TIP! Your polyester workout clothes aren’t actually clean

Gross, right!? As told to us by TIP!ster Betsy Shaver, here’s what you have to do if you want those things to be 100% clean.

April 6, 2015; 7:00 AM • by Susan Howson

Your polyester work out clothes will never get completely “clean” unless you pre-wash them in vinegar.

For over a year, we had the problem of washing clothes and noticed by the time we wore them again, they smelled musty or slightly sour.

We tried everything–new detergents, cleaning the machine, laundry additives, cleaning out the duct in the dryer, etc. Nothing worked. Frustrated, we gave a bunch of clothes away that we had noticed picked up the scent. Recently, we made the discovery that our clothes that were 100% cotton smelled totally fine–even a favorite cotton T-shirt that was 15 years old–while “wicking” T-shirts purchased four months ago stank.

NPR published an article on the disgusting science of why this happens.

Point being, detergent alone isn’t enough. You have to kill the bacteria each and every time with vinegar. Just sort by material before you sort by color (100% cottons don’t need a pre-wash), and your life will start smelling better instantly.