After an intense workout, sweaty and stinking gym essentials are a huge conundrum. Unfortunately, throwing in your towels and an ounce of detergent for a quick round in a washer does not always help get rid of the smell. So to clean up the sturdy cloth, you need to get your hands on some important to-dos and cool hacks.
As manufacturers of premium silver towels, Mizu presents you with some tricks to disinfect your gym towels post-training session.
We also understand that using a good-quality antibacterial towel is practical and imperative for gym hygiene. Therefore, this article also lists for you some of the best considerable options available in the market. So without further ado, let’s get to it!
Tips and Tricks to Rid Gym Towels of Smell
Before we get to the main subject, it is important for you to understand why gym clothes and towels stink. Although there is a multitude of factors that contribute to the characteristic post-workout smell, some of the main reasons are as follows:
- Sebum and body oil production is increased during exercise
- If you don't use an antibacterial towel, accumulated sweat and oils serve as a breeding ground for bacteria on the cloth
- The cloth material is usually water-resistant and hence, difficult to disinfect
However, adding some easy steps and DIYs to your routine can help with the problem. Some of those tips are as follows:
Dry Up
Drying your gym clothes and towels up once you're done with the workout is the most important step. Most people make the mistake of rolling and piling up all the sweaty stuff together. This allows bacterial growth and causes odor.
Towels get wet due to sweat, and it might not be possible for you to wash the towel daily. In that case, letting it dry completely will help big time.
Baking Soda - The Classic Deodorant
A very economical but highly effective contraption you should use for gym smell is baking soda. Easily available in all homes, sodium bicarbonate is a well-known deodorant.
All you need to do is add a cup of baking soda into the water along with the detergent and give your towel a quick dip. The best thing that factors in here is that it won't only remove the odor, but you will also notice reduced smell and sweat next time you use the towel.
With this method, your towel won’t need a wash daily; hence, it helps the fabric last longer.
Using Warm Water
Setting the right water temperature is necessary for proper cleaning. Washing clothes at a suitable temperature can solve a lot of problems like odor, shrinking fabric, and fading color.
Mildly warm water goes perfectly well with cotton and linen fabric. It prevents them from shrinking and also works as a mild deodorizer to remove the smell. Since our silver towels are also made of bamboo cotton, we would recommend using warm water for washing them.
Note that the water should be warm and little on the colder side. You should always avoid hot water as it can damage the cloth.
Soak in Vinegar
Next up, we will recommend using the centuries-old technique of soaking laundry in vinegar.
Often soap residues stay on the fabric even after the wash and end up damaging it. This is where half a cup of vinegar comes into play.
It efficiently removes all the soap and, therefore, protects your wash from getting rough. Vinegar also has antiseptic properties, hence, it kills the microbes.
Since you might be using a towel to wipe your face, it is crucial for your skin's health to ensure that it is clean of bacteria and sweat. If you don’t take all these measures, the buildup can be catastrophic for your skin, causing severe breakouts.
Use an Antibacterial Towel
On the day of a high-impact workout, when sweat and sebum production is high, an antibacterial towel can save the day. These towels are manufactured by materials that are resistant to germs and contaminants. Hence, they don't allow a bacterial colony.
Mizu silver towels are woven with naturally cleaning fibers that keep all pollutants away. To add to this, they dry three times faster than an average antibacterial towel. This means you won't have to give it a dip every day.
Moreover, the combination of bamboo cotton and natural silver is soft on the skin and soaks up all the sweat, hence keeping the acne away.
Choosing the Right Detergent
Detergents are important to kill bacteria as well as preserve the quality of the fabric. Therefore, choosing a cleaning chemical that suits your towels and their material is crucial.
Since gym towels are prone to comparatively greater bacterial growth, we recommend going for Odor Control Detergents. Many gym clothes and towels have polyester or acrylic as the main material. Water and a regular soap alone do not suffice the disinfection process.
The odor control detergents are formulated with bleach and special enzymes that can easily surpass the moisture-wicking towels. Moreover, they will leave your laundry with a pleasant fragrance that lasts long.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is an important citric acid source that can impart freshness to your towels.
As we mentioned earlier, intense workout sessions cause a rise in sebum production. In stress and hyperactive situations, androgen levels rise in the body leading to more body oils. This makes the towels damp and facilitates the buildup of bacteria and germs. The condition presents in the form of stains and yellow or white patches.
Adding a cup of lemon juice to your laundry helps kill the germs and also breaks down the stain. This brightens up the towels and hence leaves you with a fresh-feeling, clean fabric.
Buttermilk for Mildew
A slight mildew smell is common with gym clothes. It usually happens when you leave the stuff as is in a gym bag. Even an antibacterial towel can get the odor, but it is really easy to get rid of it.
All you have to do is get some buttermilk to soak in the towel. When left overnight, the germicidal agents, mainly lactic acid present in the milk, do the task, and you get a fresh, fragrant towel the next day.
Best Gym Towels You Should Consider Buying
Using a gym towel for training sessions instead of the regular ones adds to the convenience. An antibacterial towel that is small in size soaks more and dries up faster is always better than a cheaper one that lasts for a lesser time.
However, getting hands on suitable workout towels might be hard. To help you with it, the following are some of the best products you can choose from:
Mizu Silver Towels
Mizu is one of the trusted brands that deals in high-quality silver towels. Bamboo cotton and silver fibers are woven with a special technique that makes it durable. The fabric is hyper absorbent and also dries up faster than other cheaper alternatives.
We understand that an antibacterial towel is what you need for better hygiene. Therefore, we use materials that can resist dust and germs; hence, they are more manageable and don't bother you with the smell.
The fabric is comfortable and soft; hence it is gentle on the skin, so you don't have to worry about acne breakout. Overall, our silver towels are all-rounder premium stuff.
SUNLAND Magnetic Gym Towels
As technology seeps in every nook and corner, a lot of companies are using it to level up even the most mundane kinds of stuff. SUNLAND Magnetic Gym Towels are one such example.
Its unique design will be a good addition to your cool classic gym look. In addition, its small size makes it easy to carry. The antibacterial towel has a magnetic patch that is removable and enables proper and easy cleaning.
It is specially designed as a sweat towel, so it soaks up all the sweat and body oil. Furthermore, it dries quickly, preventing the odor. It is multipurpose, and you can use it for all outdoor and indoor activities. So, all in all, it makes up for a good purchase.
HOPESHINE Gym Towels
HOPESHINE Gym Towels have multiple benefits. Firstly they consist of microfibers that won't start coming off after a few days. They are durable and last up to 500 wash. Secondly, the fabric is soft and, therefore, good for your skin's health.
This antibacterial towel is highly absorbent and has a distinct texture that allows more water than an ordinary towel. So it dries up all the rebloom sweat.
Moreover, the product is lightweight and small, so you can roll it up and easily carry it in a small bag.
Conclusion
You can use any of the practical and easy-to-follow tips above to get off the gym smell from your stuff. Some just require stuff you already have lying at home.
If you are a gym freak, you know how important it is to get good sweat towels in the kit. So buy yourself any from the three mentioned above and get on with the cleaning tips today!
Disclaimer
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