Wicking shirts make my pits stinky

[Just Jeff]

Taking laundry tips from guys. That is a first for me! Thanks!

Haha - imagine what my MOM said when she took sewing tips from her SON! Surreal...

[Skidsteer]

Somewhere along the way I got the idea in my head that the primary reason to wash polyester in cold water and air dry is to retain the wicking properties of the fabric.

[saimyoji]

Slight drift: your body odor is caused by bacteria feeding off your sweat, which will contain various substances depending on your diet. Try stopping the odor problem at the source, rather than reacting to it. I won't preach what you should be eating, but I know from experience that you can reduce body odors by controlling your diet.

There are certain places in the world where dietary habits are common and subsequently certain body odors are common. Perhaps this applies to long distance hikers?

[Frosty]

Attroll's on the right track, definately stinkier in cotton, it also can stain and leave dark splotches if it's a light colored shirt, even after washing.

100% Polypropolene can get nasty though, especially if worn for a week before washing. GooGone spray, which no one will carry I assume because of the weight, should take it out, but your shirt in the pit area may smell like oranges for a day or so

Smelling like oranges would be a definate improvement!

[Smile]

Therein lies my problem. I've been soaking them in hot water and Tide.

Tidefunk is a particularly offensive olfactory experience not only for yourself, but those downwind

I used to work with a guy who just always had a sort of bad sweet smell, but was always well groomed, turned out to be a Tide thing mixed with a house smell thing, somebody finally got the nerve to ask him to try a different detergent, bingo!

[SGT Rock]

Therein lies my problem. I've been soaking them in hot water and Tide. Sometimes twice if the funk is particularly bad. Taking laundry tips from guys. That is a first for me! Thanks!

Hey, we also have a tip to get FOUR TIMES the usage out of a pair of underwear. Let us know if you are interested.

[fiddlehead]

Check out a product called: X-static. They use a technic where silver is woven into the fabric. Seems silver kills bacteria and the long underwear made from the stuff doesn't retain body odor. Originally developed for astronauts because they were going to be in the clothes for a long time and couldn't wash them. The stuff really works.
Rainman tested it out for us in VT while working road construction for a week and claimed it didn't smell.

[Smile]

Hi fiddlehead, do you know where you can purchase this x-static? Maybe a good experiment

Sgt. Rock: Hey, we also have a tip to get FOUR TIMES the usage out of a pair of underwear. Let us know if you are interested.

.

Uh oh, does this involve turning them inside out at any point?! I'm not sure my delicate ears are ready for such underwear-life-extending information! Especially if we know that somebody actually DOES this, we may not look at them the same ever again if we run into them......

[SGT Rock]

Uh oh, does this involve turning them inside out at any point?!

Apparently you are already aware of the other male laundry saving techniques.

[vaporjourney]

has anybody seen the new Starter wicking shirts that walmart is selling. well, i hadnt noticed them last time i looked. they arent the typical synthetic feeling cheapo stuff you can find everywhere, but it feels like cotton. I'm not sure what smartwool feels like, but perhaps this is similar? The material was really dry and soft, didnt feel like the typical cold and meshy feel of polypro...

[Just Jeff]

I have one of those but I haven't hiked in it...I just wear it for exercise and stuff. It's more comfortable and less staticky than the regular synthetics.

[Spock]

Fiddlehead,
Nothing INHO is going to beat smartwool for long wearing with minimum stink. I have not had satisfactory results with silver treated clothing.

Once something is really stinky, OxyClean works pretty well. But if it's a hazard to health and safety, Mirazyme by Mc Nett gets the funk out of anything.

[weary]

I think you have this statement wrong. It is the cotton shirts that hold the oder. Synthetic shirts you can wash the order out of. The less cotton in the the better for not retaining oder.

That's not my understanding, but I only own one polyester tee shirt, that I rarely wear, so I'm no authority.

I stopped buying blended poly = cotton tee shirts years ago, partly because they seemed to retain odors, but mostly because I didn't like the feel.

I have never detected an odor problem with pure cotton. Sure they get smelly after hours of sweating, but the odor totally disappears with washing with Tide. I detect no difference between a brand new cotton tee shirt and one I've worn for months or years, as far as accumulated odors, or the development of new odors, are concerned.

WEary

[DGrav]

Ibex makes two very good wool hiking shirts, the Q-T and the Echo-T. After wearing my Echo-T for the first time I ordered another as soon as I got home.

Yes they are a bit pricey but well worth it:

Do not hold odor (not even smoke!)
Very durable
Fast Drying
When wet it stays the same temp as your body (no clamy feel)

[fiddlehead]

Fiddlehead,
Nothing INHO is going to beat smartwool for long wearing with minimum stink. I have not had satisfactory results with silver treated clothing.

Once something is really stinky, OxyClean works pretty well. But if it's a hazard to health and safety, Mirazyme by Mc Nett gets the funk out of anything.

Like i said, we have only had some friends test the X-static and they said it didn't smell after wearing for up to 5 days. We do sell a lot to hunters because they don't want their smell getting out. They say it works also.
I imagine your Smart-wool works how you say. I'm simply pointing out there's options for synthetics and they work. This stuff was originally made for the astronauts. Don't you think they thought of wool also?

[LostInSpace]

I am of the understanding that polyester does not hold the stink as much as polypropylene.

Malden Mills makes Polartec® Powerdry® with X-Static®. This is polyester with silver and is intended to be less stink-prone. InSport has a contract to make short sleeve and long sleeve T-shirts out of this stuff for the Marines. It's a little pricey. You can buy the product directly , but your only choice of color from InSPort is coyote brown. If you search the web, you should also be able to find T-shirts of this stuff in black and camo, as I recall.


I don't know if it is the same thing, but try Sierra Trading Post ... $10.95 in a camo closeout!

[boarstone]

Try a product called Odor-ban. It can be found at Sam's club, comes in a gallon jug. Go by the directions, need to use very little of this stuff mixed in water to take out clothes odor. As always, do test sample on item before washing/rinsing the whole item. I was intriduced to it by my neighbor who used it for cats spraying...I used it on an elderly dog who had lost his water holding ability. I have "100 yr old" hardwood floors and it worked on that just fine. Ever since I have used it on/for countless things. Skunk/cat spray,garbage cans, rugs, mattress, clothes, boots/shoes, socks, furniture, car upholstery cleaner/refresher..... ...the list is endless...I'm sure you'll find other uses as well, works great for kennels and barns too.