One of the more annoying (and potentially embarrassing) aspects of running is the smells that comes from sweaty running shoes and clothes. To help avoid the stink, here are some steps you can take to prevent smelly running shoes and stinky running clothes.
How to Prevent Smelly Running Shoes
Running shoes get smelly because of sweaty feet. If your shoes stay moist from your sweat, the smell gets worse because the bacteria keep growing. Here are some tips to help keep your running shoes from getting stinky:
- Wearing the right kind of running socks can help keep your shoes from getting and staying wet. It’s important to wear non-cotton, synthetic running socks because they’ll wick away the moisture, rather than staying wet (which is what happens with cotton socks).
- Store your shoes in a cool, dry place and remove the sole insert, to prevent bacteria from growing.
- Rotate two pairs of running shoes, so you can give one pair a chance to dry out when you’re not wearing them.
- Sprinkle some baking soda or put a dryer sheet in your running shoes after a run. Either item will help mask odor and absorb remaining moisture.
- If your shoes get wet (after a rainy run, for example), take them off and stuff them with crumpled balls of newspaper. This helps the shoes keep their shape, and the paper draws moisture away from the shoes to prevent them from getting musty. Once the newspaper becomes saturated with water, replace it with more newspaper, until the shoes are dry.
- Be sure to clean your running shoes on a regular basis to keep them fresh and odor-free. Get step-by-step instructions on cleaning running shoes.
How to Prevent Stinky Running Clothes
Technical fabrics are great for running because they wick away your sweat but, unfortunately, bacteria (which causes the smell) get trapped in the fibers and can be hard to get out. So how do you get rid of that stench from your running clothes? Here are a couple of tricks that work:
Wash Sweaty Clothes as Soon as Possible
Anyone who has left a sweaty running shirt in a gym bag or hamper for a few days knows that the smell only gets worse with time. Washing your clothes soon after you run will make a huge difference since the bacteria grow over time, making the stench more powerful.
Try to wash your gear within a day of wearing it. However, if you can’t do a full load of laundry, at least try to rinse your clothes in water.
Pre-soak Your Running Clothes
Pre-soaking your running clothes will help remove stains and odors. There are different pre-soak solutions that you can use. Some people use a simple solution of water and baking soda (one cup of baking soda diluted in a cup or two of water).
Other experts advise using white distilled vinegar (one part vinegar to four parts cold water). Soak your running clothes in a cup or two of vinegar mixed with plain water. The acid in vinegar helps to break up odors so that they can be washed away in the regular laundry cycle. Then wash as usual. Or, pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the wash (along with your regular detergent).
Another option is to can use a commercial pre-soak product or detergent. Brands like Tide and Hex make detergents and detergent boosters that you can use to pre-soak your clothes and loosen odors and stains.
Either use the pre-soak feature on your washing machine or simply soak clothes in a sink or tub for 30 minutes before washing.
Use Detergents Specially-Designed for Athletic Wear
Try using a special detergent formulated for technical wear, such as WIN High Performance Sport Detergent, Sweat X Sport Extreme Laundry Detergent, or Tide Plus Febreeze Sport. Those types of detergents will remove the odor, but won’t degrade sweat-wicking or water-repellent properties.
Wear Odor-resistant Athletic Clothing
There are also lots of odor-fighting running clothes on the market. They may sound too good to be true, but these running clothes do actually help keep you dry and odor-free. Look for clothes that are made of odor-resistant, anti-bacterial, or anti-microbial fabric
Although some of them are more expensive than your average running shirts, odor-resistant running clothes are worth the investment because they’ll last longer and keep you smelling fresh.
More on Running Shoes and Clothes
I was told shoes can’t be cleaned & if it smells bad then nothing to do about it. Thanks for writing some informative tips in these small lines. I’ve tried a new pair of socks and it actually worked! Thanks once again.
Glad it helped!
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