Step by step: how to get sweat smell out of clothes
Safety first. Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar or ammonia, and do not combine hydrogen peroxide and vinegar in the same bottle. Use one product, rinse, then use the next. Test peroxide on an inside seam first, since it can lighten some dyes.
- 1
Check the care label and sort
Read the label before you soak anything. Oxygen soaks and peroxide are fine for most cotton and polyester, but not for wool, silk, leather or dry-clean-only pieces. Put those aside and wash them by their own rules.
- 2
Turn the clothes inside out
Sweat and skin oils build up on the inside of a shirt, especially at the armpits, collar and waistband. Turning garments inside out puts that side in direct contact with the water and detergent.
- 3
Pretreat the smelliest spots
Rub a little liquid detergent into the armpits and collar with your fingers or a soft toothbrush. Let it sit for 30 minutes so it can work into the buildup before the soak.
- 4
Soak the clothes
For colorfast washables, dissolve an oxygen odor remover in warm water following the label and soak for 3 to 6 hours. If you have no oxygen powder, soak overnight in warm water with 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt per quart. Weigh the clothes down with a towel so they stay under water.
- 5
Spot treat stubborn armpits with peroxide
If the armpits still smell after the soak, dab on 3% hydrogen peroxide and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes. Test it on an inside seam first. Very old odor can take 2 or 3 rounds.
- 6
Wash in the warmest water the label allows
Load the washer loosely, so you can fit a flat hand between the clothes and the drum wall. Use the full dose of detergent and the warmest temperature on the care label. Skip fabric softener on workout clothes, since many activewear labels say not to use it.
- 7
Air dry and do the sniff test
Hang the clothes to dry, then smell the armpits once they are dry. If any odor is left, repeat the soak before you use the dryer, because dryer heat can make lingering smells harder to remove.
Why do clothes still smell like sweat after washing?
Clothes keep smelling when sweat residue and body oils build up faster than each wash removes them. Sweat itself has little odor; the smell comes as its components break down in the fabric. Tide notes that the longer clothes sit sweaty in the hamper, the harder the odor is to remove, and that it can build up over time until clothes smell even straight out of the wash.
- Cold, quick cycles and overloaded drums do not rinse buildup out of the armpits and collar.
- Too little detergent leaves oils behind; too much fabric softener can coat fibers and hold odor in.
- Synthetic workout fabrics tend to hold on to body odor more stubbornly than cotton, so they often need a soak, not just another wash.
- A washer that smells musty passes that smell on. If your machine has an odor, clean it first with our washing machine guide.
Which soak works best for body odor?
An oxygen odor remover soak is the strongest home option for washable clothes, a salt soak is the gentlest, and peroxide is for spot treating armpits.
| Method | How to use it | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxygen odor remover powder | OxiClean says up to a full scoop per gallon of water, soak 3 to 6 hours, then wash | Gym clothes, towels, cotton and polyester tees | Not for wool, silk, leather or dry-clean-only items |
| Salt water soak | 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt per quart of warm water, overnight, as the University of Georgia Extension describes | Delicate washables and colors you do not want to risk | Slower, and weaker on years of buildup |
| 3% hydrogen peroxide | Dab on the armpits, leave 15 to 20 minutes, repeat 2 or 3 times if needed | Whites and colorfast armpits and collars | Can lighten dyes; test an inside seam first |
| Laundry odor remover in the rinse | Clorox says to add its odor remover through the softener dispenser so it goes in during the rinse, or presoak 15 minutes | Whole loads of mildly smelly clothes | Follow that product’s own dose; it does not replace detergent |
How to stop sweat smell from coming back
Wash sweaty clothes sooner and let them breathe until you do. Odor that never gets a chance to set is easy to remove.
- Hang damp workout clothes over the hamper edge or a hook to dry before you toss them in. A wet ball of gym clothes smells worse by morning.
- Run smaller loads every few days instead of waiting for a full hamper, as Tide suggests.
- Wear an undershirt under dress shirts; it absorbs most of the sweat and is easy to wash hot.
- For yellow armpit marks rather than smell, use our sweat stain guide.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leaving sweaty clothes balled up in a closed hamper for a week.
- Masking the smell with scent boosters or extra softener instead of removing the residue.
- Drying a shirt that still smells, which makes the odor harder to get out next time.
- Using hydrogen peroxide on dark colors without testing an inside seam first.
- Packing the washer so full that clothes cannot move through the water.
- Mixing bleach and vinegar in the same load to “double up” on odor fighting.
Products that make this easier
Optional. Everything above works with basic supplies; these just save time or effort.
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Best soak for gym clothes
OxiClean Odor Blasters Versatile Odor & Stain Remover Powder
An oxygen-based powder made for long soaks of smelly clothes and towels. Not for wool, silk, leather or dry-clean-only fabrics.
- See it on Amazon
For every workout load
Tide Plus Febreze Sport Odor Defense liquid detergent
A detergent aimed at sweaty activewear, so you get odor treatment in the regular wash. Still soak clothes that already have deep-set smell.
- See it on Amazon
Enzyme booster
Biz Stain & Odor Eliminator powder
An enzyme and oxygen booster that works on the protein and oil residue that sweat leaves behind. Read the label before using it on wool or silk.
- See it on Amazon
Armpit spot treatment
3% hydrogen peroxide (brown bottle)
Cheap and effective on whites and colorfast armpits when dabbed on before washing. It can lighten dyes, so test first.
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