uniform washing and reoccuring smells

[Maeve_Mari]

The humidity is definately a factor. You'll find that they won't smell nearly so bad during the cooler months.

There are detergents now for sports clothes and smells. That coupled with a shot of oxyclean (don't use bleach because your whites will turn french cream) should do it. Adding a quarter to half a cup of liquid lysol overy other wash should help too with keeping the bacteria from forming so quickly.

You should be able to get away with a couple more wears between washes if you do the bacteria cleaning with the lysol and the oxyclean.

Also wearing a wicking undergarment (like UnderArmour) will help keep the dampness off the fencing clothes.

[prittieinpink]

FEBREEZE

just spray on your stuff when youre done or in your bag or both, and you should get some extra wearing time before they are too smelly

[acaba]

I have had the same problem during both the humid summer months, and the cold winter months. My uniform just wouldn't dry! So I bought a 12" oscilating fan, and blow it over the drying whites. It really speeds the drying: 2 hrs vs. 12. AND helps to keep the smell down, so I only have to wash about once a week.

Aaron

[Army Fencer]

Another option is to get a dehumidifier. That will keep the bacteria count down without putting more wear and tear on your uniform from washing it. As an added benefit, it allows you to breathe your apartment air!

As a graduate student, it may not be an option for you (they usually cost between $100-$200), but it may be worth looking into.

[D'Artag-NOT]

Originally Posted by Army Fencer

Another option is to get a dehumidifier. That will keep the bacteria count down without putting more wear and tear on your uniform from washing it. As an added benefit, it allows you to breathe your apartment air!

As a graduate student, it may not be an option for you (they usually cost between $100-$200), but it may be worth looking into.

Some mail-order catalogs of household items sell smaller dehumidifiers for use in confined places such as closets. They're containers filled with crystals that absorb the moisture. (The crystals need to be changed periodically as they eventually get "waterlogged" and lose their absorbent capabilities.) That might be a lower-cost alternative. Look online for the Miles Kimball catalog--they have everything and are very reasonably priced.

I can't vouch personally for how well these work, being in Southern California where humidity is not much of a problem, but it might be worth a shot.

[MyraTrue]

Black Jeebus:

Is this really an epee occurance or have I bitten into Inq's mud pie?

Nope. Not an epee occurance. Just typical to the fencer and the club, I think. I do know we've got one epeeist that smells BAD- never washes the jacket. But the few people that stink are generally mixed around the weapons. I also hesitate to say it, but it also tends to be more typical to the men. All the "smelly" ones I can think of in my club are male.

I also agree with whomever said that being around very bad smelling fencers made them wash their equipment more often.

D'Art- the reason I am complaining, I think, has to do with that this has not always been the case. I used to get about two weeks wear on my whites before I started to smell something that suggested they were beginning to stink. And they went into the wash.

Now, I wash them, wear them once, and the second time around think "OMG... that can't be me! Do I have to have that touch my skin?" Its really awful. I was trying to place what might be causing the very abrupt switch in wash time.

I'm willing to cough up the money and time to wash them- I have no choice really. I just wanted to find out if others had suggestions (which they have, thank you!) for ways to improve the current conditions.

[OffTarget]

In truth, this tactic belongs on one of those sportsmanship threads. I am sure that the epeeists you speak of have no reason to yell, so instead, they smell.

[D'Artag-NOT]

Originally Posted by MyraTrue

D'Art- the reason I am complaining, I think, has to do with that this has not always been the case. I used to get about two weeks wear on my whites before I started to smell something that suggested they were beginning to stink. And they went into the wash.

Now, I wash them, wear them once, and the second time around think "OMG... that can't be me! Do I have to have that touch my skin?" Its really awful. I was trying to place what might be causing the very abrupt switch in wash time.

Obviously you're training harder, sweating more, and about to make a major breakthrough in your fencing!

You know, Mariel didn't make it onto the Wheaties box, but you'd think fencers could score some major endorsements from Procter and Gamble and whoever makes Febreze . . .

