My shirts smell! How to get rid of odor? Embarassing problem.

[equidae]

I am having a problem with my ‘clean’ riding polos and T-shirts smelling even before I even sweat! It’s not me that smells- it’s the shirt- it doesn’t matter how much deodorant I put on, the smell comes back soon after putting it on! I live in Florida so my shirts are usually soaked when I’m done riding, but they’re CLEAN! They shouldn’t be smelling.:no: I use several types of detergent, bleach, Oxyclean, fabric softener, shirts are dried… nothing works. I don’t want to throw out my shirts only to have it happen again! Again, its definitely not me that smells, it’s the shirts. It’s as if the odor is trapped in the fibers- how do I get rid of it?

Anyone deal with this too?

[cyndi]

Febreze for the laundry! And quit buying cotton shirts. I only buy ‘technical’ fabrics now - they do not trap odors like cotton does. I live in hot, humid Texas Gulf Coast.

[GotGait]

Penguin Sport Wash. It takes the funk out of my husband’s mountain biking shirts (really funky).

[mp]

I live in the hot, steamy midwest. And even my the tech fabric shirts sometimes have that pre-BO smell in the underarms after washing.

No need for Febreeze. I spray the area with diluted vinegar (1:1 with water). Let it set for an hour and then wash. Voila no odor.

[sadlmakr]

20 mule team Borax put in the wash with your shirts. It works.
If there is still a residual odor then soak the shirts in 1 cup Borax to a gallon of warm water.
It works on most problems. At least it does for me.
If that doesn’t do it then there is Washing soda. I do not know where you can buy it. But I got it at my local hardware store.
I would be surprised if the Borax doesn’t do it for you.
JMHO sadlmakr

[carol_okc]

yeah, Borax is great… or a cup of soda bicarb added to the wash water.

[Donkaloosa]

I agree with Sadlmakr and carol_okc — good old fashioned 20 Mule Team Borax in the wash does a great job of getting the smells out of clothes. I always use it in the summer when I’m doing laundry.

[ScarletGypsy]

I started making my own laundry detergent to deal with this when my husband started doing jiu jitsu. Nothing in the world smells as bad as sweat-soaked jiu jitsu gis, and I say that as someone who cloth-diapered an infant.

I mix one grated bar of peppermint Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap, one cup of Borax, and one cup of washing soda. I use an old food processor to break everything down into uniform granules, then use about 2 tablespoons per full load. Gets all the stink out and also won’t irritate anyone’s sensitive skin, human or equine.

[ChocoMare]

White Vinegar and Baking Soda

[GallopHer]

Add a cup of vinegar to your wash.

[Fillabeana]

I use the Eqyss Micro-Tek wrap and blanket wash. A couple of ounces in the wash gets rid of any fungus around. It also works for really stinky saddle pads, which is what is was designed for.

You also might do well to avoid the cotton, as cyndi mentions. Wool, like smartwool (that DOES come in non-itchy summerweights) resists bacteria, and tech fabrics won’t absorb moisture like cotton will. I wear smartwool all winter, and even when I get all sweaty under one or two layers too many, my clothes don’t get soggy and stinky.

[judybigredpony]

I found that todays detergents are so concentrated we use To much and the clothes get a funk from that as well…

[oliverreed]

Well how about that? I thought I was the only one with this problem and resorted to throwing out shirts after a few seasons . . . . .

[jvk8]

another vote for White Vinegar & Baking Soda

Just a couple glugs of white vinegar and a 1/2 cup baking soda (in with the regular laundry soap). Works best if you let them soak in this for about an hour & then finish the wash load.

[equusvilla]

cheapest way…

I put about 1/2 cup of amonia in my wash with any kind of smelly laundry… including the load that (opps) gets left in the washer for a few days … it takes out all the odors and you cannot smell the amonia when it is done.

[eponacelt]

Having a high efficiency, front loading washer makes it more challenging to add all these things. Tide SPORT with Febreeze seems to help a lot, because I had this problem with not only my barn clothes, but also my running clothes which became embarassing to wear to the gym. And the Tide Sport is formulated for my washer.

[KayBee]

Try Charlie’s Soap.

[Jumpin_Horses]

I wonder if you still have the “stink rod” in your hot water heater

when I moved into my farm, I got a new hot water heater. all of a sudden my water stunk really bad. like a bad sulfur stink

a friend of mine came over and took a metal rod out of the top of my new water heater. he said it was the “stink rod” and the problem was fixed. Dont know what a “stink rod” is, or what it does, but, im sure better without it

[Chardavej]

[QUOTE=Jumpin_Horses;5730721]
I wonder if you still have the “stink rod” in your hot water heater

when I moved into my farm, I got a new hot water heater. all of a sudden my water stunk really bad. like a bad sulfur stink

a friend of mine came over and took a metal rod out of the top of my new water heater. he said it was the “stink rod” and the problem was fixed. Dont know what a “stink rod” is, or what it does, but, im sure better without it[/QUOTE]

No way? Really? I’ve noticed a sulfer smell to water when I first turn it on. I thought it was coming from the drain!

OP- Do you have a high efficiency front load washer? They just don’t have enough water to really clean clothes. I add water with a pitcher in the drawer I pull out to add the laundry detergent. About 5-7 pitchers. Load suds up good then and clothes come out clean again! Also use Tide powder rather than liquid, it works better. Liquid detergents are mostly water. Powder is more concentrated.

[see_u_at_x]

[QUOTE=Jumpin_Horses;5730721]
I wonder if you still have the “stink rod” in your hot water heater

when I moved into my farm, I got a new hot water heater. all of a sudden my water stunk really bad. like a bad sulfur stink

a friend of mine came over and took a metal rod out of the top of my new water heater. he said it was the “stink rod” and the problem was fixed. Dont know what a “stink rod” is, or what it does, but, im sure better without it[/QUOTE]

Being the paranoid person that I am, I’m not sure I’d do that…

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Troubleshooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html