How to Keep Your Gym Gear From Stinking

Does your gym bag stink? You are not alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With proper care, you can keep your workout gear odor-free. The key is to do yourself a favor and start taking care of everything Before it’s starting to smell. But even if you’ve already let things deteriorate, I have some advice for you.

I’ll go into detail below, but first, it may help to understand Why The gym stench develops on clothing and other items that come into contact with your skin. You sweat in them, but it’s not the sweat itself that’s the problem. It is the bacteria that food on your sweat. So you’ll either need to get rid of the sweat before bacteria can grow, or handle your clothing and equipment in a way that prevents bacteria from growing. (It’s the same with shakers, except you’re replacing the sweat with food residue.) If you get nothing else out of this article, just remember this: for the love of God, rinse everything immediately, or at least air out your shit.

Rinse your sports clothes as soon as you take them off

Many sportswear clothes these days are made from synthetic fabrics because they offer stretchy or sweat-wicking features to keep us comfortable. The downside is that bacteria can cling to synthetic fibers in a way that makes them almost impossible to wash. It is therefore important not to let these colonies of germs develop.

The bacteria I’m talking about are the ones that digest your sweat and the oils in your skin. I know, disgusting. But that means it’s not sweat himself this causes the stench, but rather the bacteria to multiply while your sweaty shirt sits in the laundry basket.

Nip this problem in the bud by rinsing sweat from synthetics as soon as you take them off. I do this in the shower, wringing out each item of clothing and hanging it to dry. A set of extra shower curtain hooks will give you a place to hang them. I installed a basic tension rod on the back of my shower for exactly this reason. If you shower at the gym, wring out those clothes and wrap them in your towel until you get home.

If you can’t rinse your gym clothes right after wearing them, or if you have a full work day between your shower and access to laundry, air out your clothes. By the way, cotton clothing does not have these problems. If you wear cotton socks or t-shirts, you can throw them in the laundry whenever and however you want.

What to do if your clothes already smell bad

You may never be able to completely eliminate the stench, but you’ll have better luck with detergents that contain enzymes or that market themselves as being good for “sport” or “performance” fabrics. I’ve had good experiences with Hex (a detergent) and Lysol laundry sanitizer (which you add to the rinse, like fabric softener). I use one or the other, not both. Either can also be used for a soak: Soak your coarse clothes in a bucket with Hex or Lysol laundry sanitizer, then wash as usual.

And for the final touch, if you Really If you want to be sure you’ve eliminated the stench, hang the clothes outside (or lay them on a surface, like your patio) on a sunny day. Fresh air helps and sunlight actually kills some of those bacteria that produce foul odors.

What to avoid

Listen, you can to try baking soda or vinegar (not together), but I haven’t found those to help me. If you want a chemical answer to your problems, just get a bottle of Hex.

Air out shoes, knee pads and other hard-to-wash items

What about things that can’t be rinsed and dried quickly, like your shoes and the gym bag itself? Or, even worse, your neoprene knee pads? These items stink more easily when they remain damp and warm. If you wanted to make a gym bag smell as good as possible, I’d tell you to fill it with sweaty clothes, lock it in the trunk of your car, and forget about it until the next gym day. So if this is already your habit, stop it. We need to vent these assholes.

If your bag has a mesh compartment for sweaty clothes, use it. And if you can attach items to the outside of the bag, hanging your shoes by their laces, for example, that will help too. But ultimately, what do you Really What I want to do is open the bag as soon as you get home. I always make sure that if my knee pads are deep in the bag, I pull them up to make sure they can get some air. And my shoes are in a mesh compartment, but if I have an extra minute I’ll open that compartment and loosen the shoes so they get as much airflow as possible.

What to do if things are already bad

Most things in your gym bag can be washed, but check the manufacturer’s instructions for the best methods. For example, SBD recommends hand washing knee pads with soap or wetsuit detergent, but not put them in the washing machine or dry them on hot.

Just like with clothing, another good option is to hang or arrange your items in the sun and fresh air for a few hours. Sunlight kills certain bacteria and good ventilation never hurts.

What to avoid

Avoid spraying things with vinegar (I’ve never found this effective), rubbing alcohol (degrades some materials, so check with the manufacturer), or vodka (unnecessarily expensive, just buy rubbing alcohol and see above why you might not want to use rubbing alcohol).

Rinse your shaker as soon as you finish your shake

Finally, we come to the bane of many gym bros’ existence, the stinky shaker cup. If you leave residue from your protein drink in there, especially a milk-based drink, like a shake made with powdered whey, it can go rancid and odors can seep into the plastic where they may never really go away.

To avoid this, rinse your shaker immediately after drinking the shake. Don’t tell yourself you will when you get home, because we all know you won’t, and honestly, it’s too late anyway. You don’t have to completely wash the cup at this point, just rinse it in the bathroom sink. Or do what I do, drink your shake at home, over the sink, and wash the cup while it’s still in your hand.

What to do if things are already bad

Your Hail Mary hopes to wash it away really good. Use soap and warm water. Soak it a little if you like. Scrub all the little nooks and crannies (like where the spout meets its cap) to make sure no residue remains. Air it out to dry it for a few days; you can even try the sunlight trick above. But if that doesn’t work, buy a new shaker and treat it properly.