While odors are pretty unpleasant (ok, stinky!) to think about, they nonetheless happen to trail-tested clothing (read: multi days in one shirt). Unless you're one of those rare ladies who perspire instead of sweat...but we all know real women sweat :-) Especially when we're doing cool stuff out in the woods.
Some folks may be wealthy enough to wear a new shirt every time they go outdoors, but I'm not one of them! That said, here's a simple trick to remove unpleasant odors from well-worn articles of clothing: Vinegar. Yup: straight-up, ordinary white vinegar. You can get 2 gallons for less than $4 at Sam's Club.
Vinegar is eco-friendly, time-tested, inexpensive, and easy. Simply add a cup of it to your pre-wash/soak cycle, then wash with your favourite detergent as you normally do. The smellier the stuff, the longer you need to let it soak. If your delicate nose is sensitive, play with the vinegar-to-water ratio until you find what works for you. Or, go for a soak cycle with the detergent after you're done with round 1.
Voila! Your gramma will be proud!
Or you could be eco-friendly and use non-chlorine bleach, which is much safer to send down the drain to our water systems.
ReplyDeleteHere is a great review of a non-chlorine bleach option: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/cleaning/best-products-oxo-brite-nonchlorine-bleach-023793
ReplyDeleteI don't have experience mixing the non-chlorine bleach with vinegar (at the same time) so my best advice is to proceed with caution! :-)
Vinegar is also the only thing that makes a dent in the odour when you have skunks living under your house. It's not completely effective - but it does make a difference. I'd imagine that your well worn shirtswould be chicken feed in comparision.
ReplyDeleteLittle secret....wool is naturally odor repellent. I've been out for 5 days straight breaking trail in feet of snow in both wool and synthetics and never needed to wash in anything other than standard detergent. And I sweat like crazy. Good tip for really stinky people though.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip!
ReplyDeleteSome folks are allergic to wool against their skin, so they have to go with synthetics for base layers. 5 days, maybe not so much "pee-eww". 10 days or longer, as I have done before, and I start to see problems :-) Repeated use and the smell stacks up!
PS. Not interested in wearing too much wool in summer.
ReplyDelete150g merino wool. It's not itchy and wears more like silk than wool. I haven't worn it over say 95 yet but that should happen this summer.
ReplyDelete