One of my favorite things to do is sweat. Whether it's from a workout or working in my garden, nothing boosts my spirts quite like the achievement of feeling perspiration running down my face. However my sweat needs to collect somewhere and that's usually on my clothes leaving them smelling not so fresh.
Despite most athletic wear lines having their own versions of anti-odor technologies incorporated into their clothing, they just don't seem to work or last for me. I'll admit my athletic clothes take a beating, some get worn on a weekly basis and are left in a portable laundry bag for hours until I can get home and put them in the wash. So it doesn't surprise me that I can't get the stink out of a few pieces that I've had for over 5 years.
I've tried pre-soaking them in the washing machine, using anti-odor sprays before/after each use and a variety of expensive sport laundry detergents that just didn't do the job. I almost lost all hope and threw away some of my favorite pieces until a co-worker sent me a DM that would solve all my problems!
She sent me a link to a process called "Laundry Stripping", this is where you mix your athletic wear, towels etc. in a tub with hot water and a variety of powder detergents for several HOURS to remove any blockage from the pores of your clothes. The blockage is caused by sweat, body oils, excess laundry detergent etc. that has built up over time.
I was very skeptical about the process but since I had nothing but time on my hands I gave it a shot and was shocked by the results. Here's a break down & video of what I did and saw---let me warn you, it's not pretty!