[MyraTrue]

Originally Posted by D'Artag-NOT

Obviously you're training harder, sweating more, and about to make a major breakthrough in your fencing!

You know, Mariel didn't make it onto the Wheaties box, but you'd think fencers could score some major endorsements from Procter and Gamble and whoever makes Febreze . . .

Yeah... major breakthrough, thats me. Yeah... I'll go with that.

And febreeze- but would you want to admit to being the febreeze spokesman? "Yes, I stink"? But I'd certainly take the money... and the free product!

[D'Artag-NOT]

Originally Posted by MyraTrue

And febreeze- but would you want to admit to being the febreeze spokesman? "Yes, I stink"?

No, no, MT--let your imagination soar.

The commercial begins by showing you (let's say) winning a fierce bout. You then remove your mask. Naturally, your hair and makeup are impeccable, but the delicate dew of perspiration glimmers on your noble forehead. Addressing the camera (panting slightly), you tell the audience that you're not afraid to Live Life to the Fullest because, with one spritz of Febreze, you're ready to pack up your fencing whites and go out dancing with the incredibly sexy male fencer whose *** you have just whupped. Said incredibly sexy opponent then comes up beside you and puts his arm around your shoulders, lending that vital touch of sex appeal to the commercial.

Your agent may reimburse me at his/her earliest convenience.

[Elemental]

Originally Posted by D'Artag-NOT

No, no, MT--let your imagination soar.

The commercial begins by showing you (let's say) winning a fierce bout. You then remove your mask. Naturally, your hair and makeup are impeccable, but the delicate dew of perspiration glimmers on your noble forehead. Addressing the camera (panting slightly), you tell the audience that you're not afraid to Live Life to the Fullest because, with one spritz of Febreze, you're ready to pack up your fencing whites and go out dancing with the incredibly sexy male fencer whose *** you have just whupped. Said incredibly sexy opponent then comes up beside you and puts his arm around your shoulders, lending that vital touch of sex appeal to the commercial.

Your agent may reimburse me at his/her earliest convenience.

I think we know who should be put in charge of marketing if fencing goes pro.

[MyraTrue]

I think we know who should be put in charge of marketing if fencing goes pro.

I second that!

And I figure if I get the hot guy AND kick his butt first, I can deal with this!!!

[pkt]

All,

No one seems to have pointed out a simple way to stop the cause at its source:
bacteria from one's underarms.

Wash your armpits (is that a word permitted by the morality police?) with soap and water then apply deodorant before fencing.

i presume most serious fencers have a long fencing bag. keep your wet/moist whites in a separate compartment from your mask: more stinky than one's whites. [Why do people who are usu. smart stuff their wet whites in their masks?]

Hang up your whites if you don't have time to wash them. [In ice hockey, they have a frame so the padded gear can be hung up to air dry after eachuse...]

Yeah, don't bleach your whites.

I use detergents with non-bleach bleach. Thus far my 800N plastron is still prestine after half a year's use. My old Allstar 350N full sabre plastron, which i did not use the non-bleach detergent did have the yellow stains...different materals, diff't results, i guess.

PK

[Lone Musketeer]

returning to the sport after a decade long hiatus I had the opportunity to buy some used equipment. Those of you cringing know where this will end.
Anyway, I'm not sure if the guy ever bathed. I've washed the jacket and breeches in OxiClean a couple of times and I'm satisfied with the whiteness now. The plaston has some rust stains on it that I can't seem to get rid of, so ideas there would be useful. However, the part I'm working on now is the bib of the mask. It is a LP FIE mask and bib is not removable. Right now I've just finished toothbrushing in a mixture of Stain remover, oxiclean and tide. It doesn't look bad, but I'm wondering if there is something else I could use.

Also I saw a product on the shelf called White-Brite and was wondering if anyone has used it?

LM

[pacer]

two comments

to lone musketeer - I used white brite on some obnoxious carpet stains (presents from my pets) and it worked very well


to pkt : I didn't understand your avatar until I saw "Hero" this past weekend. I get it now.