UKH

I have a load of synthetic base layers that smell OK out of the washing machine but quickly start to reek after gentle exercise. They are in good nick apart from that and I'm loathe to throw them away.

Has anyone used Halo Proactive or any of the other specialist products that claim to sort this? I think there is a Nikwax equivalent as well. 

I've thought about washing at a higher temperature (60 degrees?) too...

reply to JB:

I haven’t used Halo Proactive. I used to use borax powder which was pretty effective but it’s no longer available in the UK and EU. It messes with your hormones amongst other things - testicular atrophy and reduced female fertility. I use borax substitute now, which seems to work. Apparently using white vinegar in the rinse tray helps too but I haven’t tried that yet. 

Wash my gym things in distilled vinegar first to get rid of those kinds of odours. Stick a cup in the drum and set the washer to a cold short wash then use your normal cycle with detergent. Tried the antibac stuff and it did absolutely nothing.

I used to use it before I bought fancier anti-bacterial base layers. As far as I remember it would work for a while but ultimately some base layers are born to stink. Giving them a good pre-soak in the stuff helps. 

Spray bottle with some diluted white vinegar in it.  Spray it on the oxters of the offending garment as soon as you’ve finished wearing it then wash as usual.

The dettol wash in is readily available and works really well for me.

Try soaking / washing them in one of the nappy cleaners like Milton.  I'm told it's bacteria that are responsible for the smell and this is supposed to give the little blighters a bad time.

I could be talking rubbish here but I think that is the way synthetic base layers are supposed to work.

They take the sweat away from you to keep you dry but absorb and 'radiate' it and so whiff a bit, or indeed, quite a bit.

Merino tops are better, but the only ones I have need to be washed gently and dried flat which isn't always easy.

Dave

Oxters - haven't heard that excellent word for years,

Dave

Long exposure in bright direct sunlight will go someway to killing the bacteria via UV radiation. However it might not be able to penetrate all the way through but it should reduce some of its potency. 

Thanks all, the Borax option sounds intriguing (if lethal!) but I think I'll give Dettol or white vinegar a go and see how I get on with that.

Alas I'm in N . Ireland so 'long exposure in direct sunlight' isn't feasible. 

A couple of these tops are the 'anti-bacterial' versions actually but over time this has ceased working...

I use a mixture of normal washing powder and Milton powder when I wash my running gear. Seems to work. 

I've also used Halo, and that works as well, as does the Dettol wash-in stuff. The instructions for the latter only specify use with cotton, but it seems okay so far with synthetics.

The Dettol wash cleanser works well on synthetics. Directions are to put in the fabric softener tray but if something's quite smelly I put it in the main wash so it has a full soak in the stuff.