I've always wondered, and then was asked today, why do shirts/rash guards smell? Like even after you wash them, they still stink and you can't get the smell out? I heard bleach helps. But is it bacteria? If so, shouldn't the bleach and detergent just kill it? Or does the fabric break down? Anybody know?
because you touch yourself at night
microbiologynerd - because you touch yourself at night
I agree with this
Heartbroken Lee - I think it's the polyester. Rashguards and stuff like that are usually made from it.
Cotton garments don't do that.
I have several cotton Tshirts that have the same rashguard funk.
bacteria
arm pit farts....
go to the pool section of your local supermarket (walmart) and buy a large bag of baking soda (like 8 bucks). put a cup in with your load of clothes and run the soak cycle then wash as usual. you'll be smelling human again before you know it.
I heard it helps if you shower once in a while in addition to washing your clothes.
When doing a load of laundry, add a cup of vinegar. Wash. Then rewash with laundry detergent.
Smell will be gone.
Damn, have some respect, some real $hitty response to this one... More and more like Sherdog on here everyday.
everyone thinks they're a comedian
Pinesol
I once had a gi I was considering throwing out because of the funk. In desperation I washed it in hot instead of cold, and no more smell. It did shrink a bit though.
roxanne, r u saying that you exude BO when rolling?
bacteria from your skin clings onto the shirt and use your skin oils and skin protein (debris) for food. the digestion of proteins, fats and sugars leads to formation of organic chemical, some with nitrogen and sulfur containing chemicals that smell bad. at least that's what i've heard.
I'm not kidding about the vinegar. It works.
It works on my hockey gear...which is way worse funkwise than BJJ gear.
yup, white vinegar
Rox19 - I've always wondered, and then was asked today, why do shirts/rash guards smell? Like even after you wash them, they still stink and you can't get the smell out? I heard bleach helps. But is it bacteria? If so, shouldn't the bleach and detergent just kill it? Or does the fabric break down? Anybody know?
Most odor causing bacteria from BO thrive in an oxygen deprived environment. Wearing blended or synthetic fibers keeps the amount of oxygen against the skin very low, creating a more bacteria friendly environment. Moisture wicking material is usually a syhthetic blend, which works well for getting the moisture away from your body, but the bacteria that remains under the clothing is now in an amusement park for germs.
Some companies combat this process by using nanoparticles from silver (silver is a primary component of most deoderants and stops bacterial chemical bonding). The crappy part with this is that the more you wash your silver protected gear the more the nanoparticles are released into the air. Two things about that, 1 when they are released the clothing loses it's ability to fight bacterial odor, and 2, studies are showing that the released silver particles may cause the same biological reaction as asbestos. As someone who has been overexposed to silver waste, you DO NOT want to have a silver waste build-up in your body, particularly your lungs. It sucks.
The best remedy to prevent the odor is to shower before using the gear so that any bacteria already on the skin can be removed. -ken
canuck34 - When doing a load of laundry, add a cup of vinegar. Wash. Then rewash with laundry detergent.Smell will be gone.I did this along with the baking soda trick from the above poster.. worked awesome! make sure to use lots of vinegar and bakingsoda in the same load, gets rid of the funk..
lol @ this thread and at OGTUFer's name.
ROFLMAO!
microbiologynerd - because you touch yourself at night
Dumbest mod post ever.