If synthetic materials are known to hold onto oils and odors, why are they used for most workout clothes instead of cotton?
In: 669
Because they’re better at pulling away moisture from your body they keep you cooler when you sweat. Holding on to odors and oils isn’t really a concern when you just wash them anyway. It’s far more important to be able to cool efficiently. Cottton just absorbs sweat and inhibits evaporation.
Fresh sweat doesn’t usually have a strong odour. It’s when the bacteria on your skin react with the sweat that the smell starts.
Workout clothes in synthetic fabric removes the sweat from your body quicker and also get dry quicker. This means less time for the bacteria to do it’s smelly work.
Some reasons I’ve learned the hard way:
[**friction burns when wet**](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/294443/why-is-clothes-wet-skin-friction-coefficient-higher-than-clothes-dry-skin): I learned the hard way that sweaty cotton will cause friction burns during long hot runs or extended hikes. Polyester (and other synthetics) running tanks are far less likely to cause friction burns because the fabric dries faster. I sweat like a fat man when I run or hike, so even synthetics are not enough, but cotton was 5x worse. For me the best solution is Vaseline or some [other friction reducer](https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/training/chamois-cream-explained-139014) ALONG WITH a nice synthetic tank top, or going shirtless.
[**cotton kills in cold weather**](https://sectionhiker.com/why-does-cotton-kill/): when I go on hikes in cold weather, if I stop for a meal or something, my cotton shirt gets cold very fast. If the weather is in the 40s and windy, it gets so cold I run the risk of dehydration from a [liittle-known-phenomenon](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK232870/).
As for the stink, both fabrics can stink and the stink can be different (some folks find one or the other worse), but in both cases, the real problem is preventing [biofilm formation](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7692034/). Both cotton and synthetics can be treated, and treatment is 10x better for preventing this residual funk, but once biofilm sets in (and eventually all workout clothes will get it), your workout clothes will hold onto the funk easier and for longer. So **if stink is your concern, wash your clothes fully and use some form of (fabric-safe) disinfectant**, along with a little sunlight regularly (even dark clothes can handle a little)! I can’t begin to tell you how many folks I work out with fail this one simple rule, but they swear left and right they don’t! LOL.
Exercise clothing is designed for a range of motion that cotton or other natural fibers can’t always provide, on top of what everybody else has said.
I can’t comfortably squat in cotton pants, but I can in workout pants/leggings. It doesn’t bunch up or move around when you don’t want it to, either. You don’t have to constantly adjust when running if you wear clothing designed to do that.
As for the musty smell, usually an enzymatic detergent will do the trick. Old school tide powder and a couple tablespoons of vinegar in the wash gets rid of all but the funkiest of funks.
As everyone is saying, the synth materials wick away water better. But yes, washing with just laundry soap can leave them still smelly. I found that regular laundry soap + a cup of vinegar helped get the stink out.
Running in a cotton shirt is painfully dangerous. Sweaty heavy cotton is like sandpaper on the nipples.
My moisture wicking workout stuff doesn’t get super stinky but if I get one that starts to, I just put it in the to donate bin (post wash obviously).
There is a rule in winter camping. Cotton is rotten.
Cotton absorbs and holds moisture.
Synthetic and silk let moisture pass through in to the next layer.
If you wear a synthetic on the skin then cotton over it the cotton will take the sweet off the synthetic. Cotton can be bleached (white) which will reduce the smell.
A. Everything to do with whatever makes the most money.
B. Have you ever been heavily sweating in thick cotton fabric – it’s awful.
No doubt if cashmere and the “exercise market” worked out (proud word play), everyone who could afford it would be wearing cashmere shorts bras and running in cashmere pants. They don’t.
Or I dunno, am I wrong? Is this a thing?
Lysol Laundry Sanitizer.
Pre-soak your workout clothes, windbreakers, and other synthetics for 1-2 hours. Then rinse and wash normally. Rotate LLS into the fabric softener drawer when you wash these things in the future.
We soaked our “clean” sheets and towels, too. The water was disgusting. We’ve been using vinegar for years, but it wasn’t working anymore.
Because in every engineering decision you look at multiple things as a trade off. If there were a material that did the wicking and didn’t retain odor, as long as it was, or could be made economical, that would be the selection. If for instance, silk wicked like synthetics, didn’t retain odor, and cost as much as cotton, and was as durable as cotton, then that would be the material of choice.
Consumers will sacrifice the odor retention in order to have better working and the price and durability.
The chemistry of it has to do with whether a material is more like oil or more like water. Cotton and linen are more like water. Synthetics are more like oil.
Latest Answers