Does Oxiclean damage shorts/ synth chamois?

[MapleWelder]

I did some research yesterday on getting the sweat stink out of my camelbak pack, and the most convincing /least damaging method I read was that Oxiclean oxidizes the organic compounds that remain odoriferous even after the bacteria have been killed by soap. So I'm wondering if anyone has experience using it on their shorts, and if it noticeably deteriorates the spandex fabric or shortens the lifespan of synthetic chamois pads? (I've read that bleach does damage synthetics.)

Unnecessary backstory: I've been in the habit of letting my shorts soak covering the drain as I shower for a rinse, then saturating them with handsoap and hanging dry to keep things copacetic for 1-5 days until I build up enough laundry for a load, then just into the washing machine with regular eco-friendly detergent. I won't ask anyone here to corroborate this perception... but my shorts smell much better since using this practice. But can I shave the time, effort, and water by skipping the shower/handsoap rigamarole and just hanging shorts to dry (up to 5 days) after a ride and then throwing a scoop of Oxiclean into the washing machine to neutralize those odors?

Thanks for your best 'my shorts smell like roses' practices :p

[sandyrs]

I find that if I just let everything dry out fully before throwing it in the laundry basket, I don't have any problems with things not seeming fully clean after a go in the washing machine.

[11.4]

One of the hardest things on fabrics is bacterial and other microbial growth. They feast on dirty fibers and deteriorate the integrity of the fabric -- whether the sheet fabrics or things like the elastic and of course the chamois. So it pays to wash promptly after wear, before anything has had a chance to grow. Rinsing like you describe may slow it down, but then completely soaking the fabric and pad can accelerate the issue instead. It's just better to wash them each time. I do a delicate wash cycle and then hang them to dry and they're dry by morning, even when one's doing a bunch of extra knit stuff for winter wear.

[MagicHour]

Yeah definitely hang bibs to dry before putting in laundry. I turn em inside out to let chamois dry.

I toss a small amount of oxiclean in with my cycling clothes, especially with whites and lighter colors, seems to help keep 'em bright. Read it about this on another forum or article and it hasn't seemed to have any adverse effects, and I wash my gear frequently. There's a baby Oxiclean version too which might have less junk in it, seems to work as well as original.

[ripvanrando]

I wash my dirty bibs and jerseys every four days as four kits makes a decent load. I always let my cycling clothing dry after a ride. The key for me is making sure they do not lay around wet or damp with nasties growing.
Gentle wash with front loader, cold water, and mild detergent. I can't detect any wear or smell. Bacteria and mold need moisture to grow.

I would normally never wear dirty bibs but I had many days in a row in the same kit on a cross country ride this summer. The Assos S7 Centos bibs are fine now that they have been cleaned but I thought they would be ruined with such abuse. No infections. I guess lots of lantiseptic is the reason. I used to get right out of my bibs immediately after a ride. Now, I don't worry after having worn the same shorts nonstop for a week.

[RonW87]

My wife says to toss my shorts in the dryer once every few washes.

[sandyrs]

My wife says to toss my shorts in the dryer once every few washes.

This seems like it would cause more harm than good.

[chiasticon]

never tried OxiClean, I don't think. has me curious though... I generally wash my kit right after I wear it (or the same day, at least). but with whites and really light clothing I have an issue that over time, I get pinkish stains from sweat. mainly in my summer kit that I really sweat in. and it's not just in the under-arm area, it's all over; so it's not a deodorant thing. I've tried all sorts of stuff to get it out easily, but nothing works. best I've come up with is scrubbing the affected areas with BarKeeper's friend, letting them sit for a while, then re-washing them. curious if just adding OxiClean to the wash cycle would work...

[Birddog]

I had some set in older stains caused by some bad water from my well that stained the light and white areas of several jerseys and a couple pair of Rapha shorts. I poured Oxiclean into an ice chest in a very concentrated solution (per directions that I got somewhere on the net) and let them soak for about 6 to 8 hours. At some point i forgot to go out and stir the stuff around and when I checked them out I saw stains from dye running from one of the jerseys on the white areas and also some ink stains caused by a Sharpie that ran. I kinda panicked and rinsed them the best I could but to no avail. Finally, I thought what the hell and ran them through a wash cycle in the front loader and they came out pretty good. All the new stains disappeared and most of the older set in stains were less noticeable. I have noticed no deterioration or adverse effects from my experiment. It was a wash day miracle no doubt.

