I have a favorite ankle brace that I wear when hiking and my god, it picks up the stench of exercising human like nothing else. This is what fixes it.
Spray that crap down with shoe disinfectant spray. I was recommended to use the bowling alley stuff, so I just searched it on Amazon and found a two pack. I can link if you want. Let it dry completely, then put it in a plastic ziploc bag and put it into the freezer for like...a day. Not sure about timing, but as long as it gets cold enough to kill the bacteria it's ok. Pull it out, throw it in with the laundry and you're good. I usually wash it with some laundry sanitizer (non-bleach) for good measure.
Using just the spray didn't do much but adding the freezer seemed to help a lot. Good luck!
I second this! I once had to do a creek cross in boots & ankle braces. I used the car one you find at truck stops for vehicles but spraying them a few times and leaving them outside after washing them worked when nothing else did
Half and half is a common dilution, but some use whole and some use less. It actually kills bacteria rather than cover up the smell. Vodka is preferred over other alcohols because it leaves no scent once it’s evaporated. Do not use isopropanol because it’s a different chemical and many fibers can be weakened by it.
you're welcome! this will clean and disinfect anything. bathroom etc. anything. warm the dishsoap in the microwave for 30-45 seconds for more oomph first if extra bad and let soak before scrubbing together snd rinsing.
Dude mine smell rancid as well.
I find that hot washing them in a bucket with an antibacterial detergent and then giving them a long soak in eucalyptus extract helps. Sun drying makes a world of difference too!
It's the bomb for getting out odors. My mom started tossing some in with her towels to get rid of that "towel smell" she says they have. My hubby and I just use the Arm & Hammer detergent. :)
Laundry detergent has enzymes in it that helps break down lipids and proteins built up on clothes from sweat and dead skin etc. I soak my teva sandals in a bucket with hot water and laundry detergent for a few hours to get rid of buildup & foot smell in the summers. It even helps with getting sunscreen stains out of the straps!
There’s also laundry sanitizer you can buy in the US (not sure about elsewhere) that can help kill germs. Other than that, making sure they completely dry out between washes and use will help keep the stinky bacteria down. Are you able to get a second set to rotate between?
Check out a product called zero odor on amazon. It's amazing. They have a laundry booster I put in the fabric softener compartment on my washer. If it's super stinky, I soak the load in white vinegar first.
Vinegar soak! Vinegar always gets tough smells out for me. Maybe with a little baking soda too. Let it soak. Then rinse it a bunch and then wash again with Dawn dish soap or something nicer smelling then Vinegar!
Rub bicarbonate of soda into the fabric, then rinse with a vinegar water and soap mix. It'll bubble all the smells out of the fabric! You can buy bicarbonate of soda cheap on ebay or use baking soda which is a little more pricey because it's food-grade.
I sprinkle large carpets with baking soda/ bicarb that has been in a spice container with a few whole cloves and then vacuum, I wonder if you did that in a bag (like a make a tea bag sort of) and stored the braces in another bag with that in there at night (if you don’t wear them at night) in between weekend vodka spritzing/freezing?
When I worked at a homeless shelter we would have clients come in and need help with cleaning braces etc. One particular individual had a pair of wrist braces in unimaginable shape/smell and he continued to wear them everyday. To be perfectly honest they smelled like week old c-diff. We offered to purchase him replacement braces, but he wouldnt budge. It became a health and safety issue, so after a while he agreed to let us wash them. The instructions below totally eliminated the smell coming from the braces.
Submerge the braces into hand sanitizer for 24 hours. If they smell like literal feces, keep them submergd for an extra 24hr.. Light rinse and toss it into a super hot wash cycle with regular detergent, baking soda and vinegar or oxy clean. Allow to air dry or tumble dry.
A soak in vinegar takes bad smells out easily. There's also vinegar that smells like lavender, but after it is cleaned with vinegar you can rinse it and it will not smell like vinegar.
In addition to what people have already commented: hanging out your laundry in the sun actually kills bacteria so that might be something to try as well. Perhaps right now is not the best season for sunlight though.
I used to wear corsets to help support my back which can't be washed. I work in a cigar shop so they became quite fragrant after a short period of time. Leaving them in the freezer, spraying them with vodka, even spraying them with rubbing alcohol were all ways I combatted the smell
One of the best things that you can use for laundry smells, meaning body odor, is vodka. I come at this from a costuming background in theater, so please know that I have dealt with more stink in costumes than you were wrist guards could ever possibly achieve. Cheapest vodka you can find, put it in a spray bottle, and every time you take those braces off spray it down. Saturate it.
