(BPT) - You've probably smelled it: Clothes from yesterday's workout, your kids' ball games, the contents of your spouse's gym bag. Few things are tougher to tackle than the stink from these kinds of clothes.
Why is that? According to the Cleveland Clinic, when bacteria that naturally occurs on your skin comes in contact with sweat, that mix can cause unpleasant odors. And that odor-causing bacteria grows in damp, warm conditions - so the longer the clothes sit at the bottom of a hamper or inside a duffel bag, the worse the smell gets.
Here are some expert tips to get even your family's stinkiest loads smelling fresh.
1. Wash the stinkiest clothes as soon as you can. The longer that odor-causing bacteria sits in the clothing, the more time it will have to grow - and smell even worse.
2. Give them some air. Especially if you can't wash workout clothes or athletic gear right away, air the items out in your laundry room instead of leaving stinky items in a damp, warm heap in a gym bag, basket or hamper.
3. Consider a pre-soak. If you can't wash smelly clothes right away, soak them in either a solution of white vinegar and cold water (one part vinegar to four parts water), or in a sink with one-half cup of baking soda mixed with cold water.
4. Use Lysol Laundry Sanitizer. A quick, easy and effective way to get clothes smelling fresh is to add Lysol Laundry Sanitizer to your laundry load. This liquid laundry additive is specially formulated to kill 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria when added to your laundry routine (when used as directed).
5. Give smelly clothes the cold shoulder. Hot temps in your washer - and dryer - can help the bad smells set into your clothes, so be sure to wash the stinkiest items in cold water, and use the lowest dryer setting rather than drying with high heat.
Passing the smell test
Did you know feet have over 250,000 sweat glands? This creates an environment where bacteria can thrive, which explains why socks can be among the worst smell offenders.
To test the effectiveness of Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, the company's scientists created the "World's Stinkiest Sock," using a synthetic formula that represents the worst foot stink, inspired by live, odor-causing bacteria. If Lysol Laundry Sanitizer can handle the World's Stinkiest Sock, it can handle your stinky loads, too!
Outside Boston's famed Fenway Park in September, actress, comedian, author and mom Rachel Dratch helped launch the #LysolLaundryChallenge, challenging consumers to try Lysol Laundry Sanitizer on their stinkiest laundry loads, or get their money back if they don't love the results. Fans had the opportunity to smell the World's Stinkiest Sock alongside a sock sanitized using Lysol Laundry Sanitizer
To learn more about the World's Stinkiest Sock and the #LysolLaundryChallenge, visit LysolLaundryChallenge.com.
