krazygluon

Ok, my wife has put her foot down about the smell of my bike clothes. (preface: I have almost no sense of smell beyond 6 inches from my nose, she could smell a gas leak a mile away)

Either I get rid of their stink, or she gets rid of them (and I have to go fighting for money to get another set or two)

I know the proactive answer is to wash the things daily, but has anybody else gotten the shorts/jersey stink that WONT COME OUT if you wash them a dozen times without wearing them? Any solutions?

Not that I *mind* having to get more jerseys/shorts, but that still means lots of loads of washing and lots of water and well, I'm just that kind of a dirty hippy that I don't want that.

So, any ideas for getting evil smells out of gear and keeping it out from now on?

rbiked

maybe find a airtight container to keep them in when you get home?

cyclezealot

Buying a new kit each week would get expensive. I sweat easily .My clothes come out smelling like Fab. / You need be on the look out for new soaps.

jsmithepa

They don't come out 'coz they've been there too long. If u wash them after every wear then the odor will likely not stay.

If u don't bother to wash them, at least rinse after every wear, then wash the load once a week.

RonH

What are you washing them with?

dipy911

I use Fabreze on my backback. It can get pretty rank!

apricissimus 

I had a roommate who stored his hockey equipment in the living room. Dear god, that stuff stank, and no amount of washing and Fabrezing would drive it out.

I second the advice to wash frequently, otherwise the stink will take up permanent residence.

10 Wheels

Take a shower with the bike clothes on. Learned this from a group who do lots of touring and camping.
Rinse the soap off before leaving the shower stall....

TexasHermit

I know if you accidently forget to remove clothes from the washer and they get that musty oder you can rewash them BUT don't add soap add a cup of vineger. Your clothes will not come out with a vineger smell but it eliminates other oders.
Good luck

Rosie8

You might try washing clothes in Arm & Hammer laundry detergent with an extra dose of dry color safe bleach. That did the trick for some towels I had that smelled whiffy. You can also try a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle for extra deoderizing.

JanMM

Arm and Hammer baking soda.

Nightshade

Hang them in the sun & fresh air for a day or two. The sun & fresh air will kill
all the bacteria that causing the smell. In fact a wash and line dry routine is
best for this type of clothing anyway.

If that fails...you're done.

cheg

Wear Ibex Merino wool jerseys and shorts. They are very comfortable and very stink resistant. Also very $$$.

Garfield Cat

Its all about good habits.

First, after every ride make a habit of wiping down the bike. That takes about 10 minutes.

Second, during this time you can begin soaking your shorts and jersey in a bucket of water and laundry detergent. I use a 2 gallon bucket bought from Home Depot. Let it soak during those 10 minutes to let the detergent remove away the sweat (body oils and such). After the bike is wiped down. Go back to the jersey and shorts and agitate the clothes by hand a bit. With a garden hose, rinse out and wring and dry in the sunshine. I use a folding lawn chair and just hang it over it.

What I try to do is to never let the clothes get a chance to dry with all the sweat in the fibers.

A note about wiping down the bike: its like when you wash your own car. You get to know it and where the dirt accumulates and where you need to apply a bit more effort. I use a small shop towel and soak it in that same detergent for the clothes.

Buglady

+1 to vinegar and sunshine for the current pong. Then wash the things immediately,every time you wear them, even if that means washing them in a bucket or the sink.

You can save water in other ways, but the synthetics in bike clothes HAVE to be washed properly or you end up wrecking the clothes, which is more of a waste.

And start saving up for merino wool clothes, which are much more eco-friendly all around.

Signed,
another hippie - but a clean one

Ka_Jun

+1 on the white vinegar, add some baking soda to the soap cycle. Wash more often. Your gear must really stink if washing it won't get it out.

Kotts

Another tip: Don't use fabric softener!

I'm not sure of the mechanism, but I know when I stopped washing my bike stuff in the same load with the other clothes (that had fabric softener) the stink was vastly reduced.

Rowan

Borax.

It specifically kills bacteria, and in this case the ones that reside inside the fabric fibres that cause the perpetual stink. It also acts as a water softener. I've used it on old polyster work clothes that were left aside because of body odour, as well as polypro thermal tops, and cycling gear. It should be available in the washing powder section of the supermarket with the brand name in the US something like 20 Mules.

womble

I've had good results with a repeated combination of Coke, vinegar, lemon, baking soda. Seriously. The baking soda was a separate wash, obviously.

cyclezealot

Have I not read, lycra should not hang about for long periods of time under a boiling sun?

coldfeet

I used to have this problem with synthetics, have since switched to Crystal Stick deodorant, does a great job on me, and the clothes don't stink so much and wash up clean and sweet smelling. No deposits on them either.

Garfield Cat

When a rider does a century, he may very well be in the hot sun for a long period of time.

EGUNWT

+1 on sunlight. Kills germs fast.

ronbo

On the subject of bacteria, I shower before a ride whenever possible. The bacteria on your body interact with the sweat itself to make it smell. The cleaner you start out, the better your chances for minimal stink from the ride. Then, of course, all of the above laundry advice. Obviously, the longer the ride, the worse it all gets.

God bless!

Ron

d2create

Wool.
I like the Smart Wool brand. Lightweight Merino wool. Nice and soft. Itch free.
I wear my jersey's/t-shirts/long sleeve shirts a bunch of times before washing and they still don't stink. I wear them, lay them out to dry (which is quicker than that synthetic stuff) and then put them back in the drawer.
Wool is the bomb. Wool doesn't smell, it doesn't stick to your skin, it dries very quick and wicks sweat, and it helps regulate body temps making it good for hot or cold weather.
And since you can keep re-wearing without washing your laundry bill will be less and you don't have to buy as many.

EDIT: Here's some websites
https://www.ewnr.com/site/index.asp
https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm