Okay, maybe it’s just me, but it happened again today - I put on a sweater fresh from the dry cleaner. I think it may happen with machine wash stuff too sometimes, though. I actually gave the armpits a sniff because even though it was clean I remembered this sweater as being a culprit in the past - smelled like nothing but clean sweater. The second I got the first drop of sweat from hauling stuff out of my car, the armpits of the sweater stink! Seriously, no way do I normally smell after just carrying stuff into work from my car! It’s that “sweating all day in an office” sort of bad smell, not the “physical exertion” kind or, what I ought to smell like after five minutes of moderate effort, nothing. I’ve spent the day with my arms clamped to my side.
So what the hell? I’ve been theorizing that there’s bacteria just hanging out in the sweater, waiting to be activated - but why doesn’t the dry cleaning take care of it? Is there something I can do? Febreeze? Hit it hard with my garment steamer?
Somebody PLEASE tell me it’s not just me and that other people get this same thing. And also don’t get too close to me. I put my jacket on for your own protection.
Is it polyester? Part polyester? I’m asking because I’ve always had a problem with polyester. Polyester seems to me to retain odors even after laundering, and it doesn’t take much to reactivate them.
I’ve had that, but with wool sweaters (not all, just a few).
For instance, I had a very soft wool sweater, almost a cashmere, and natural color. One day I was filing and worked up a sweat (heh!) and the thing just reeked of farm cattle! I realize it was the moisture on the wool, and not really B.O., but damn it smelled awful.
I have a silk long underwear shirt, and let me tell you, it stinks to high heaven when I wear it. Granted, I wear it when outdoors in the winter doing something active (and sweating a lot), but man, do I stink something awful wearing that.
The shirt seems to smell fine when I put it on, but the silk seems to hold in my odor and quickly stinks. Very warm, though, and very comfortable while wearing. But the stench!
I noticed that with my t shirts too - moisture seems to activate the smell. Still haven’t found a good way to get rid of it. I think the smell may come from mixing in the wash. New clothes started smelling after washing.
Oh, silk. There is good silk and there is cheap silk. I have a t-shirt that’s silk, but the cheap stuff. It smells like, um, raw silk? Anyway, a noticeable odor. After washing, it smells of Forever New until about five minutes after I put it on, when my body heat brings out the smell of cheap silk again. Not the worst smell, though.
I’m guessing the polyester is the culprit, because I’ve known it to grab hold of odors and just not let them go ever. I’d be a lot more inclined to blame that than the rayon.
You might also try handwashing it in warm water with a little vinegar. Maybe test a spot first to make sure it doesn’t do something weird to the color (what, vinegar? can’t be too careful).
With my stinky silk tee I would have been happy to change the color to get rid of the smell. Blotchy colors can be interesting. But it didn’t change the color. Also didn’t work.
Maybe rinse with baking soda in water? With that blend, is it dry clean only, or dry clean recommended?
Truly, I hate polyester. Why in the hell did it make its reentry into fashion? It stinks, it snags, and if it creases, it’s creased forever. And it shrinks. The industry claims it doesn’t, but I lose about 1-2" off the length after two or three washes.
Appl gel deodorant (Mitchum is best) and you should blow-dry your pits (on cool) after applying.
In the shower you should really scrub and exfoliate said pits every day. ((I forget where I read this originally but it’s helped me immensely. My sweaty teenaged brother has fresh smelling shirts with this method.))
you should also be shaving said pits ever 2-3 day, not going longer than that. Teenage bro refuses to do this but does “buzz” them regularly.
This will definitely help sweat and odor from occurring in the first place and thus stop the transfer.
It seems more likely to me that the oils and proteins from your armpit sweat are not being washed out of the fabric well enough than that bacteria is lingering in the fabric.
Then the bacteria that live on you, that love to munch on apocrine sweat and stink up the place, chow down on the stuff still on the fabric and voila you stink again.
But of a WAG, but it’s my WAG and I’m sticking to it.
Try not washing it in hot water or drying it on high heat. Your poly is “shrinking” because you are melting the fibers. The industry says polyester doesn’t shrink because it doesn’t shrink. I own tons of polyester and have never had any of shrink. I wash it on cold and dry on low heat.