[zmudshark]

Nothing like some sunshine to air out the dirty laundry ;)

[.RJ]

My wife says to toss my shorts in the dryer once every few washes.

My team kit and older stuff gets thrown in the dryer after washing. No adverse effects yet. Nice stuff gets hung up to dry after washing.

[shovelhd]

It hasn't hurt mine, but I only use a scoop per load. Only when something is exceptionally dirty, like after a rain ride.

[ojingoh]

Oxyclean is a very mild oxidizer, replaces the sodium hypochlorite in bleach for sodium percarbonate. It's great. Technically you're right to wonder if it weakens or breaks apart the nylon or the lycra, but I think riding a bike is way harder on it.

I always wash my kit right after riding. I never let it dry, just goes right in. If I don't have laundry to go, I soak it in soapy water. I have a wash basin in my bathtub I'll toss it in.

Never put shorts in the dryer, the heat will weaken and destroy the lycra. It's not great on nylon either.

[dem]

I get pinkish stains from sweat

If you use a sunscreen with Avobenzene (and for me, that is the only stuff that works for several hours of sweating) these are probably rust stains - avobenzene loves iron, reacts, and turns to rust.

You can google for various solutions although personally I haven't found anything magical.

[mmfs]

Scrubbing with a nylon brush and an OxiClean slurry is excellent for getting sweat/deodorant stains out. It has saved many a dress shirt of mine!

[stackie]

I have a family of four, so whenever I ride, I make up a load of laundry with my cycling kit in lingerie bags so they don't get snagged by anything else in the laundry. Usual unscented laundry detergent. Air dry only. High efficiency front load washer so not really using that much water anyway.

With the price of cycling kit and the sometimes rarity of kit I want to wear, I find this to be an economical solution.

With this practice, I don't have a problem with PermaStink.

Jon

[Louis]

I don't know about Oxiclean, but I do know that Borax does not:

http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/20-Mule-Team-Borax.jpg

[chiasticon]

If you use a sunscreen with Avobenzene (and for me, that is the only stuff that works for several hours of sweating) these are probably rust stains - avobenzene loves iron, reacts, and turns to rust.

You can google for various solutions although personally I haven't found anything magical.it may indeed be rust stains, given that the BarKeeper's friend is the only effective solution I've found. I've seen it appear without use of sunscreen though. and it doesn't just appear near areas where I've used sunscreen, but also on my back and sides, etc.

I tried the Oxi soak for a few hours last night on a jersey, and then even threw a bit in when I re-washed it. doesn't seem to have done a thing. :mad:

[ripvanrando]

My stuff gets soaked in oxiclean before the wash if the kit was worn in the rain and does get a spray of SHOUT on blood, grease or food stains, etc. If it smells, vinegar in the bleach dispenser. Woolite and a gentle cycle with cold water. Line dry. Normal rides are just Woolite and line dry.

My bibs wear out from abrasion but they last a really long time.

[Birddog]

it may indeed be rust stains, given that the BarKeeper's friend is the only effective solution I've found. I've seen it appear without use of sunscreen though. and it doesn't just appear near areas where I've used sunscreen, but also on my back and sides, etc.

I tried the Oxi soak for a few hours last night on a jersey, and then even threw a bit in when I re-washed it. doesn't seem to have done a thing. :mad:

Did you use 2 to 4 scoops per gallon of warm water? My package says the warmer the water and the longer the soak (6hrs) the better the results. I'll have to try Barkeepers Friend on my tough stains.

