View Full Version : Stinky plastic clothes??
grrickar
08-04-2004, 20:55
What will get rid of the smell? I bought several Duofold shirts from Campmor and I think they are great for working out and all, but even after one workout the shirt started smelling really ripe. Even after washing in hot water with detergent, then baking it in the dryer I still swear I can smell this shirt. It smells like B.O, even after a washing.
Is there any detergent that will help, or is there some trick to ridding the garment of odor? I bought them cause they are cheap, and I'm not going to toss them, but if I wear them section hiking as I originally planned, my new trailname may be 'Pepe' - as in LePew.
Try a half cup of vinegar in the thingy that's for dispensing the fabric softener during the rinse cycle. It might lighten dark fabrics somewhat. You might try a capful or two (not cup, cap!) of Pine-Sol in the wash cycle, it makes your clothes smell a little institutional, but it kills smells real good.
If you have a stinky body chemistry, you may just have to live with it.
I use the Duofold shirts and have not had any unusual odor problems. They wash up just fine in Tide and smell great when clean. Obviously when hiking I don't pay the odor much attention. They smell just as bad as anything else I've worn.
ridgewalker777
08-04-2004, 22:12
I only wear natural fabrics--may sound snobbish, but I'll go with tradition. Cotton is not great, but mixed with linen or hemp, it's fine. Wool is great, it comes in handy more often than you'd think like later this week in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire after the cold front comes through. Silk is the best natural fabric for weight to warmth ratios. I buy most of the non-cotton fabrics at second hand shops for a few bucks to ten bucks. I don't know if I smell better, but I feel better. I read a book years ago that tested various products on energy levels, and it found that polyester clothing and a lot of other artificial products sap our strength. Honey bees will often die if exposed to fabric softener, perfume, etc.
Youngblood
08-05-2004, 08:01
What will get rid of the smell? I bought several Duofold shirts from Campmor and I think they are great for working out and all, but even after one workout the shirt started smelling really ripe. Even after washing in hot water with detergent, then baking it in the dryer I still swear I can smell this shirt. It smells like B.O, even after a washing.
Is there any detergent that will help, or is there some trick to ridding the garment of odor? I bought them cause they are cheap, and I'm not going to toss them, but if I wear them section hiking as I originally planned, my new trailname may be 'Pepe' - as in LePew.
Are you sure it is the shirt?
I used the same Duofold t-shirt on my thru-hike and began to notice that the smell was not getting washed out when I would raise my arms and put the freshly laundried shirt on after I had showered. After a few more town visits/laundry runs/showers I noticed that the smell was not the shirt but my underarms. I carried alcohol for my stove and used some of it to try to kill the bacteria that was growing on the hairs of my armpit(?). That helped some, but what worked best was applying an anti-perspirant deordorant after showering. I ended up carring a travel size container of the anti-perspirant.
Youngblood
Alligator
08-05-2004, 08:31
I use a product called Odoban to get out tough odors. It has a variety of uses, it will even take the smell of cat piss out of a rug. Bought a gallon at Sam's Club.
Honey bees will often die if exposed to fabric softener, perfume, etc.[/QUOTE]
That may be because honey bees cant swim very well.