[SUMMER FIT] Cleaning that dirty running gear

September 05, 2014

I just finished cleaning up my cat's room. The room is really our study, but her litter box occupies a small corner. Wow! One little cat can make the entire room stink up. We have a nifty litter box for her that is fairly stink-free. However, today was the day I had to get out the brush and mop to take care of that stench. Yuck! Furball-my-sweet-smelly-cat

While I complain about my feline friend, my wife complains about me. "Your shoes stink!" "Your shirts stink!" "Don't forget to pre-wash - your clothes are not going in the washer like that!" Etc. What is a runner supposed to do? In the summer, I sweat. I sweat a lot. Seriously, I understand why my wife says those things. I can't stand the stink of my shoes either and I don't have a very good nose. I switched to Vibram Five Fingers about four years ago and am not looking back. I love the shoes. But I just can't wear these shoes with socks, which means my shoes will stink more than usual. During a trail run last Saturday, I lamented my problems to my running buddy, Eric. He is a chemist and just was full of fantastic ideas. Here is a list of some of his essential summer fitness cleaning advice:

1. Put out your dirty shirts, shorts, and shoes in the sun.

After washing my clothes and shoes their best, I put them in the sun. In Japan just everyone hangs up their clothes so this advice was quite natural for me. Runbell-Shirt-in-the-Sun

2. Put your gritty gear in the freezer

A big reason your clothes stink is the live bacteria and fungus taking up residence. Freeze the little guys and a big part of the smell factory will be removed. I haven't tried this advice yet, but my shoes are currently in the freezer. Looking forward to some better smelling shoes in the morning. Vibrams-Freezer-Smell-Out

3. Use Vinegar

I wish there was an easy way I just dropped my clothes in a bucket and they came out clean. Hence, this vinegar idea is so intriguing. Eric went on and on about the benefits of vinegar in cleaning just about anything. "Put your clothes in a giant tub of vinegar from Costco. Leave them overnight and bam your clothes just smell like vinegar. The vinegar smells goes away leaving your clothes smelling clothes!". On my next Costco run, you can bet I will be grabbing a giant tub of vinegar! I can't wait to try this one out. Just Google "vinegar to clean up clothes" for tons of ideas on how to use vinegar for cleaning. ---- Let us know your advice! What do you do to keep those clothes and shoes clean? --- Is your gear so worn out that you need completely new gear? Imagine going to website, buying a gift card for less than face value, and then replacing your stinky gear with new gear! Perfect. Your catch goes further. This post has been inspired by Raise.com with their [Summer Fit] campaign. Raise.com is the first online marketplace to buy and sell gift cards, where you can buy discount gift cards to your favorite stores or sell your unwanted gift cards for cash. From Target to Dick's Sporting Goods, our marketplace is full of gift cards to meet all your summer needs. Check them out if you like.