Woolite - yes or no?

[Dianyla]

But eventually, after many rounds sweat and laundering, the lanolin is used up. There are lanolin renewer products. I just checked our laundry room for the name of the one we use, but we're out. We get it from a friend who raises sheep and produces his own yarn. I think he imports it from Germany.

I've seen instructions online about melting some pure lanolin (commonly found in the maternity section for use as nipple balm) in hot water and dipping garments into it to re-lanolize them. However, these instructions were for cloth diaper covers with the intent of making them somewhat impermeable. I imagine the same tactic could be used, just with much less lanolin than they recommend.

Also, I imagine that some sort of lanolin-based superfatted soap would do the trick. The presence of some soap would help emulsify the mix, but an excess of lanolin (i.e. more lanolin than the soap can remove) would be spread throughout the garment fibers.

[chakra]

I have a lot of wool clothing, all merino, mostly superfine. I use Eucelan wool wash in a front-loading machine on warm, and have done so for years.

Works great!

[Bike Goddess]

I use Tide (no scent) for all of my bike stuff- wool included. I also put about 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the rinse (in the fabric softener cup of my machine). I never use the dryer for my clothes, just hang them up after the wash.

I've been using this method for washing all of our clothes for about 20 years now and haven't had any problems. However, since I live in the SF Bay Area, we are blessed with reasonably soft water so that may help.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I use Tide (no scent) for all of my bike stuff- wool included. I also put about 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the rinse (in the fabric softener cup of my machine). I never use the dryer for my clothes, just hang them up after the wash.

I've been using this method for washing all of our clothes for about 20 years now and haven't had any problems. However, since I live in the SF Bay Area, we are blessed with reasonably soft water so that may help.

Plus, you don't have to hang your clothes out to "dry" when it's 15 degrees F outside...they'd be frozen solid in ten minutes!

[OakLeaf]

Plus, you don't have to hang your clothes out to "dry" when it's 15 degrees F outside...they'd be frozen solid in ten minutes!

Hey, ice will sublimate after a while. You're not riding that often in 15F anyway are you?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey, ice will sublimate after a while. You're not riding that often in 15F anyway are you?

I don't ride too often at 15 degrees, maybe once every couple of weeks starting out the door at that temp in the first part of the morning if it looks like it will warm up later during my ride, ....but I was actually referring to hanging clothes outside on the line to dry when it's way below freezing. I do ride several times a week in the 20-40 degree range.

My husband and I both wear wool night and day all winter, from head to toe, whether biking or not biking. So despite wearing each piece several times before washing, DH and I still generate enough wool laundry for a load for each of us every week, especially if I throw a few other odds and ends laundry items in with it.
Once winter sets in here, there is often no substantial above freezing temps for days at a time. No way I'm going to hang my good Ibex wool pieces out on the line to freeze solid and then clank around in the wind on the clothesline like wind chimes! Instead, we put them to damp dry in the dryer on very low for a while, then often take some of the more delicate pieces out of the dryer to drape over various furniture to complete their drying. Other wool stuff we have is fine to complete drying on low in the dryer- wool doesn't take long to dry.
In the Spring, summer, and Fall we do hang much of our wool on the clothesline outside to dry.

[kjay]

I just bought some Win detergent, which is made especially for athletes and does an excellent job of removing odors. I work with about 15 camels on a regular basis, and although I love the way they smell, most people don't, so I not only wash my bike clothes in Win but also my ranch clothes. Someone else on this particular thread provided the link for Win detergent, so if you scroll back a bit, you'll see it.

[Bike Goddess]

Lisa- RE hanging out to dry- well no, I just hang them on hangers over the door inside.

Kjay- Did you know that we have a camel barn here in Benicia? We used to have camel races here too for a couple of years, but that's gone now. I had the fortune one year of phographing a mama and baby. Pretty darn cute! (And yes, they do smell!!)

[OakLeaf]

Seriously, I have two of those expandable drying racks for inside, plus two flat racks for sweaters & stuff. My gym clothes don't go in the dryer, either - they last so much longer and wick sweat so much better when they're air dried.

When it's full winter, clothes will dry in the laundry room without triggering the dehumidifier. In clammy fall weather, DH just has to deal with the upstairs being full of drying clothes for a few hours

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa- RE hanging out to dry- well no, I just hang them on hangers over the door inside.

Oh, I misunderstood!

Yes, we drape stuff around inside to dry too- though I usually do some pre-fluffing in the low dryer- it's the best way to get all the cat hair off!

We just bought a small wooden folding clothes drying rack too, for the bedroom- beats covering all the chairs with stuff airing out after our rides. We might get another one for the basement too, for next to the washer/dryer.

[kjay]

Lisa- RE hanging out to dry- well no, I just hang them on hangers over the door inside.

Kjay- Did you know that we have a camel barn here in Benicia? We used to have camel races here too for a couple of years, but that's gone now. I had the fortune one year of phographing a mama and baby. Pretty darn cute! (And yes, they do smell!!)

Bike Goddess, I've seen the camel races in Benicia but have yet to visit the camel barn, which I've been meaning to do for the last few years. Thanks for reminding me.

[badger]

I realize this is a pretty old thread and nobody probably reads it anymore, but I thought I'd add my two cents. I also haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if it's strayed from where the conversations have gone.

Regarding the stink on clothes, has anyone here tried merino wool? I've recently been making a concerted effort to switch my workout gear to as much natural fibres as possible, as I find synthetics hold the stink and even seem to magnify it.

Merino wool is light, itch free, controls body temperature, wicks like crazy, and doesn't hold any stink (really!!). Most of my shirts and all my socks are now merino wool, and I honestly can't find anything to complain about, maybe that they might pill more.

there might be issues with the mistreatment of some of the sheep may go through, called muelsing (much like a male circumcision, a cutting of flap of skin over their tail to prevent fly infestation). But come 2010, muelsing will be banned, and some companies already carry non-muelsing merino wool.

I might just be talking out of my butt because I hate wearing jerseys, but if it's for just training purposes and you don't care what you look like, then I highly recommend looking into merino wool. Not cheap, but if you look through ebay or sometimes cheap stuff come up on steepandcheap.com.

[SouthernBelle]

Badger,

If you go to the apparel section, there is a 56 page thread on wool and those who love it.

[SadieKate]

No one has mentioned this. We stumbled upon the product at the hardware store several years ago. Being a believer in good old baking soda for gentle effective cleansing plus allergic to the perfumes, we tried it. Wow. Fresh, sparkling clothes. Except for the oldest of Capilene products, all synthetics are fine (no, not all synthetics build up scent). Googling around the net, Arm & Hammer seems to win comparison with the other big names. Fortunately, we can get it anywhere now. I'm trying the one with softener now for the sheets and towels, so far so good.

http://www.thelaundrybasket.com/Our_...Detergent.html

Not to mention it is biodegradable, and the box and scoop use recycled materials.

While I love wool, there are times when the new microfibers can't be beat for functionality so it's nice to have a product that takes out all the stink.

[awm03]

I use bleach and Borax, and to heck with the fabric care instructions. Bleach is the only thing that kills the bacteria & Borax helps too. Maybe these shorten the life span of my bike clothes, but at least I'm fresh as a daisy for my ride. It doesn't take a whole lot of bleach, either: half a cup for a full load. Use about a cup of Borax. Warm water.