Cutting washing costs

ElusiveLucy

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but I hope so.

My problem is my OH goes to the gym during the week and plays sport at the weekends. He sweats a LOT and his sports gear reeks afterwards. I can't see the financial sense in putting the washing machine on every day for one set of gym/sports gear, but I am not sure I have any other option.

He was tending to come back from the gym, put his gear in the washing machine, leave it til the next night and wash two lots at once. The problem with that is that his gear is starting to retain the smell and I have even tried washing his gear twice on long washes and I still can't get rid of it. It isn't that his personal hygiene is poor, he just sweats a lot when exercising. The only option I can see at the moment is getting him to bin his current tops and buy new ones, but then we'll be back to square one in a few months.

Has anyone got any suggestions? Maybe products I can soak his gear in before it is washed? (preferably not expensive!)

savingmummy

I don`t know if it is ok to leave it soaking in it but stardrops is really good for handwashing fabrics and would certainly stop the smell until the following days wash. Or use White vinegar it should take care of it. Add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle, or presoak them in warm water and 1/2 cup vinegar. Vinegar kills germs, deodorizes, breaks down the sweat in the clothes, and works as a fabric softener. The vinegar smell dissipates as it dries.
You could handwash his sports gear which would save you using the washing machine.

wallbash

You could handwash his sports gear

:mad:

Or he could do his own

edgex

white vinegar in the wash
also, he could get some slightly baggier t-shirts

ElusiveLucy

wallbash wrote: »

:mad:

Or he could do his own

That was my immediate reaction!!! I certainly won't be handwashing it, I don't handle it before washing unless I can really help it!!

I will give the white vinegar a go. Thanks for the suggestion.

savingmummy

LOL! Well yes he could handwash it.

andrew-b

Nudism?! lol (google it!)

kataddey

buy him some merino wool training kit (icebreaker probably the best option) which won't get smelly like synthetics. Its more expensive but worth it! You'll probably still have to wash it as regularly but it won't retain smells (and can be washed cooler = lower costs). I wore a pair of their boxer shorts and T-shirt for 5 days running whilst doing a trek in South Africa (up to 30 degrees so pretty sweaty!) and they smelt fine at the end!

If his kit is synthetic (most normal sportswear is) you can wash it however you like, it will still stink again pretty quickly!

rosekitten

why not look at the shortest wash cycle
on your machine,wash the first lot leave
them in the machine and then the next day
put the next lot in and wash the lot on a longer
more suitable cycle,a;lso use ariel that will
shift any smell.I know this because I have three
smelly blokes here and everything comes out
sweet smelling

basmic

What are you using to wash the clothes with, and which wash cycle/temperature are you using on the washer?

I'd recommend a cottons 60c wash, using biological soappowder with a tablespoon of soda crystals and a good slosh of WHITE vinegar.

jonesjw

Soda crystals are cheap & seem to help the cleaning.

Soda + vinegar = alkali + acid, so I would not try both together.