Perma-smell in baselayers etc?

[wasfast]

Permastink seems to have taken over my baselayers. I have 5 different baselayers (Craft Windstopper, Under Armour, Champion etc) and all seem to get rather rank after 5-6 months. I machine wash after every ride.

I do sweat quite a bit but have very little body odor (confirmed by the wife) yet if I go on a lunchtime ride, you can smell the stink from 4 feet away!

What to do besides just keep buying more?

[mschol17]

Wear wool.

[jimcav]

Permastink seems to have taken over my baselayers. I have 5 different baselayers (Craft Windstopper, Under Armour, Champion etc) and all seem to get rather rank after 5-6 months. I machine wash after every ride.

I do sweat quite a bit but have very little body odor (confirmed by the wife) yet if I go on a lunchtime ride, you can smell the stink from 4 feet away!

What to do besides just keep buying more?

that used to work for me with old running gear--and line dry in the sun

[PacNW2Ford]

Are you using a detergent designed for synthetics? I know, custom detergent! But stuff like Penguin Sportwash does make a difference. Seems that the fibers that wick so well are hard to clean with standard detergents. Or try Smartwool.

[eddief]

we did that once, right? Why can't we make synthetics that don't absorb BO? I sorta stink once in a while, but synthetics seem to find stuff in my body that smells worse than anything I've ever produced before. I think the sum of the parts is greater than whole.

[Blue Jays]

The curse of plastic wunderfibers is they stink. One could step out of a 20-minute shower, put on the UnderArmour/Craft/Champion and it will smell gross inside of ten minutes. There was even a story in The Wall Street Journal about how large gatherings of athletes (Boston Marathon, NYC Marathon, etc.) have become true stinkfests. All the finest garment manufacturers are seeking to make a more funkproofed baselayer.

The only known solution at this time is to wear wool. It works splendidly. It doesn't become stinky.

[Dekonick]

sell on stinkbay and buy new :D

[WadePatton]

Maybe a touch of bleach on occasion and as much sun-drying as possible. And of course, has anybody said this?, wool. :cool:

[Viper]

The Irish figured out this problem a long time ago.

[Jack Brunk]

2 tablespoons of baking soda works perfectly. No more permastink.

[Louis]

I use Borax (http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/index.cfm?page_id=56) laundry booster. Seems to work quite well. Plus I like using "old fashioned" products like that.

[Steve in SLO]

The Irish figured out this problem a long time ago.
Was it the alcohol or potatoes? :beer:

[thinpin]

Soft cool merino wool such as that made by Icebreaker is hard to beat in the "ming" department
www.icebreaker.com

[thinpin]

Was it the alcohol or potatoes? :beer:
One cooked in the other :beer:

[wasfast]

2 tablespoons of baking soda works perfectly. No more permastink.

For machine washing or hand washing?

Thanks for all the responses. I'm not imagining a wool baselayer for summertime but winter, perhaps. I commute 5 days a week all year long plus train 4 days a week so washing is a very frequent event.

[wasfast]

Are you using a detergent designed for synthetics? I know, custom detergent! But stuff like Penguin Sportwash does make a difference. Seems that the fibers that wick so well are hard to clean with standard detergents. Or try Smartwool.

No, I'm just using regular liquid laundry soap. The newer liquid soaps seem hyper concentrated and leave a noticeable fragrance which tells me the fibers are coated by the soap. I'm betting this isn't helping things at all.

[pure-james]

the simple solution - merino base layers, try rapha or endura

its just synthetics that stink

[Birddog]

I noticed a "detergent" smell that resided in my synthetics even using the low portion, HE products in our front loader. I got rid of some of it by programming in a 2nd rinse. The BO smell still builds over time however. I don't really notice it, but my wife raises a stink over the stink.

[tuscanyswe]

I agree wool is the best, but even wool will stink after awhile.
Wool is also great for keeping warm, synthetics dont come close in my opinion.

[Jack Brunk]

For machine washing or hand washing?

Thanks for all the responses. I'm not imagining a wool baselayer for summertime but winter, perhaps. I commute 5 days a week all year long plus train 4 days a week so washing is a very frequent event.
Machine washing. Mo more smelly clothes.

[malcolm]

Try soaking in oxy clean, that stuff the crazy guy used to advertise on television. It is available in lots of stores and works quite well. It also doesn't fade or destroy the fabric like bleach.

[deechee]

work, but I found I needed to use much more detergent than recommended. And I go through a lot of synthetic clothes in a week. Two more suggestions:

1) if possible, take a shower with your baselayer
2) don't let it soak with your stink. as soon as you're done with your ride, take it off and dry it in the sun, hang it in the shower etc. I find drying it asap helps.

Definitely will try the baking soda though.

[thinpin]

Cant vouch for the other merino wool products mentioned but the icebreaker wool is seriously fine and totally suited to summer riding if you use a base layer and really comfy. It feels nothing like wool. Wore a top for 10 days straight on a summer bushwalk and it didnt whiff at all!

[scirocco]

Has anyone mentioned wool yet? :D

Seriously, it's the best until it's so hot you don't need a base layer.

[Matt Barkley]

That ASSOS cleaner seems to get the stick out. :beer:

[bironi]

I did night winter rides a few years back. There was one guy wearing synthetics that could cast a funky slipstream for 15 feet. I wear wool, and avoid any synthetic base layers, but it's good to know the baking soda trick.

There is one other odor that is nearly as bad. There is one rider on our group rides who must dry his kits using those deodorized dryer strips. He can casts a cancerous slipstream that may be worse than the body funk.