How to Get the Smell Out of Gym Kit, Towels & Work Clothes — For Good

You wash the gym top. It comes out fine. Two minutes into your next session, it smells like it never saw water.

Same story with towels that go sour between uses, and work clothes that never quite lose the grime.

This is one of the most frustrating laundry problems — and the reason it resists normal washing is that you’re not fighting dirt. You’re fighting bacteria. Here’s how to shift it for good.

Why these fabrics hold the smell

Sweat itself is nearly odourless. The smell comes from bacteria that feed on sweat, body oils and skin cells, thriving in warm, damp fabric. Two things make gym kit and towels the worst offenders:

Synthetics trap it. Polyester and other synthetic fibres — what most activewear is made from — hold onto sweat, oil and bacteria far more stubbornly than cotton. The structure of synthetic fabric is ideal for bacteria to grip and colonise.

The smell gets locked in. Over repeated wear-wash-dry cycles, bacterial buildup (biofilm) deepens until the odour becomes embedded in the fibres — the “permastink” effect. At that point an ordinary wash barely touches it, because the bacteria are physically shielded by the biofilm matrix. More on the science in What Is Biofilm in Laundry?

The mistakes that make it worse

Before the fixes: stop doing these. They’re why the smell keeps winning.

Adding extra detergent. The instinct is understandable, but excess detergent doesn’t rinse out cleanly. The residue feeds the bacteria, so clothes can end up smelling worse after washing. Over-dosing is one of the most common causes of persistent laundry odour.

Using fabric softener. It coats fibres with a film that traps odour in and stops activewear wicking and towels absorbing. Skip it entirely on gym kit and towels.

Tumble-drying smelly items. Heat can set odour deeper into the fibres. Air-dry when a smell is present.

Leaving damp kit balled up. A warm, damp pile in a bag or basket is a bacterial feast. Hang it to dry between gym sessions and wash day.

How to actually remove set-in odour

1. Don’t let it build up

The single biggest factor: wash activewear after every use. Once sweat, oil and bacteria accumulate across several wears, the smell becomes far harder — sometimes impossible — to fully remove. Fresh odour responds quickly; aged odour fights back.

2. Pre-soak the stubborn stuff

For items that already smell, a soak before washing breaks the cycle:

• White vinegar: 1 part distilled white vinegar to 4 parts cold water, 15–30 minutes. Vinegar’s acidity helps kill odour bacteria and cut the bond between fabric and body oil. Don’t do this every wash — the acid can degrade elastic over time. Save it for genuinely smelly loads.
• Bicarbonate of soda: Alkaline, so it neutralises the acidic notes of sweat odour and helps absorb the oils that carry it.

These home remedies help, but they’re blunt instruments. They don’t digest the embedded residue that keeps the smell coming back — that requires enzymes.

3. Add an enzyme laundry booster

This is the step that addresses the actual cause. An enzyme booster added alongside your detergent uses:

Rather than masking the smell with fragrance, enzymes break apart the odour-causing molecules and digest the buildup bacteria feed on — so the wash rinses it all away. That’s how viblii’s Laundry Booster is designed to work on exactly this kind of set-in, stubborn smell.

4. Wash warm where the fabric allows

30°C cycles are kind to fabrics and your energy bill, but they leave more residue for bacteria. Check the care label — where the garment allows 40°C or above, the booster’s enzymes work more effectively and more bacteria are eliminated per cycle.

5. Air-dry

Hang items to dry rather than tumbling. It avoids baking any residual odour into the fibres and is gentler on the fabric long-term.

The step almost everyone forgets: the machine

Here’s the uncomfortable truth — if your washing machine is harbouring biofilm in its drum, seal and drawer, it re-seeds bacteria into every load. You can follow every step above and still get sour results, because the machine itself is the source.

Run a dedicated enzyme washing-machine cleaner on a regular maintenance cycle to clear that buildup. In a hard-water area, a descaling formula also removes the limescale that shelters bacteria; in a pet household, a pet formula targets the hair and oils that collect in the drum and seal.

Your anti-odour routine, in short

1. Wash activewear after every use — don’t let it build up
2. Skip fabric softener; resist adding extra detergent
3. Pre-soak genuinely smelly items (vinegar or bicarb)
4. Add an enzyme laundry booster to digest the residue at the root
5. Wash as warm as the label allows, then air-dry
6. Clean your machine monthly so it stops re-infecting your laundry

Do these together and that “clean but still smelly” cycle breaks — for good.

Beat set-in odour at the source. Shop the viblii Laundry Booster and keep your machine fresh with our Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my gym clothes still smell after washing?

Because the smell comes from bacteria embedded in the fabric (biofilm), not from loose dirt. Detergent lifts loose soil but can’t break down the biofilm matrix or digest the residue the bacteria feed on. The bacteria survive the wash, repopulate, and produce odour compounds the next time the fabric gets warm and damp.

How do I get rid of permastink in activewear?

Skip fabric softener, add an enzyme laundry booster alongside your detergent, wash at 40°C or above where the care label allows, and air-dry. For deeply embedded smell, pre-soak in a 1:4 vinegar-to-water solution for 30 minutes before washing. Also clean your machine — a colonised drum re-seeds odour into every load.

Does white vinegar remove smell from gym clothes?

Vinegar helps — its acidity kills some odour bacteria and cuts the bond between fabric and body oil. But it’s a blunt instrument that doesn’t digest the embedded residue causing the smell. Use it as a pre-soak for smelly loads, then follow with an enzyme booster in the wash.

Why do my towels smell musty even after washing?

The most common causes: fabric softener (traps odour in), washing at too low a temperature (bacteria survive), leaving damp towels bunched up (bacteria repopulate), and a dirty washing machine (re-seeds bacteria every cycle). Skip the softener, use an enzyme booster, wash at 60°C if the label allows, and clean your machine monthly.

Should I use fabric softener on gym clothes?

No. Fabric softener coats synthetic fibres with a film that traps odour compounds in and stops activewear wicking moisture. It also reduces towel absorbency. Skip it entirely on any load where smell is a concern.

How often should I clean my washing machine to prevent laundry odour?

Once a month is sufficient for most households. If you wash pet bedding, large synthetic loads, or live in a hard-water area, every three weeks is better. Use a dedicated enzyme or descaling tablet rather than a hot-wash-with-powder — the targeted formula is more effective at clearing biofilm from seals and internal parts.

Can I fix permastink without an enzyme booster?

Sometimes. A very hot wash (60°C or above) can kill enough bacteria to break the cycle on fabrics that tolerate high temperatures. A vinegar pre-soak helps. But for deep permastink in synthetic fibres, enzyme action is the most reliable fix because it digests the biofilm residue rather than just killing surface bacteria.

Related Reading

• What Is Biofilm in Laundry?
• Laundry Booster vs Detergent: What’s the Difference?
• How to Remove Pet Hair from Your Washing Machine
• Best Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets UK 2026