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Clean Smelling Kit Help

fredstaple

Speeding Up
Nov 1, 2009
198
1
Any good tips for keeping your kit smalling nice. I know modern fabrics retain smells more than traditional wool.

I have heard that a little white vinagar mixed in with the laundry works. Anyone know how much to use? Line drying in the sun seems to work somewhat. Any other good tips out there?
 
Baking soda - worked for your great great grand parents, still works today!

You can add white vinegar for those lingering smells, but you'll find baking soda does the trick. Cost Co sells MASSIVE bags of the stuff!
 
Buying kits that are HEIQ treated helps alot. For fabrics that are not treated I use the white vinegar - about a cup full to each wash. I also use Tea Tree Dr. Bronners or the Peppermint Castille to wash them (and me) in. Find it works well - and even a small residue of Dr. Bronner's is a good thing compared to the residues of other soaps or detergents.
 
Wash your kit as soon as you get in the house after a ride.

Then wash it again.

And eat clean foods, and lay off the toxic stuff.
 
Washing kit twice will not get rid of ingrained stains or odors in fact modern detergents can trap them in, especially on technical fabrics. This is why many of us are recommending vinegar and baking soda – one of the disgusting truths of sports is that when you sweat you are also excreting broken down fat molecules – yep, that nasty yellow stain on your pillow, bed sheets, and shirt collar is from your sweat.

So you need something that is going to basically dissolve it from the fabric and without damaging the fibers or colouring – plain white malt vinegar and baking soda will do this for you – Both baking soda and vinegar breaks down the actual dirt/sweat/minerals that are trapped in the fabric - Baking soda is the prefered choice as its slightly less caustic than the vinegar.

Washing in hot water or near boil washes are not recommended as it can more often than not permanently trap the stain and the smell in to the fabric.

One useful trick is to soak extremely stinky kit in a cold baking soda solution for a few hours prior to washing – do not throw the solution away, just add it with the washing.

For stains:
•Scrub in a paste of baking soda and water.
•Let it sit for 1 hour.
•wash as usual.

Stubborn sweat stains:
•Mix a paste of 4 tablespoons baking soda and 1/4 cup water.
•Rub it in.
•Add a little vinegar to the collar.
•Wash the clothes.

You can also add 1/2 a cup to the rinse cycle to boost deodorization (is that a word?)
 
Yeah - one of the issues I had / have with alot of detergents is that they cause irritation. Didn't think about the part of them actually 'welding' ,as it were , the stink into the fabric - but hey - it's possible. The big issue is like you say - technical fabrics - they have superfine structures that make great bacteria labs, but poor entry for water - so the bacteria can multiply easily and without any rendition. The trick with vinegar is that it acts as a surfacant and allows the water to penetrate the structure - along with having a mild bacteriacide. Adding in the baking soda - and you have a near perfect washing solution (everyone knows what happens when you add baking soda and vinegar, right?) . By the way - this mixture also works great on your bike, body and anything else needing a bit of de-mucking.
 
Washing kit twice will not get rid of ingrained stains or odors in fact modern detergents can trap them in, especially on technical fabrics. This is why many of us are recommending vinegar and baking soda

Erm, I didn't mention anything about modern detergents... I also use baking soda to wash my sports stuff.


one of the disgusting truths of sports is that when you sweat you are also excreting broken down fat molecules

I was under the impression that sweat carries urea... unless we are talking about the same thing?
 
Owen I was clarifying for members that might not be aware that you do not use washing detergent, so need need to take it as an insult to your manly internet prowess. :D


As for urea yes it is excreated in sweat but also lactate and other chemicals that are the by product of burning fat. Urea is actually odourless but when it is mixed with the other nasties we sweat out including sugar and our natural bacteria that protects the skin things can start to hum..... urea is one of the catalysts for that nice chain reaction.
 
I remember something from my 'kinesiologist-as-a-roommate' days. You have 2 kinds of sweat glands. The ones under your arms and junk are most responsible for odor - being the most bacteria laden. The other ones are responsible more for cooling and have less bacteria. FE is correct - the ones for cooling also excrete fat molecules, the ones under your arms don't. Their purpose is primarily to lubricate the fast moving joint(s) - presumably for running ?? That sweat is different than, say, the sweat coming off your forearms, back or other parts.
 
Your head and neck are one of the worst culprits.

Remember the body uses about 75% of its energy in core temperature regulation (that's even without exercise) one of the key foundations to maintaining this is sweat and the cooling of the body through evaporation.

One way to help the body is ideally having a water mass of about 65%. You'll know if you are in the right area when you wake up in the morning and your first passing is either clear or almost clear.

You'll find that now when you sweat you will not be losing large volumes of sodium (thus requiring the body to process more muscle/fat stores) to create energy now used for temperature regulations and thus excreting more lactate, urea, sodium and sugars through your pores.

Owen hit another key point in the other thread which is to eat "Clean" foods". To build on that, you want to avoid starchy foods like Ramen or noodles. You also might want to eat foods that clean the blood such as garlic (although yes you will stink, but funnily enough if you are well hydrated you won't).

Red meats are another to avoid along with processed sugar, wheat, flour and rice.
 
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