Fitness

6 Products That Will Help Get the Stink Out of Your Workout Clothes, According to Experts

Anyone else's activewear come out of the washer still stinky?
How to Get Sweat Smell Out of Clothes 2020
Michael Moeller/Adobe Stock

You don’t know disappointment until you wash your workout clothes, only for them to come out of the washer still reeking of sweat. I’ve written about this problem before, because it’s oh-so prevalent and super common among Sweaty People like myself. Even as the temps cool down, sweaty workout clothes never really take a vacation. So I had to ask experts exactly how to get the sweat smell out of workout clothes.?

Obviously, the root of stinky workout clothes is sweat. So, the first step, according to Dr. Marisa Garshick, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City, is to reduce how much you’re sweating. “For many people, the best way to reduce sweating with exercise is to consistently use an antiperspirant,” she says. It’s also best to wear light, moisture-wicking fabrics when exercising. So before you purchase your next cute workout set, check the label. “In general, bamboo, nylon, spandex and polypropylene are good options as they are breathable and moisture-wicking,” says Dr. Garshick.

When it comes time to do your laundry, you need to treat your activewear a little differently than the rest of your clothes. “Workout gear has a very tightly-knit weave, so it’s attracting even more bacteria and exacerbating odors,” says Todd Ofsink, owner of Todd Layne Cleaners in New York City. The first step is usually pretreating gear by soaking it in vinegar or other DIY solutions (more on that below).?

As for actually washing your clothes, Patric Richardson, founder of The Laundry Evangelist, advises using warm water with a cold rinse (or just a cold wash if you have a no-frills machine) and keeping the cycle short. Experts say to hang dry your workout clothes, and never, ever use fabric softener on them. “Fabric softeners are formulated to coat fibers and will destroy any sweat-absorbing or breathable properties your sportswear has,” says Corinna Williams, co-founder of Celsious laundromat in Brooklyn, New York. And make sure you're not using more detergent than recommended by the label on your detergent bottle. “It’s really better, especially with [workout gear], to use less detergent,” Richardson says. The cleaner it rinses, the better luck you’re going to have, since any residue left on the clothes will hold in odor and bacteria.

To help you stave off the dreaded sweat stink, below are six expert-recommended products to keep you—and your workout gear—fresh for days, plus sage advice on how to get the sweat smell out of clothes—hopefully for good.

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • Amazon
    1

    Sodium Percarbonate

    Richardson swears by this cost effective solution to kick the sweat smell from your workout gear during the wash. Sodium percarbonate, A.K.A. dry hydrogen peroxide, breaks down the oil in clothes without damaging the fabric. Once you load your washer, “just throw one tablespoon of sodium percarbonate in on top of your clothes,” he says.

    $15 at Amazon
  • Amazon
    2

    Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda

    Baking soda is another simple laundry additive that experts recommend. “Adding baking soda directly to the wash, along with soap or detergent, will really boost the cleaning power and help with grime,” Richardson says.?

    $8 at Amazon
  • 3

    Lucy's Distilled White Vinegar

    Vinegar works as both a pretreatment and a laundry additive. “If the sweat smell has been really persistent, soak your items overnight in a 1:1 mixture of water and white vinegar and machine wash the next day,” says Williams. She also advises adding some white vinegar to the fabric softener compartment in your washer.

    $11 at Amazon
  • Amazon
    4

    Lysol Laundry Sanitizer Additive (Pack of 4)

    “The first issue that you have to think about is that we’re trying to remove bacteria, because it’s the bacteria from the sweat that’s building up in the product,” says Ofsink. “One of the first things we use when treating people’s clothes is Lysol Laundry Sanitizer Additive, which [says it] removes 99.9 percent of bacteria.”

    $70 at Amazon
  • Celsious
    5

    Tangent GC Sportswear Detergent

    “Use a sportswear detergent with anti-odor properties,” says Williams. “We love Tangent GC’s Sportswear Wash with lemon, which is a natural anti-odor agent. It’s all about tackling the source of the smell—not masking it.”

    $26 at Celsious
  • Amazon
    6

    Austin's Clear Ammonia

    Experts say you can use ammonia both as a pre-wash treatment if your washer has pre-wash cycle, or add it during the wash cycle. “As far as using ammonia, it’s always best to start with less to try and remove odors," Ofsink says. Ofsink recommends adding a quarter cup of ammonia in with your laundry when it's washing. Just remember—don't use ammonia and bleach at the same time.

    $9 at Amazon
Sarah joined the SELF team in November 2019 as the editorial assistant. When she's not working, she's a part-time cycling instructor and full-time Plant Person. She's passionate about environmental justice, sustainability, nutrition, the internet, and fiction. Sarah lives in Brooklyn with her two roommates and 27 plants (and counting).

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

TopicsShoppinglaundryactivewearAthleisuresweat