How to Get The Sweaty Smell Out of Your Work Out Clothes

Today's work out clothes are made of wonderful fabrics that keep you comfortable and "wick" the sweat away from your skin. The only problem with the fabric, though, is that it tends to hold that sweaty smell after a while. You don't need to toss your favorite running shirt as soon as you notice a lingering smell...just use these steps to freshen it up!

What You'll Need:

-Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (regular baking soda works well, too!)
-Tea Tree Oil
-A bucket or sink large enough to soak your clothing

Just put your work out clothes into a bucket or sink large enough to hold them, then sprinkle about 1 cup of washing soda on top. Add 15 - 20 drops of Tea Tree Oil, and add hot tap water (the hotter, the better) until the clothing is covered in water. Since you're using hot water, you may want to soak whites and colored fabrics separately.

The soda and Tea Tree Oil both work to remove the odor, and since the Tea Tree Oil has natural anti-fungal properties, it helps prevent any potential fungus-related issues, since fungi tend to love sweaty places (think: Jock Itch and athlete's foot - ugh!).

Leave the clothes soaking until the water cools, then wring the extra water from the clothing and wash and dry as you normally would. Afterwards, everything should smell much fresher! I do this for my work out clothing about once a month, and it really has made them last much longer.

If this doesn't do the trick, make a thick paste of washing soda and a little water, and apply it directly to your shirts' armpits, then wash.

Does your nose run when you run?

If you're a runner, you're probably familiar with the term, "snot rocket." There are a few good reasons why we get runny noses when we run - most races and training schedules occur in the mornings, when the weather is cooler, and cooler temperatures make runny noses. Most runners try to inhale through their noses, which means dust and pollution can get filtered out of the air and trapped in nasal passages. Those irritants can also cause noses to run - it's just the nose doing its job to keep that other stuff out of your body.

While I may see the logic in my runny runner's nose, I don't particularly enjoy the idea of blowing my nose out into the air. My southern sensibilities aren't exactly keen on some of the other options, either, like blowing my nose into my sleeve or hand. 

So, I constructed a little hidden pocket in my running shirt. It makes a nice little, "snot pocket" in which to blow my nose while I'm running. It's double-lined, and it folds back up on its own, so that the snot is tucked away inside.

What you'll need:

Running shirt

Handkerchief

Needle and thread (or sewing machine)

Scissors

To start, fold the handkerchief in half, then cut the folded hanky in half. 

I cut mine in half to make it less bulky, but this is a personal preference. If you wanted, you could make it full size, or cut it even smaller if the half-size is still too bulky for your tastes. 

Since I cut the finished edge, I hemmed the cut, unfinished edge of the hanky so it wouldn't ravel. 

I just folded a small piece over, stitched it, folded again, and stitched again. I didn't bother measuring or pinning - it really shouldn't matter for this project.

Next, I folded the hanky like a fan or accordian. I positioned the hanky so that it followed the curve of the shirt's neckline and pinned the edges onto the inside of the shirt. 

I sewed the outside edges to the shirt. I then sewed the inside single fold to the shirt following the neckline. 

This stitch should help it fold back into place after you use it.

Now I can blow my nose into a hanky while I'm running, with just one hand and without slowing my pace, and the hanky will just fold back up into my shirt!