Washing wool baselayers?

[carlotta]

I have mid-weight Smartwool that I wear for commutes from now until mid-March or so. I might wash it every two weeks (usually 6-8 commute days in the winter, 22mi RT) but never because it smells, just because I feel like I should.

I wash it on gentle cycle/gentle spin in my front loader with other bike gear and lay flat (or occasionally hang on the bike) to dry. I also have Smartwool socks that I wear year round and the oldest pairs are now three years old and they're not really showing much wear (I do wash those after every day or two).

[GLC1968]

I do pretty much what Triskeliongirl and Oakleaf do...

With one exception - I do often rinse out the wool base layers I wear running when I sweat heavily. This is mostly just to get the salt out of the garment...not the stink. I just rinse in cool water, gently squeeze and then let it air dry.

My husband, on the other hand, washes and dries all his wool (top load washer and regular dryer) pretty close to every time he wears it. He is not a stinky guy in general, but I will say that the stuff has held up really well and he doesn't smell at all. It makes me wonder if I'm being overly cautious!

[Crankin]

I wash my Smart Wool base layers every time I wear them. While they don't *stink*, they do have an odor. I have a front loader, put them in a mesh bag, in the regular cycle and hang to dry. My Smart Wool merino light 1/4 zips get worn many times, though between washings.
I sweat a lot, and while I don't necessarily have an odor problem, the thought of wearing a base layer without washing, well, doesn't set well with me. Now, if I was camping or something, I would have no issue wearing them for a couple of days.

[Ered_Lithui]

My Smartwool midweight shirt is my most frequently worn item of clothing November to May. I wash it after any exercise -- it probably gets washed every week to two weeks (regular cycle, temperature on cold; hang to dry). It still looks and feels virtually new after five years and has even tolerated a few accidental hot washings and runs through the dryer. Smartwool is pretty awesome.

[fallstoclimb]

I'm super glad others rewear wool without washing.

I had HEARD that wool was awesome, but I didn't understand it until I got this shirt. It is truly amazing.

Question: Does anyone have issues wearing deodorant with wool? I pretty much have to put in deodorant before I bike to work, since I take baby wipe showers here (and reapply deodorant, but still), but now that I'm so in love with my wool baselayer and I want it to last forever and ever I'm a little worried about deodorant rubbing off on it. Shirts that I've had for forever usually start to suffer from deodorant exposure, it seems.

[nuliajuk]

The best thing I've found for washing wool is Eucalan. You don't rinse it out, it contains lanolin for re-oiling the wool. Turn your machine to the rinse part of the delicate cycle, put in the Eucalan and your items, turn it on. Also works well on other animal fibers like angora and cashmere.
Although you don't notice an odor, it's probably not a great idea to go too long between washings. The salt from sweat will eventually eat through the fibers. Personally, I can't wear any kind of animal fiber next to my skin without wanting to scratch myself to pieces, so for me the synthetics are the best thing since sliced bread. They don't collect odor as I wash them soon after every use.

[OakLeaf]

I'm super glad others rewear wool without washing.

I had HEARD that wool was awesome, but I didn't understand it until I got this shirt. It is truly amazing.

Question: Does anyone have issues wearing deodorant with wool? I pretty much have to put in deodorant before I bike to work, since I take baby wipe showers here (and reapply deodorant, but still), but now that I'm so in love with my wool baselayer and I want it to last forever and ever I'm a little worried about deodorant rubbing off on it. Shirts that I've had for forever usually start to suffer from deodorant exposure, it seems.

Well, I have issues with "regular" deodorant, period - it just doesn't react well with my body chemistry and makes me smell even worse - but I know the problem you're talking about. I didn't wear much, if any, wool in those days, but it always seemed to be worst with my nylon blouses. Hard build-up, visible staining and permanent odor. Since I switched to crystal deodorant, I don't have any trouble with deodorant on any of my clothes, wool or other.


ETA: I highly recommend flat drying racks like these. Hanging wet wool will stretch it.

[SheFly]

My husband, on the other hand, washes and dries all his wool (top load washer and regular dryer) pretty close to every time he wears it. He is not a stinky guy in general, but I will say that the stuff has held up really well and he doesn't smell at all. It makes me wonder if I'm being overly cautious!

I do this. Wash after every wear, into the top loader and then into the dryer. I'm on year 5 of one of my base layers, and longer on another. But then, I also wash and dry all my bike clothes the same way .

SheFly