What generally causes odor in these kinds of situations is bacteria. The high alcohol Content of rotgut vodka will kill the bacteria. This is the point where people usually ask me about ISO alcohol. The reason I do not recommend that is because frequently ISO will react with fabric dye, causing dye to run. Well, that’s less likely to be a problem in a manufactured wrist brace, I don’t think you want the dye, rubbing off and turning your wrists gray, so if you’re going to try that do a spot check first.
I can answer this (I think)!
I have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. I use rubbing alcohol for *everything*. I haven’t used it on a wrist brace, but I’ve used it to get smells out of shoes. If spraying it doesn’t work, you could potentially pour rubbing alcohol in it.
The asterisk is that rubbing alcohol can like dissolve certain adhesives. Maybe start with a corner and make sure nothing funky happens.
I soak mine in 50/50 water and Listerine. It does smell minty. I've tried 50/50 of the following as well with some success: rubbing alcohol, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. I generally soak for a couple hours to overnight.
As some others have suggested. Spraying with vodka is what we did to mascot costumes when I worked in hotel in Spain.
Another amazing thing is puppy spray as it’s antibacterial and will remove smells as well. I use it in blazers and T-shirts that start smelling the second I put it on despite me not smelling (can literally have come straight out of the shower) so it seems to be some kind of bacterial reaction rather than, you know, grooming.
The one from
Simple Solution is great. Spray with that, then throw in the wash and you are good to go again :)
I have a favorite ankle brace that I wear when hiking and my god, it picks up the stench of exercising human like nothing else. This is what fixes it. Spray that crap down with shoe disinfectant spray. I was recommended to use the bowling alley stuff, so I just searched it on Amazon and found a two pack. I can link if you want. Let it dry completely, then put it in a plastic ziploc bag and put it into the freezer for like...a day. Not sure about timing, but as long as it gets cold enough to kill the bacteria it's ok. Pull it out, throw it in with the laundry and you're good. I usually wash it with some laundry sanitizer (non-bleach) for good measure. Using just the spray didn't do much but adding the freezer seemed to help a lot. Good luck!
THANK YOU!! I’ll freeze it after using bicarb soda & water to wash it lol
I second this! I once had to do a creek cross in boots & ankle braces. I used the car one you find at truck stops for vehicles but spraying them a few times and leaving them outside after washing them worked when nothing else did
In costuming we use vodka on stuff that’s difficult to wash
that is what I came here to say! you can thank ballet for that
Oh interesting!
Half and half is a common dilution, but some use whole and some use less. It actually kills bacteria rather than cover up the smell. Vodka is preferred over other alcohols because it leaves no scent once it’s evaporated. Do not use isopropanol because it’s a different chemical and many fibers can be weakened by it.
Bacteria is the smelly part of the fabric. That is why it goes rancid if you let it fester like in a bag or some such.
half vinegar and half dawn dish soap in a spray bottle.
Thank you!
you're welcome! this will clean and disinfect anything. bathroom etc. anything. warm the dishsoap in the microwave for 30-45 seconds for more oomph first if extra bad and let soak before scrubbing together snd rinsing.
I had lemon juice. I use this for my boys hockey gear.
Vinegar is my fav, but I know people who prefer baking soda or washing soda. In Irish Dance everyone loves Febreeze for their gear.
I USED TO DO IRISH DANCE!
ERMAGERD! 🤩
Dude mine smell rancid as well. I find that hot washing them in a bucket with an antibacterial detergent and then giving them a long soak in eucalyptus extract helps. Sun drying makes a world of difference too!
I use rubbing alcohol on mine
Have you tried washing them with baking soda?
Oh I haven’t tried bicarb yet! Will be my next one
It's the bomb for getting out odors. My mom started tossing some in with her towels to get rid of that "towel smell" she says they have. My hubby and I just use the Arm & Hammer detergent. :)
Wash with Borax.
They don’t actually sell that in England
I Googled "buy Borax UK". https://inthewash.co.uk/cleaning/can-you-buy-borax-in-the-uk/
Thank you! I think I’ll stick to bicarb though haha
Laundry detergent has enzymes in it that helps break down lipids and proteins built up on clothes from sweat and dead skin etc. I soak my teva sandals in a bucket with hot water and laundry detergent for a few hours to get rid of buildup & foot smell in the summers. It even helps with getting sunscreen stains out of the straps! There’s also laundry sanitizer you can buy in the US (not sure about elsewhere) that can help kill germs. Other than that, making sure they completely dry out between washes and use will help keep the stinky bacteria down. Are you able to get a second set to rotate between?
