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.
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.
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Susan Howson
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It’s also a problem with how standard detergents work. The never completely wash out. Try putting a load of freshly dried clothes directly in you washer with no soap. You will see soap bubbles. We use Charlie’s soap to wash our clothes along with borax and occasionally oxyclean free for stains. Once you cycle over with their directions to clean out your washer is great. No stains, smells, perfumes and the softest clothes ever + a splash of vinegar. It takes a few washes to get the residue out of the washer and off your clothes.
@Greg – CHARLIE’S SOAP POWDER WAS GOING TO BE MY NEXT TIP!!!