Washing cycling clothes

mcowan77

How do you get that sweaty smell out of cycle jerseys etc.

They get washed after every ride but still stink of sweat

Any tips

Cheers

Bozman

30 deg, 800 spin and non bio with no fabric conditioner. Can't comment on the smell of sweat, I put the clothes in the wash when I get in and that's it, no smell.

southdownswolf

I quite often get into the shower with my kit on. I take the kit off, wash it in the shower, ring it out then hang it up to dry. Every 3 or 4 wears, I wash it as per the rest of my clothes.
If you wash the sweat off straight away, it should not smell.
The only way to actually get rid of the bacteria is to wash at 60deg. Washing at 30 or 40deg you need a disinfectant.

buckles

Use Halo Sports Wash. Available from Sainsbury's amongst other places.

Velonutter

Buckles wrote:

Use Halo Sports Wash. Available from Sainsbury's amongst other places.

^ Yep been using it a couple of years now 8)

Anonymous

As I have limited kit, If I am planning on riding few days in a row, I wear the jersey and shorts in the shower and let it dry over night, and try once every two weeks t wash properly in the machine, 30 and low spin, don't let it sit damp take out straight away.

mrushton

Merino wool doesn't smell. Man-made fibres do so straight in the wash and a 30 or poss. 40 deg cycle. I use soap flakes as they are the kindest on lycra etc

markhewitt1978

They go in the same 60deg wash as all my other clothes.

slowbike

Interim "wash" is a rinse & spin cycle in the machine - might put a little bit of softener in, but not usually.
"Full" wash is a 30 degree with non-bio washing powder & a little bit of softener.

btw - spin at 1400 and the kit comes out virtually dry ...

My kit smells nice!

team47b

Common body odor is caused by the normal presence of bacteria on our skin metabolizing the sugars and proteins in our sweat.

Change what you eat?

Red meat can contribute to body odor. A study published in the journal Chemical Senses found that subjects on a vegetarian diet were perceived to have a more pleasant, more attractive and less intense body odor than subjects who ate meat.

Unless of course you are a smelly vegetarian

chris_bass

team47b wrote:

Common body odor is caused by the normal presence of bacteria on our skin metabolizing the sugars and proteins in our sweat.

Change what you eat?

Red meat can contribute to body odor. A study published in the journal Chemical Senses found that subjects on a vegetarian diet were perceived to have a more pleasant, more attractive and less intense body odor than subjects who ate meat.

Unless of course you are a smelly vegetarian

well i'm vegetarian and i just wash my kit in with the rest of my stuff and never had any issues, comes out smelling like which ever washing powder is on offer when i needed to buy some!

IanLD

Sainsburys non-bio tablets, Ecover non-bio gel, Nikwax Tech wash

Depends on which of those I pick up first. All work and I make sure no fabric softener is used.

Nikwax claim that their basewash "inhibits the build up of body odours" but I haven't tried it.

In my case, I find that no problem whilst wearing my gear, but a sniff of the armpits of a jersey after wearing it does have a slight pong. Wouldn't be able to wear it again without washing unlike merino wool base layers.

thegreatdivide

I'm not a stinky sweater so...

Bibs - every 3rd ride
Jerseys - pretty much the same although sportwool ones a lot less
Pure merino base layers - about once a month
Jackets - handwash only and not very often

All at 30C using non-bio Tesco concentrated liquid

MichaelW

Soap or detergent, you need to match to the fabric.
Merino should be washed in detergent, not soap, unless it is Drypack liquid soap. Showerproofs and waterproofs need soap, not detergent.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant" is not just for anonymous hackers. In the summer, hang your stuff in the sunshine and it will kill the bugs that cause smell.

al_kidder

You have got to be trolling. Keep your body washed and the clothes will be clean too

jonomc4

I just collect my stuff in a separate bag and wash it all at the end of the week - 30 degrees quick wash - 1000 spin - and I use Halo of Nikwax - no damage no smell

marcusjb

Al Kidder wrote:

You have got to be trolling. Keep your body washed and the clothes will be clean too

Why's he trolling? Some of us are plenty hygienic enough but push ourselves harder and longer on bikes than clearly you do.

The smell of some of my kit after a long ride can be really rather grim.

In terms of washing the kit - non-bio, gentlish wash at 40 degrees works for everything from merino base layers to softshells etc.

Gloves I often give them a good old soak in milton before I wash them.

Old_Timer

I do a separate wash of just my kit each week, I ride 6-7 days a week so doing a wash is important. I allow things to dry completely before putting them off to one side. Wash is just the liquid the wife picks up on sale, gentle cycle, no softener or bleach and dry is the gentle setting with no dryer sheets used. No odor problems to date, summer time nothing gets worn twice it gets washed as needed. Gloves included each week in the washing. Vegetarian by necessity I have kidney disease.

Plan to get some merino wool things, I liked them in the 70's for jerseys and shorts.

mcowan77

Cheers folks

I'm going to try halo sports wash

I'll let you know how I get on

team47b

Chris Bass wrote:

team47b wrote:

on a vegetarian diet were perceived to have a more pleasant, more attractive and less intense body odor than subjects who ate meat.

well i'm vegetarian and i just wash my kit in with the rest of my stuff and never had any issues, comes out smelling like which ever washing powder is on offer when i needed to buy some!

my point exactly

goonz

I suually rinse out the pits area on my jerseys after every ride, keeps them fresh(ish) then chuck in wash after a few days. Usually use 2-3 jerseys a week for commuting.

