How to Get Sweat and Body Odor Smell Out of Clothes

To get sweat smell out of clothes, presoak the armpits or the whole garment in an enzyme laundry product and cold to lukewarm water under 100°F, then wash on a higher soil level (Iowa State University Extension; American Cleaning Institute). Use enough detergent and the hottest water the care label allows (American Cleaning Institute), and dry the item completely and fast.

The mistake to avoid is fabric softener on workout clothes: it reduces the wicking of technical fabrics (Iowa State University Extension). Polyester also holds body odor more than cotton, so gym gear needs the soak more than T-shirts do (University of Alberta textile researchers).

Key takeaways

Sweat itself has almost no smell: skin bacteria breaking down sweat make the odor, and some of them live on in the fabric.
Presoak in an enzyme product and water under 100°F, following the package directions, before a normal wash.
Wash in the hottest water the label allows; for activewear, cold water plus an oxygen bleach booster where the label permits.
Skip fabric softener on workout clothes and dry them completely and quickly: humid, slow drying brings odor back.
Wash T-shirts, tanks and leggings after every wear rather than airing them out.

Why does sweat make clothes smell so bad?

Sweat itself doesn't smell: the odor appears when bacteria on your skin mix with it (Cleveland Clinic). The apocrine glands in your armpits and groin make the sweat those bacteria break down, which is why underarms smell first (Cleveland Clinic).

Clothes pick up both the sweat and the bacteria. In a 2014 Ghent University study, 26 people wore cotton or polyester shirts for a 1-hour spinning class. After 28 hours, a trained panel rated the polyester shirts significantly less pleasant and more intense (a 2014 Ghent University study).

Fiber matters because body oils and odor compounds cling to synthetics. As a 2021 University of Arizona review explains, odor compounds bind more strongly to polyester than to cotton and are harder to remove with detergent alone. That is why a polyester gym shirt can smell again the moment you warm up in it.

Why does my sweat smell worse some days?

Diet, hormones, stress, exercise, hot weather and some medicines all change body odor (Cleveland Clinic). A sudden change, or a fruity or bleach-like smell, is a reason to call a doctor rather than change detergent (Cleveland Clinic).

How do you get sweat smell out of clothes?

Treat the odor as a stain: sweat is a protein-based soil that usually needs soaking time, and the longer it sits the harder it is to clean (Iowa State University Extension). Work through these steps the same day if you can.

Wash it soon. Don't leave it balled up wet in a gym bag; the longer sweat sits, the harder it is to remove (Iowa State University Extension).
Presoak. Use an enzyme laundry product in cold to lukewarm water, under 100°F, for the time on the package (Iowa State University Extension).
Wash inside out so the most soiled side faces the water (Iowa State University Extension).
Pick a higher soil level. The American Cleaning Institute puts workout gear and sports uniforms on a higher soil setting than everyday clothes.
Use enough detergent and the hottest safe water. Body soil builds up from too little detergent or water that is too cool (American Cleaning Institute).
Add a booster if it still smells. The same chart suggests a product with enzymes, a detergent booster or bleach (American Cleaning Institute). Oxygen bleach in cold washes, below 104°F, cuts bacteria significantly but may not remove them all (a 2021 University of Arizona review).
Dry it fully and fast in the dryer, or hang it where air moves (see the drying section below).

Hot water and cold-water activewear rules conflict, so let the fabric decide. This table sums up the sources above (American Cleaning Institute; lululemon; Iowa State University Extension).

Fabric	Water	Booster	Drying
Cotton T-shirts, socks, underwear	Hottest the label allows	Enzyme detergent; bleach only if the label allows	Dryer is fine
Polyester and spandex activewear	Cold	Enzyme presoak under 100°F	Hang dry, no softener
Wool, silk, dry clean only	Follow the label	None without the label's OK	Air out or dry clean

A water temperature guide helps when the label is gone. At a self-service laundromat, you can rewash a stubborn load in a different machine when you suspect your own washer.

How do you remove an intense sweat smell from clothes?

Repeat the enzyme presoak and wash once more before the item goes in the dryer (Iowa State University Extension). If a whole drawer of gym clothes smells, laundry stripping is the deep-clean option for washable fabrics.

How do you get armpit smell out of shirts?

Pretreat the underarms before the wash: rub liquid laundry detergent into the armpit area, or soak it in warm water with an enzyme presoak, following the package (Iowa State University Extension). Then wash in the hottest water the shirt's label allows (American Cleaning Institute).

Turn the shirt inside out so the armpit fabric faces the water (Iowa State University Extension).
Wash after every wearing. The American Cleaning Institute says T-shirts, tank tops and camisoles need a wash each time they are worn.
Wash whites and silks promptly. They discolor easily and should be cleaned after every wear (American Cleaning Institute).

A stiff, yellow armpit usually means deodorant and body-soil build-up, not just odor. Our guide to deodorant and yellow sweat stains covers that build-up step by step.

How do you remove underarm odor from clothes fast?

There is no reliable quick fix for a smell that is in the fibers. Airing a garment can remove light odors (Iowa State University Extension), but a shirt that smells as soon as you warm up needs the soak and wash above.

How do you get the smell out of workout clothes?