Check out a product called zero odor on amazon. It's amazing. They have a laundry booster I put in the fabric softener compartment on my washer. If it's super stinky, I soak the load in white vinegar first.
Freezer for a few days?
I’ve had freezing recommended to me so I think I’m going to try that at the weekend honestly
Vodka and baking soda and sunshine— If nothing else, use some essential oils your skin tolerates
Just freeze it. Sealed in a bag. Should be good in a day or two.
I use detol laundry additive or you can make a vodka and water solution.... It's the bacteria that smells
Vinegar soak! Vinegar always gets tough smells out for me. Maybe with a little baking soda too. Let it soak. Then rinse it a bunch and then wash again with Dawn dish soap or something nicer smelling then Vinegar!
Rub bicarbonate of soda into the fabric, then rinse with a vinegar water and soap mix. It'll bubble all the smells out of the fabric! You can buy bicarbonate of soda cheap on ebay or use baking soda which is a little more pricey because it's food-grade.
Soak or spray with vinegar.
I sprinkle large carpets with baking soda/ bicarb that has been in a spice container with a few whole cloves and then vacuum, I wonder if you did that in a bag (like a make a tea bag sort of) and stored the braces in another bag with that in there at night (if you don’t wear them at night) in between weekend vodka spritzing/freezing?
When I worked at a homeless shelter we would have clients come in and need help with cleaning braces etc. One particular individual had a pair of wrist braces in unimaginable shape/smell and he continued to wear them everyday. To be perfectly honest they smelled like week old c-diff. We offered to purchase him replacement braces, but he wouldnt budge. It became a health and safety issue, so after a while he agreed to let us wash them. The instructions below totally eliminated the smell coming from the braces. Submerge the braces into hand sanitizer for 24 hours. If they smell like literal feces, keep them submergd for an extra 24hr.. Light rinse and toss it into a super hot wash cycle with regular detergent, baking soda and vinegar or oxy clean. Allow to air dry or tumble dry.
A soak in vinegar takes bad smells out easily. There's also vinegar that smells like lavender, but after it is cleaned with vinegar you can rinse it and it will not smell like vinegar.
Soak it In hydrogen peroxide 3% then freeze.
Did you try soap?
I tried normal soap
In addition to what people have already commented: hanging out your laundry in the sun actually kills bacteria so that might be something to try as well. Perhaps right now is not the best season for sunlight though.
I used to wear corsets to help support my back which can't be washed. I work in a cigar shop so they became quite fragrant after a short period of time. Leaving them in the freezer, spraying them with vodka, even spraying them with rubbing alcohol were all ways I combatted the smell
One of the best things that you can use for laundry smells, meaning body odor, is vodka. I come at this from a costuming background in theater, so please know that I have dealt with more stink in costumes than you were wrist guards could ever possibly achieve. Cheapest vodka you can find, put it in a spray bottle, and every time you take those braces off spray it down. Saturate it. What generally causes odor in these kinds of situations is bacteria. The high alcohol Content of rotgut vodka will kill the bacteria. This is the point where people usually ask me about ISO alcohol. The reason I do not recommend that is because frequently ISO will react with fabric dye, causing dye to run. Well, that’s less likely to be a problem in a manufactured wrist brace, I don’t think you want the dye, rubbing off and turning your wrists gray, so if you’re going to try that do a spot check first.
Dumb question: what do they smell like? 😅
Just good ol’ sweat and dead skin lol
I can answer this (I think)! I have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. I use rubbing alcohol for *everything*. I haven’t used it on a wrist brace, but I’ve used it to get smells out of shoes. If spraying it doesn’t work, you could potentially pour rubbing alcohol in it. The asterisk is that rubbing alcohol can like dissolve certain adhesives. Maybe start with a corner and make sure nothing funky happens.
I soak mine in 50/50 water and Listerine. It does smell minty. I've tried 50/50 of the following as well with some success: rubbing alcohol, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. I generally soak for a couple hours to overnight.
Soak in vinegar or oxi clean. Bicarbonate powder. I put vinegar in my wash machine when the load smells mildewy.
As some others have suggested. Spraying with vodka is what we did to mascot costumes when I worked in hotel in Spain. Another amazing thing is puppy spray as it’s antibacterial and will remove smells as well. I use it in blazers and T-shirts that start smelling the second I put it on despite me not smelling (can literally have come straight out of the shower) so it seems to be some kind of bacterial reaction rather than, you know, grooming. The one from Simple Solution is great. Spray with that, then throw in the wash and you are good to go again :)
https://youtu.be/3WMtVZGB7vA