Pop N Wood

Downy Unstoppable scent beads work perfectly for bike clothes. I sometimes wear the same bike clothes for a week before washing and the Downy stuff gets rid of the funk.

Hiro11

Agreed. Soaking smelly clothing in diluted vinegar with a squeeze of Dawn in a bucket overnight will kill most anything and truly get the stink out once and for all. Nothing else truly works, in my experience. Adding scents to the laundry will just cover the funk up briefly until the garment gets wet again, then the stink comes right back. You have to kill the bacteria. I've found you don't need to do this every time you wash your stuff, just once or twice a year. "Cleaning strength" vinegar is available and perfect for this. After the soak, rinse the clothing thoroughly to get all the vinegar out. Then wash the clothing normally.

One other key tip: immediately dry everything after washing / riding and keep it dry. I hang all cycling stuff to dry on a dedicated rack I have in my house, I don't use a dryer. I keep most frequently used stuff hanging to let it ventilate. I also use a $25 boot / clothing dryer I got from Amazon to dry out cycling shoes and helmets quickly. If stuff stays wet, it will quickly start to stink. I also wash my (non-leather) gloves after every ride.

bironi

PP,
Not sure you ever responded to the question about a front load washer.
I have found the answer is to unload quickly after the wash cycle.
Dry the bottom of the door seals (3 on my model) with dry towel wicking.
If you have mold/mildew in those 3 seal crevices',
Put strips of cut towel mainly in the lower 180 degrees of those gaps.
Take a squeeze bottle of liquid bleach, douse each gap to saturate the towel strips.
Close the front load door, let sit for 24hrs.
Wala!
But you still have to to the routine of removing the bike clothing soon after the wash cycle, and dry the seal gaps.
It works.
A bit of a pain, but it you don't believe me, look at all the consumer lawsuits concerning this issue with front loading washers in recent years.

indyfabz

I’m seeing an ad at the bottom of this thread telling me to stop wiping my butt.

Pop N Wood

Better cover up the camera on your lap top, I think they are on to you.

Flip Flop Rider

buy more clothes and rotate

cubewheels

Same here with my shorts before wash!

cubewheels

I soak and rinse my sweaty cycling shirt and shorts in pure tap water (no detergent, nor anything else) immediately after the ride.

Rinse twice, drain, soak for 15 minutes, rince twice again, and hang to dry ready to use the next day. That's for everyday treatment. Only once a month my cycling clothes get the washer treatment with detergent.

My clothes never smells bad this way. They smell fresh by the time they are fully dry with just a hint of the Kellogs Cornflakes cereal that I eat 2 to 3x a day.

Bill in VA

See post #28, then consider external (or more accurately internal) sources.

The old adage is "you are what you eat." And drink.

Cutting fats and sugar from your diet and carbs where possible may help. Additionally red meat can make a difference. In Asia residents say that can smell an American meat diet.
Secondly, do you take supplements. Those can really make for a funk, as can some prescription medicines. Some herbal teas can do the same as well as cause staining sweat.

It is worth a try.

August West

I don't have a problem with my bibs or jerseys but my Headsweats and sweatbands are different story. In the past I have soaked them in a very dilute solution of bleach which took care of the problem for a month or two but it always comes back. I even rinse them out thoroughly with water after every ride and never reuse one before laundering. But I know bleach isn't good for these synthetic fabrics so am trying the vinegar/Dawn soak today before laundering them.

tdonline

I do exactly this and it has not worked. My problem children are cotton shirts and recurring armpit odor. They are fine after washing but as soon as I wear them, the odor returns. I've targeted the arm pit areas of these shirts with vinegar, Febreeze and enzyme sprays and all have failed.

Danhedonia

pennpaul

Recently had this happen, and a few internet searches suggested that the problem is the growth of bacteria in the water. Sulfurous smell, yes?

It was suggested that the HW heater have the heat increased to ensure that the temp of the water would be high enough (around 160F) to kill the hydrosulfites (which are otherwise harmless).

Worked like a charm. Maybe it will for you, too.

Ryno317

How about running the washer on a self clean cycle or running it with HOT water and vinegar or bleach to clean it out. There are also products for cleaning the washer that you add. Mine has a reminder to self clean after 20 washes. The smell could be coming from the washer it self, old water sitting or mildew growing in the nooks and crannies.

Machka 

Borax

rydabent

It occurs to me that it could be your city water. Here in Lincoln for instance it is pure well water. A lot of cities use river water. Now matter how well they purify it, when you live down stream, look how many times it has been flushed.