How to Get Body Odor Smell Out of Synthetic Shirts

Are your favorite synthetic shirts taking on a life of their own? Do they have a "special" drawer all their own in your dresser? Do you start out a wilderness trip smelling like you've already been out 2 weeks? If you hike, backpack, canoe, etc., good synthetic fabric clothing (polyester, capilene, etc.) is a must but, lets face it, they are expensive, so you want to make them last as long as possible. The downside of these fabric types is that they tend to hold onto body odor after a while even when washed several times in a row. But fear not, you can make them smell socially acceptable again by the simple method given in this article. Depending on how funky your clothes are it may take several treatments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• baking soda

1. Dissolve 1/4 cup of baking soda per gallon of cold water in a bucket or sink.

2. Soak clothing for 10 minutes.

3. Remove clothing, rinse under cold water and wash in your washing machine as you normally would with laundry soap.

4. If smell lingers, repeat steps 1-2 as necessary until it is gone. You don't have to keep running it through the washer - just rinse out really well. Persistently stinky areas (like armpits) can benefit from spot treatment with a paste of baking soda and water.

Tips & Warnings

• I don't know if this method works on natural fiber (wool, cotton, etc.) - I've never tried it. I don't they they have quite the same propensity for hanging onto odors - and you shouldn't be wearing cotton in the wilderness anyway.
• You could also treat smelly gym clothes using this method.
• wear rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin.

[ladym33]

on 5/4/2009 Thank goodness for baking soda. Thank you for the tip.