

ottawa_adam

I wear ultra-thin merino wool shirts in spring, summer and fall. In summer, I have a short-sleeved shirt and it works very well. It wicks moisture away. I personally like the feeling of it better than synthetic. I also have merino socks in the summer. They're very comfy.

Bdaisies

Stopped reading the thread at this point.

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white vinegar is the simplest thing you can do to get rid of odours in synthetic fabrics. Forget buying expensive chemically stuff, white vinegar works. And you can make salads with it too! You can make a diluted mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spot spray or soak smelly fabrics. Hand washing with detergent will lose the vinegar smell afterward.