How to Get the Smell Out of Sports Kit (What Works)

You washed it. It came out smelling of nothing. Then he put it on, warmed up, and ten minutes into the match it smelled like a changing room again. Ever notice that?

You're not imagining it, and you're not doing the washing wrong. Sports kit is a special case, and the ordinary wash that's fine for everything else is exactly the thing that leaves it smelling. We went into the why over here, if you fancy it. Here's what actually gets it out.

Why a normal wash doesn't fix it

Most kit is polyester, and polyester holds onto smell in a way cotton doesn't. The sweat itself is nearly odourless. The smell comes from bacteria feeding on the skin oils that soak into the fibre, and those oils and odour compounds get absorbed into the polyester and build up wash after wash.

Two things make a standard wash worse at shifting it. Polyester only gives up those compounds part-way, so they accumulate. And the UK default 30C wash, sensible for your energy bill, isn't hot enough to reliably kill the bacteria. So the kit smells clean when it's cool and dry, then reeks again the moment he warms up.

The bit nobody tells you: it's not home versus shop-bought

Everyone wants to know whether the vinegar-and-bicarb crowd or the fancy-bottle crowd is right. Wrong question.

What actually removes set-in smell is whether your method does one of three things: oxidises the trapped gunk, gets hot enough, or kills the bacteria. A plain 30C wash with ordinary liquid detergent does none of them. A cheap home fix and a bought bottle can both work. The wash you're probably already doing is the one that doesn't.

What actually works

An oxygen-bleach soak. This is the best cheap fix. Oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate, the active in colour-safe "oxi" powders) releases hydrogen peroxide in warm water, which oxidises the oils and odour compounds ordinary detergent leaves behind. It's colour-safe, gentler on synthetics than chlorine bleach, and works best if you give it a proper soak - an hour or more in warm water before a normal wash. This is the one that reaches what your detergent can't.

A hotter wash, if the fabric allows. Around 60C reliably knocks the bacteria back. The catch: most stretchy kit is rated for 30-40C and heat can wreck the elastane. Check the label. If it can't go hot - and most of the worst offenders can't - that's exactly why you need one of the other two methods.

An antibacterial laundry additive. The shop-bought shortcut. An antibacterial laundry cleanser, or a specialist sports detergent, earns its place mainly by killing odour bacteria at low temperatures, where a normal wash can't. Worth knowing: it works on the bacteria, not on smell already baked into the fibre. On badly set-in kit, pair it with an oxygen soak rather than expecting it to do everything.

What sort of works, and what doesn't

White vinegar. Handy, but oversold. It neutralises detergent residue, cuts through hard-water build-up, and strips the softener coating that traps smell. On kit that reeks despite washing, it usually isn't enough on its own. Use it as a rinse aid, not a rescue.

Bicarbonate of soda. Same story - a mild freshener, not a fix for deep-set smell. One tip: don't use it in the same step as vinegar. Acid plus alkali just cancel each other out and you get a nice fizz and not much else.

Fabric conditioner. Skip it on sports kit. It coats synthetic fibres and can trap smell rather than remove it, and the fragrance only masks the problem.

Spraying deodorant or fabric spray on the kit. Masking, pure and simple. It sits on top of the smell for an hour and then loses. If a smell needs covering up, it hasn't been dealt with.

The bit that beats all of it: stop the smell getting in

Prevention is cheaper than any cure, and it's mostly free.

Wash it promptly. Damp kit festering in a bag or at the bottom of the stairs is where the smell sets in - bacteria multiply while wet kit dries slowly, so get it washed and get it properly dry, fast. Turn it inside out so the water hits the sweaty side. And skip the conditioner.

The other half is the skin. The less sweat and oil that goes into the kit, the less there is to go off. A proper wash after sport clears the oils the bacteria feed on, and deodorant keeps the load down between washes. That's where Sports Day and Teen Spirit soap and deodorant come in - not as kit cleaners, but as the thing that stops so much going in. To be straight with you: no soap or deodorant will de-stink kit that already smells. They cut what goes in, not what's already there.

So: an oxygen soak for the kit that's already gone, better habits to stop the next lot, and the fancy bottle only if you actually want the convenience. That's the honest version.

FAQs

Does white vinegar get the smell out of sports kit?

It helps with residue and hard-water smell and strips softener build-up, but on kit that stinks despite washing it usually isn't enough on its own. Treat it as a rinse aid, not a cure.

Does bicarbonate of soda work?

As a mild freshener, yes. As a fix for deep-set synthetic smell, not really. And don't mix it with vinegar in the same step - they cancel out.

What's the single most effective thing?

An oxygen-bleach soak (sodium percarbonate) before a normal wash. It oxidises the trapped oils and odour compounds ordinary detergent leaves behind.

Are the expensive sports detergents worth it?

They can be, mainly because they cut odour bacteria at low temperatures, which a normal 30C wash can't. They don't strip smell already absorbed into the fibre, so on bad kit use one alongside an oxygen soak.

Can I just wash it hotter?

If the label allows. Around 60C works, but most stretchy kit is rated 30-40C and heat damages the elastane. Check first.

Will good soap or deodorant fix smelly kit?

No, and anyone claiming that is overselling. Washing your skin and using deodorant reduce what transfers into the kit, so there's less to go off next time. They don't clean the kit itself.

Sources

• Van Herreweghen F. et al. "Biological and Chemical Processes that Lead to Textile Malodour Development." Microorganisms, 2020.
• McQueen R.H., Vaezafshar S. "Odor in textiles: A review of evaluation methods, fabric characteristics, and odor control technologies." Textile Research Journal, 2020.
• Laundry malodour, microbiome and pathogenome study. BMC Biology, 2025.
• Energy Saving Trust, washing machine energy guidance.
• NHS guidance on laundry temperatures and disinfection.

Last reviewed 14 July 2026 by James Allan.