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Tips and Tricks for Beating the Post-Workout Stink
Posted on Aug 6th 2010 2:00PM by Kristen Seymour
Fact: If you work out frequently, you're going to have to deal with stinky clothes. If you go straight home after exercising and do laundry frequently, this might not be much of a problem: You simply take off the sweaty, smelly shirt and get it washed in short order. But if you have to stick those clothes in a bag and haul them to work, it can be a bit of an issue. Maybe you don't think so, but you might want to check with the gal who shares your office.
Folks deal with offending odors in different ways. Sprinkling baby powder in your smelly sneakers is a tried-and-true fix used by some of us here at That's Fit. Dina Caperhart of West Palm Beach, Fla., recommends placing scrunched-up newspaper in your shoes to absorb the odor. Helene Byrne of Oakland, Calif., relies on baby wipes, saying, "Not only are they great for a quick body wipe-down after exercise, [but] I use them to wipe out the inside of my workout shoes. They kill the germs that cause odors, and shoes dry out fast too.
If you have a place to hang your clothes, you might take a tip from Jeremy Litchfield of Brunswick, Maine. As founder of Atayne, he's interested in both odor control and the impact of clothing on the environment and said, "[C]onsumer care (washing and drying) accounts for about 80 percent of a garment's total impact on the environment." His suggestion? "We tell people that after a workout, they should take their clothing with them in the shower, rinse and ring it out. This will rinse a lot of the sweat and bacteria out. Depending on your individual body chemistry (vegetarians like myself tend to have less odor), you can go several days without needing to wash your clothing. I typically go a week or more, rinsing, ringing out and hanging to dry."
There are a variety of products on the market to deal with this issue. Recently, we tried out a few items from Fresh Wave. The brand offers an odor-eliminating spray to take care of items like shoes that don't fit well in the machine, and there's also an additive to use in the wash (or on your carpet or in your gym bag) to really get the smell out. Our favorite item, however, had to be the Pearl Packs. They're small, portable and really work. The fact that all of the products are natural and nontoxic doesn't hurt, either.
The one thing we beg you not to do, however, is to cover up the stink. Spritzing a strong-smelling body spray all over your clothes and shoes doesn't mask the odor; it just adds another layer and might even aggravate your office mate's allergies.
Looking for more all-natural ways to get gorgeous? Check out this guide to green beauty.
Folks deal with offending odors in different ways. Sprinkling baby powder in your smelly sneakers is a tried-and-true fix used by some of us here at That's Fit. Dina Caperhart of West Palm Beach, Fla., recommends placing scrunched-up newspaper in your shoes to absorb the odor. Helene Byrne of Oakland, Calif., relies on baby wipes, saying, "Not only are they great for a quick body wipe-down after exercise, [but] I use them to wipe out the inside of my workout shoes. They kill the germs that cause odors, and shoes dry out fast too.
If you have a place to hang your clothes, you might take a tip from Jeremy Litchfield of Brunswick, Maine. As founder of Atayne, he's interested in both odor control and the impact of clothing on the environment and said, "[C]onsumer care (washing and drying) accounts for about 80 percent of a garment's total impact on the environment." His suggestion? "We tell people that after a workout, they should take their clothing with them in the shower, rinse and ring it out. This will rinse a lot of the sweat and bacteria out. Depending on your individual body chemistry (vegetarians like myself tend to have less odor), you can go several days without needing to wash your clothing. I typically go a week or more, rinsing, ringing out and hanging to dry."
There are a variety of products on the market to deal with this issue. Recently, we tried out a few items from Fresh Wave. The brand offers an odor-eliminating spray to take care of items like shoes that don't fit well in the machine, and there's also an additive to use in the wash (or on your carpet or in your gym bag) to really get the smell out. Our favorite item, however, had to be the Pearl Packs. They're small, portable and really work. The fact that all of the products are natural and nontoxic doesn't hurt, either.
The one thing we beg you not to do, however, is to cover up the stink. Spritzing a strong-smelling body spray all over your clothes and shoes doesn't mask the odor; it just adds another layer and might even aggravate your office mate's allergies.
Looking for more all-natural ways to get gorgeous? Check out this guide to green beauty.
