# Why Do Blue T-Shirts Make My Hubby Stink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869 "2006-04-01T18:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/21 "2006-04-04T14:10:50Z")
What about silk? I have a silk knit top that seems like it gets smelly the minute I sweat a teeny little bit, but I don’t think I can boil it. It’s dry clean only. (It does get dry cleaned fairly often.) Is there anyhting I can do with it? ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/22 "2006-04-04T15:53:23Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > It’s an interesting phenomenon. It’s as if blue t-shirts in some day deactivate his deodorant. Black has a lesser effect, but still does something strange to him. > > We’re both perplexed. Can it be possible that the dyes cause it, even though the shirts have been washed many times? Is there any I could put in the wash to neutralize the effect? I would hazard a wild out of the blue guess that he thinks he is hot, or gets more looks from the ladies in blue and that triggers a hormonal response which causes increased sweating overbearing his deodorant. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/23 "2006-04-04T16:09:23Z")
slight hijack on the microwave idea - watch the wave closely. Mr. Science here decided to microwave a couple of wooden salad forks that had sat in the water, thinking that they must have absorbed lots of bacteria, too, and it was about time to just sterilize the dang things for once and for all. So, I put them in the wave for a couple of minutes (literally) to give them a good drying off and to kill off any internal bugs that may have set up housekeeping in there. Stepped away for a moment to do something. Stepped back into the kitchen in time to see the place filled with smoke, the spoons just on the verge of bursting into flames, the smoke detectors jumping into action, and the bacteria, no doubt dead. It’s been about two weeks now, and still, everytime we use the nuker, the place smells like we’re sitting around a campfire. Doh! ---
**Author:** ![Gianni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@Gianni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gianni)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/24 "2011-11-25T18:19:18Z")
Why is it so difficult for people to believe that it’s the blue shirt itself that causes the smell? I can confirm this. Most, but not all, of the dark blue t-shirts, dress shirts, and sweatshirts that I’ve bought have this same problem: they all smell much worse than other shirts after an hour or two of wear. Light blues, as with blue oxford button-downs, don’t seem to react the same way. I am often complemented on how good I smell; and girlfriends have told me that even when I sweat I “never smell bad”. But the blue shirts do it. And also, as in the experience of the original messager, some black shirts (but fewer). I have not encountered this issue with other colors; but admittedly I never buy dark green (which may be made with dark blue dye). Olive sometimes, but never forest green. On occasion, I’ll buy a dark blue shirt just to try it out; and once in a while it will be okay to wear; but the number of shirts I have to get rid of hardly make it worth it to even consider darker tees. Currently I only have one navy henley that is okay to wear without smelling bad. My conclusion: Something in the dye used for dark blue and black shirts reacts with my sweat or body to produce odors. It seems that it’s also true for others. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/25 "2011-11-25T19:19:47Z")
Blue shirts may smell but zombies smell worse. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/26 "2011-11-25T19:34:50Z")
Since Lissa hasn’t been around since 2007, I wonder…does her hubby still wear his stinkin’ blue shirt? We don’t need no stinkin’ blue shirts! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/27 "2011-11-25T20:05:57Z")
Why does someone ALWAYS feel the need to be the first to point out that a thread is old, regardless of the fact that the new posts add to the conversation? Do you want a pat on the head? A cookie? What the hell. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/28 "2011-11-25T20:38:09Z")
I want a pony. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/29 "2011-11-25T20:41:18Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Why does someone ALWAYS feel the need to be the first to point out that a thread is old, regardless of the fact that the new posts add to the conversation? Because the resurrector didn’t notice; the OP and other posters may not be around anymore, and the age of the thread may be a factor in replying. Better to reveal than assume we all know. And I want a cookie. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/30 "2011-11-25T21:06:17Z")
I can kind of see adding something to the discussion and mentioning “oh by the way, this thread is X months/years old” but to just come in to post nothing but a zombie “joke” seems kind of assholish to me. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/31 "2011-11-26T01:25:15Z")
Lissa may have used ammonia and bleach together, and she is indeed now a zombie herself. Dressed in a blue T-shirt, natch. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/32 "2011-11-26T01:54:39Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I can kind of see adding something to the discussion and mentioning “oh by the way, this thread is X months/years old” but to just come in to post nothing but a zombie “joke” seems kind of assholish to me. Assholes are people who bump 5 year old threads with zero new information. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/33 "2011-11-26T20:22:57Z")
Something that no one mentioned in the thread: try hanging your shirts out to dry in the sun now and then. There’s something magic about sunlight destroying bad smells. (Yeah, it’s a zombie, but other people may still have stinky shirts.) ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/34 "2011-11-26T21:37:36Z")
I see this is a zombie thread, but I was going to ask Lissa what hubby wore over his blue shirts. In post 6 she said he wears the white Ts under his dress work shirts, but I didn’t see if she said anywhere that he wears shirts over the blue or brown Ts. If not that’s probably why the blues stink. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisHaarlem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@ChrisHaarlem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisHaarlem)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/35 "2015-01-16T12:23:02Z")
Does your husband use deo stick under his arms. Could it be a chemical reaction between some element of the blue dying and the deo, that would sour the fragance of the deo? One way to test is wear a blue-tshirt without any deo, if it improves, change deo… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/36 "2015-01-16T14:44:59Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I can kind of see adding something to the discussion and mentioning “oh by the way, this thread is X months/years old” but to just come in to post nothing but a zombie “joke” seems kind of assholish to me. Boy, talk about a zombie thread. ETA: [Cite](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746164). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/37 "2015-01-16T19:57:29Z")
If someone had thought to suggest it when this thread was newer, or if **Lissa** or anyone else is still having this problem: I think she should stop washing the blue shirts in vanilla ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![Curid1992](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Curid1992](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curid1992)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/38 "2015-07-12T20:31:02Z")
In all honesty, I doubt it is the blue shirts that are the problem. My favorite color is blue so I often wear blue shirts - they do not smell any differently to any other shirt I put on. So I honestly doubt it is the shirt that is the issue here. I can confirm that leaving clothes damp for long periods of time do not help though - maybe that is what has happened? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/39 "2015-07-14T06:48:23Z")
I routinely soak white stuff, ( I no longer have white dress shirts, even for funerals ) in a bucket for up to a week with laundry soap, bleach & an OXY clean of some sort. No stains of any kind, no smells & dry with no fabric softener which reduces absorbency I have heard. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869/40 "2015-07-14T06:50:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Boy, talk about a zombie thread. > > ETA: [Cite](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746164). > > Regards, > Shodan I should not have laughed but I did. Shame on you. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-blue-t-shirts-make-my-hubby-stink/350869.md?page=1)