Wash workout clothes in cold water with similar synthetic fabrics, skip fabric softener and hang them to dry, as activewear maker lululemon instructs for its own products. Add an enzyme presoak under 100°F when they still smell (Iowa State University Extension).

No fabric softener. It can reduce the moisture-wicking of performance fabrics (Iowa State University Extension), and the maker above says it interferes with them (lululemon).
Keep them away from cotton and towels in the same load (lululemon).
Use the higher soil level for gym gear (American Cleaning Institute).
Wash leggings and tights after every wear (American Cleaning Institute).

Polyester is the hard case: odor compounds it holds are only partly removed by each wash, so smell builds up over many wears (University of Alberta textile researchers). Treat that gear every wash rather than waiting until it smells.

How do you wash Lululemon leggings and sports bras?

Follow the garment label first. The brand's general rules are cold water, similar fabrics and colors, no fabric softener, and hang drying (lululemon). Sports bras made of the same synthetics follow the same rules.

If you would rather not handle gym laundry at all, a wash-and-fold service will do it; more than 6,700 laundromats in the LaundroMaps directory list wash and fold, as of October 2026 (LaundroMaps directory data). Ask for cold water, no softener and hang drying, the care the maker above gives (lululemon).

Do vinegar and baking soda get rid of sweat smell?

They can help, but they don't replace detergent and an enzyme soak. The American Cleaning Institute says vinegar can help remove unpleasant odors but may leave an odor of its own.

White vinegar: ACI's laundry soak uses 1 cup (240 ml) of white vinegar per 1 gallon (3.8 L) of warm water in a plastic container, then a rinse (American Cleaning Institute). ACI gives it for hard-water detergent residue, not as an odor cure.
Baking soda: add 1/2 cup to the washer with your detergent and another 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle, per its maker's laundry guide (manufacturer guide).
Never with chlorine bleach. Bleach mixed with an acid such as vinegar gives off chlorine gas, which irritates eyes, nose and throat even at low levels (Washington State Department of Health).

For amounts and machine limits, see our guides to vinegar in laundry and baking soda in laundry.

Why do my clothes still smell like BO after washing?

Usually the wash didn't remove all the body soil, or the drying let bacteria regrow. Researchers at the University of Alberta found incomplete odor removal, especially from polyester, causes odor build-up over repeated washes (University of Alberta textile researchers).

Too little detergent or too-cool water. Both leave body soil behind (American Cleaning Institute).
Slow, humid drying. In a 2025 BMC Biology study, drying washed T-shirts in humid air strongly increased their malodor, and several odor compounds reappeared. Slow air drying can also let microbes multiply (a 2021 University of Arizona review).
The washer itself. Washing machines are considered a significant source of the bacteria and fungi behind laundry odors (a 2021 University of Arizona review). See how to clean a washing machine.
Softener on synthetics, which reduces wicking on performance fabrics (Iowa State University Extension).

So hang-dried activewear needs a dry, airy spot where it dries quickly, not a damp bathroom. If clothes smell musty rather than like sweat, the cause is mildew: see how to get mildew smell out of clothes.

How do you get sweat smell out of clothes without washing?

For lightly worn clothes, airing a garment or using an odor eliminator can often remove odors (Iowa State University Extension). Hang it outside the closet where air moves, and spot-treat small marks (Iowa State University Extension).

Airing doesn't remove sweat already in the fibers, so it suits outer layers. Outer clothes can be worn a few times, unless it is hot and you sweated in them (American Cleaning Institute).

How do you get BO smell out of dry clean only clothes?

Air the garment first (Iowa State University Extension). If the smell stays, don't soak or wash it: take it to a professional dry cleaner and point out the underarms. Our list of what to dry clean helps when the label is unclear.

Frequently asked questions

What kills the smell of sweat in clothes?

An enzyme presoak in water under 100°F followed by a wash with enough detergent removes the body soil that bacteria feed on. Oxygen bleach in cold washes cuts bacteria further, and drying the item completely keeps them from regrowing.

Why do my clothes still smell dirty even after washing and drying them?

Body soil left by too little detergent or too-cool water, slow drying in humid air, or a smelly washer are the usual causes. Polyester also releases odor it kept from earlier washes. A musty rather than sweaty smell points to mildew.

How do you fix smelly clothes after drying?

Rewash them: presoak in an enzyme product, wash on a higher soil level with enough detergent, and dry completely right away. Don't put a smelly item back in the dryer without washing, because drying doesn't remove body soil.

Why do my clothes never smell nice after washing?

Check the detergent dose and water temperature first, then the washer itself, which can harbor odor-causing microbes. Hang-dried clothes that dry slowly in humid air can pick up odor again.

Does fabric softener help with sweat smell?

No. On workout clothes it can reduce the fabric's moisture-wicking, and at least one major activewear maker tells you to skip it.

How we researched this

We read university extension guidance from Iowa State University, the American Cleaning Institute's laundry guides, the Cleveland Clinic on body odor, the Washington State Department of Health on bleach safety, and makers' instructions for their own products. For the polyester and drying claims we read four peer-reviewed papers on clothing odor. We did not test these methods ourselves. This guide covers washable clothing and gym gear, not medical causes of body odor or shoe odor. Researched October 2026.

Sources

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