Wash my cycling gear all @ 40 in delicate and low spin with no conditioner. Seems to do the trick. Any strong smells or stains I pre treat with vanish.

al_kidder

marcusjb wrote:

Al Kidder wrote:

You have got to be trolling. Keep your body washed and the clothes will be clean too

Why's he trolling? Some of us are plenty hygienic enough but push ourselves harder and longer on bikes than clearly you do.

The smell of some of my kit after a long ride can be really rather grim.

In terms of washing the kit - non-bio, gentlish wash at 40 degrees works for everything from merino base layers to softshells etc.

Gloves I often give them a good old soak in milton before I wash them.

How to have a shower..... After my usual 2 hour ride up and over a 500m high hill and back approx 56 km. On the hill, average grade 7%, but bottom 3km at 10-11% average. Usual temperature 25-30 C. Turn on cold water....step under shower....aaahhhh .... blessed relief. When cooled off enough, turn off shower. Grab soap. Rub whole body with soap, adding extra rubbing to areas coated in sunscreen. Return soap to soap dish. Grab washer. Vigorously lather soap previously applied to body, using washer. Be sure that lathered soap is scrubbed over all sections of body, particularly armpits. Job is adequately done when appearance in mirror is as of snowman. Turn shower water on again and thoroughly rinse lather away.
Advantage of this technique is that soap is actually used efficiently, rather than being continuously rinsed away and less water is wasted. There is zero need for deodourants for next 24hrs, unless serious overnight hot action occurs

goonz

Everyone sweats differently. I find keeping underarm hairs trimmed and short helps with smells and keeping the area clean too.

marcusjb

Al Kidder wrote:

After my usual 2 hour ride up and over a 500m high hill and back approx 56 km. On the hill, average grade 7%, but bottom 3km at 10-11% average.occurs

As I said, some of us ride longer and harder than you. We might not smell so fresh as someone who's been out for a little 2 hour pootle.

nevman

VTech put me onto this product
http://www.rapha.cc/apparel-wash
Works marvelously with their soap and I no longer smell.Unfortunately,sine the house was re-possessed I now live outdoors anyway so its not much of a problem.

Pross

marcusjb wrote:

Al Kidder wrote:

After my usual 2 hour ride up and over a 500m high hill and back approx 56 km. On the hill, average grade 7%, but bottom 3km at 10-11% average.occurs

As I said, some of us ride longer and harder than you. We might not smell so fresh as someone who's been out for a little 2 hour pootle.

Pross

I'm surprised by the amount of people who re-use kit without washing it. I do it out of necessity for the return journey of the commute but still feel grubby. I haven't got a huge amount of kit but there tends to be a load going in the washing machine most days so I chuck it in with that, it dries overnight and is ready to wear again (clean) the next day. 40 degree wash with whatever detergent the wife has bought and smells fresh again.

marcusjb

Pross wrote:

I'm surprised by the amount of people who re-use kit without washing it. I do it out of necessity for the return journey of the commute but still feel grubby. I haven't got a huge amount of kit but there tends to be a load going in the washing machine most days so I chuck it in with that, it dries overnight and is ready to wear again (clean) the next day. 40 degree wash with whatever detergent the wife has bought and smells fresh again.

Shorts - no way - even commuting (70km roundtrip) I wouldn't wear them 2 days on the trot. Let alone at the weekends. Too much risk of getting infections where you really don't want infections. Out of the necessity for travelling light and fast, I have worn a single pair for 35 hours straight - I wouldn't want to do that too often.

Jerseys and baselayers - I am less worried about those and to keep light and fast I have worn a base layers and jerseys for a couple of days in the saddle. Whilst you can end up a little pungent, it really doesn't matter on longer events, because everyone else is as well. LEL, I think my string vest Castelli base layer was on for about 900km (I did shower a couple of times in that distance though) - but clean shorts every day.

goonz

marcusjb wrote:

Shorts - no way - even commuting (70km roundtrip) I wouldn't wear them 2 days on the trot. Let alone at the weekends. Too much risk of getting infections where you really don't want infections.

Errr not if you keep yourself clean you wont.

chrisaonabike

Thought this was Mumsnet for a while there.

marcusjb

goonz wrote:

marcusjb wrote:

Shorts - no way - even commuting (70km roundtrip) I wouldn't wear them 2 days on the trot. Let alone at the weekends. Too much risk of getting infections where you really don't want infections.

Errr not if you keep yourself clean you wont.

Like most longer distance riders, I am very aware of cleanliness - most riders will carry wetwipes and so on to keep things clean on longer rides.

I'm lucky to not really suffer from saddlesores - but certainly those that do can not risk infections. Even without saddlesores, the summer mileage can mean things are a little raw and tender and even keeping yourself scrupulously clean still has the risk of causing issues if you wear shorts multiple days.

I rarely have to wear the same pair for more than 24 hours in one go - and don't enjoy it much when I have to.

But every time I go out on the bike - even just for the commute, clean shorts. I wouldn't have it any other way if I have the choice.