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Woman shares hack to rid your workout clothes of funky odors: 'So simple'

One user touted it as their secret weapon.

One user touted it as their secret weapon.

Photo Credit: Instagram

It's a relatable problem after getting a good sweat in. You feel great, but your clothes stink and you're worried you'll never be able to get the stinky odors out of your workout gear. 

The scoop

Fortunately, creator Nicole Jaques (@itsnicolejaques) shared an easy hack on Instagram to get rid of smelly scents. In a video, Jaques showed how all you need is to follow a few simple steps with some basic household items.

First things first, do not throw your stinky clothes into the hamper to marinate in their stink. Instead, hang-dry or wash your clothes immediately. When you're ready to wash, Jaques says to give your workout gear a "good vinegar water bath," where you soak the clothes inside out for a half hour. That's so the vinegar can treat the bacteria that cause the rank odors. 

As a bonus, Jaques instructs viewers to use half the laundry detergent they'd usually allot and to forgo fabric softener. Lastly, put another household staple, baking soda, in the drum and run the wash on hot if you can or, if not, on delicate with like colors. Once it's done, hang-dry it to preserve the clothing's intended shape.

How it's working

Jaques' hack taps into readily available household items instead of pushing consumers to buy special remedies to take on sweat smells.

Additionally, it can ideally preserve the life of workout clothes, which can help save them from ending up in methane-producing landfills earlier than they could. It also could slow avid fitness folks from having to buy new gear, which requires lots of resources in production and shipping.

Saving users from excessive detergent use and fabric softener use entirely is another benefit of this hack.

Cleaning products like fabric softeners are linked to problematic chemicals and toxins that can cause harm to your washing machine and your body. Reducing detergent use is better for your washing machine and your wallet. Vinegar, meanwhile, is cheap, readily available, and not associated with the health risks of other products.

What people are saying

The Instagram community was widely supportive of the hack, with an overwhelming chorus of users simply replying "clean" in response.

How often do you wash clothes in cold water?

Every load 🫧

Most loads 💧

Hardly at all 💦

Never 🙅

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

There was one user who preached caution, claiming "the acidity in vinegar can break down elastic over time." Certainly something worth monitoring over time when trying this hack on select gear.

One user touted it as their secret weapon, writing: "Vinegar is awesome for laundry. They have stronger cleaning vinegar right beside cooking vinegar at my grocery store."

"Soaking garments separately makes all the sense in the world," a viewer exclaimed. "So simple…I wasn't thinking!"

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