Getting the stink out

I don't know about wool, but every three weeks I soak all my yoga stuff in a bucket of water with baking soda for an hour. It knocks it all out.

I don't think the shirt in question is wool – the synthetics behave that way. I have found nothing – not mirazyme, vinegar, baking soda, or any other chemical – can de-stink a synthetic that's too far gone.

Wool on the other hand resists the stink. The problem with it I have had, has been that wool doesn't last long before it starts to develop holes. The expense makes it tough to keep getting wool shirts and I am always on the alert for good sales.

I get synthetics on clearance racks and either put up with the stank or toss them out and replace them.

I would try standard soak in mirazyme and wash. If that doesn't do it I would resoak at double the concentration recommended.

When our wetsuits got stinky, we'd rinse out with Listerine. It may be worth the try on the T-Shirt.

The shirt is merino wool and I did manage to get it stinky after three weeks. I've never had any stink on long weekend trips but managed to push it to stinkville on the longer trip.

I'll try Mirazyme. Thanks!

From fellow knitters and wool lovers I hear that vinagre works well, even to remove cat urine…

I see from the Icebreaker web site that Tech T is 83% wool, 17% nylon. Maybe the nylon contributes to the stink?

I'm a huge fan of tea tree oil, both on the trail and off. Off the trail, add a few drops to the washing machine to remove odor. I put a few drops in the detergent and fabric softener dispensers, the latter so that some of the tea tree oil stays in the fabric.

Tea tree oil kills bacteria and has what I find to be a pleasant smell, though others may not like it (so start with just a drop or two). It's safe for synthetics and wool.

On the trail, tea tree oil can be used to treat infections and athletes foot, prevent or treat acne (wash your face using one or two drops, or treat spots directly), de-stink feet and other body parts, and even as a mouth wash (spit it out and don't swallow). It's also good for trail laundry days; add a few drops to a dry sack with a bit of water, optionally add a few drops of biodegradable soap, and give your clothes a good shake.

I take a 5ml dropper bottle of tea tree oil with me in my ziplock first aid kit, and it weighs less than 1/4 ounce. It has a strong scent, so put it in your bear bag or canister.

Edit: Tea tree oil is pretty strong stuff, so you probably don't want to put it full strength on your face or, ahem, other sensitive body parts. If you carry olive oil (and maybe even coconut oil, provided it's in a liquid state), that's perfect for diluting tea tree oil. This doesn't apply to de-stinking clothing (use it full strength), but it is useful to know if you're using it for other, on-trail uses.

Add a tablespoon of citric acid to the wash ;)

I agree with the tea tree oil, a couple drops in the water. Use a small container like a plastic coffee can or Tupperware type container that you can shake a few times, along with a little mild detergent, and let it soak for the day. Soaking seems to be the key, especially when your deodorizer/antibacterial agent is so diluted. Then run it through a normal wash cycle.

I've used a couple drops of Pine Sol (I know….) for the soak and it works very well, only takes a few drops (along with mild soap) in a small container like that, then a normal wash when the soak is done. My wife is very organic minded and doesn't like me using any chemicals except soap for clothes, but it's extremely diluted, it's rare that you have to de-stink Merino blends, and there shouldn't be any left in the fabric after the wash.

+1 on Pine Sol

My wife de-stinked a weeks worth of hiking shoes & socks with Pine Sol a few days ago. It actually worked pretty well at removing the funk, but did leave a bit of a pine forest scent. :)

Ryan

I've never had a problem with “accelerated stink“ likely because I just haven't worn my shirts long enough for bacteria to really work their way in. However, I've had plenty of experiences with hard plastic bottles that start off just fine for days — but once bacteria have worked their way into the bottle, it would stink within one day's washing – even with soap and water! I suspect similar reason – bacteria can thrive on petroleum-based synthetics and plastics – and once they do, soap washing can't get rid of them 100%, allowing them to grow back quickly upon use again.

The solution for returning water bottle to pristine state where it can stay fresh again? Not soap, but BOILING water! That kills all the germs. I suspect Pine Sol works because of its germ-killing property – but maybe try soaking in a pot of full-on boiling water (after checking garment and color first)? If not, I would think about solutions that will actually kill bacteria – and not just cleaning.

Five star sani clean is my go to sanitizer where odor removal is a concern.

soaking your $wool shirt in boiling water seems like a good way to have a wool shirt for someone much smaller.