[chiasticon]

Did you use 2 to 4 scoops per gallon of warm water? My package says the warmer the water and the longer the soak (6hrs) the better the results. I'll have to try Barkeepers Friend on my tough stains.directions on the package said fill to between 2-4 on the scoop, per gallon of water, depending on severity of stain. so I filled to scoop to three and used one gallon of water. I used cold water, since it's a Rapha jersey and they state not to use warm water to wash it. I also only left it for about 3 hours because I had to get to bed and figured overnight may be too much.

maybe I just did everything wrong? :help:

[Birddog]

I misread lines as scoops, you're right. Anyway, when I did the soak I used pretty warm but not hot to the touch water. One of the jerseys was a Rapha Ltwt with 23% Merino and I detect no shrinkage or other ill effects. The stains did not magically disappear but they are much harder to detect now on an all white Rapha jersey. The other jersey that is pretty stained is a Danny Shane that is primarily white and has some bamboo in the fabric. It will need more attention with either Barkeepers Friend or an OxiClean slurry. Just an observation, but the synthetics seem to be less likely to stain than the fabrics with wool or bamboo.

[zap]

One of the hardest things on fabrics is bacterial and other microbial growth. They feast on dirty fibers and deteriorate the integrity of the fabric -- whether the sheet fabrics or things like the elastic and of course the chamois. So it pays to wash promptly after wear, before anything has had a chance to grow. Rinsing like you describe may slow it down, but then completely soaking the fabric and pad can accelerate the issue instead. It's just better to wash them each time. I do a delicate wash cycle and then hang them to dry and they're dry by morning, even when one's doing a bunch of extra knit stuff for winter wear.

This.

After each ride I start a load. I use Dreft and machine is set for cold delicate. If it's a sunny day, the Assos bibs goes outside chamois side out to dry.

[chiasticon]

Just an observation, but the synthetics seem to be less likely to stain than the fabrics with wool or bamboo.this is a super lightweight jersey, i.e. all polyester. have similar issues with a pro team jersey. you still may be correct; but for me it seems the sweat is what triggers it, and I sweat less in the wool blend stuff because I only wear that when it's cooler.

[MapleWelder]

Thanks for all the replies and experience -- I knew this forum would turn up some aromatic wisdom!

[berserk87]

About once a year I have to soak some funky jerseys (bibs not as much) due to odor. I throw them in a large bucket with Oxyclean and let them soak for a day or so, and stir them around a few times. Then I launder them and they seem like new afterward.

I have not noticed any harm to either jersey or bibs. I should note that by the time an item builds up enough smell to warrant a soaking in Oxy, it has some wear anyway. It seems to me that soaking in Oxy has no downside, besides taking the extra time to do it.

[Joxster]

I think you guys worry about too much stuff :eek: :eek: :eek:

Ride bike, if it's dry kit gets thrown in washing basket till I get round to washing it, that could be a week or two if I can be assosed to. If it's wet it gets thrown in the machine and anything else lying around. Never had an issue with dirty kit and back in the day we never had oxi clean, and I've had to was kit in shower gel, wring out and fold in a towel to dry under the hotel mattress to be ready for the following days stage. Crispy chamois and a 220km stage makes a man of you :D :D

[SlackMan]

this is a super lightweight jersey, i.e. all polyester. have similar issues with a pro team jersey. you still may be correct; but for me it seems the sweat is what triggers it, and I sweat less in the wool blend stuff because I only wear that when it's cooler.

Just a quick aside from the OP's main question. The quoted post immediately above and some others above mention stains, even one post about stains on dress shirts. Many years ago I switched from using an antiperspirant/deodorant to a deodorant (Old Spice--many 'flavors' to choose from). Since switching I have never once had an underarm stain in a shirt again. Apparently, the aluminum in antiperspirants are the problem, and deodorants (always?) don't have aluminum. And importantly, the switch really didn't seem to affect how I smelled or really how much I sweated during normal activities.

[chiasticon]

Just a quick aside from the OP's main question. The quoted post immediately above and some others above mention stains, even one post about stains on dress shirts. Many years ago I switched from using an antiperspirant/deodorant to a deodorant (Old Spice--many 'flavors' to choose from). Since switching I have never once had an underarm stain in a shirt again. Apparently, the aluminum in antiperspirants are the problem, and deodorants (always?) don't have aluminum. And importantly, the switch really didn't seem to affect how I smelled or really how much I sweated during normal activities.same deal here. I've only used Old Spice deodorant for years (well before I started cycling in fact), simply because my body can't deal with antiperspirants. basically, the aluminum is designed to block your pores so you don't sweat. but it just gives me a rash, so it's simply not an option.

so, in my case at least, the stains are not coming from antiperspirants.