OUT Pro Wash

Summertime is one of the best seasons for getting your outdoor projects done. But spending more time outdoors at higher temperatures can leave your clothes with deep-set stains and lingering odors. Workwear and work uniforms, often made from polyester and other synthetic materials, are especially vulnerable to stubborn smells that persist even after washing.

Why Lingering Smells Plague Performance Fabrics

Unfortunately, the properties that make fabric dry quickly also trap odorous particles like sweat, making it hard to clean. Workwear is typically made out of moisture repelling material or coated in repellent to be less absorbent. The technical term for this is “hydrophobic,” which comes from the Greek roots for water and fear: “hydro” and “phobos.” Hydrophobic clothing fibers absorb sweat and quickly get rid of it through evaporation, keeping you dry. The fabric itself tends to be lightweight, high strength, and well suited for uniforms and high-performance activewear.

So, why is that a problem? Well, hydrophobic materials are also “oleophilic”, or oil-loving, meaning that they cling to oil particles at the same time as they dispel water. The issue with this is that many odorous compounds, like apocrine sweat, are oil-based and so they end up trapped by water repellent fabric.  Have you ever wondered why your gym clothes or work uniform have a particularly pungent smell that doesn’t thoroughly wash out? Well, that’s why.

Masking the Odor isn’t Enough

Most detergents can mask odors, but even a strong fragrance will never be as effective as an odor neutralizing agent. Fragrance droplets bind to odor molecules but aren’t powerful enough to hold onto them, which results in the perfume competing with the odor. While some aromas may initially be strong enough to mask the smell, they will eventually fade and leave you with clothes that smell unwashed. Even worse, not correctly addressing the smell’s source is likely to make the issue worse over time.

Not eliminating the odor-causing compounds means that they continue to accumulate every time you wear your clothes and sweat or otherwise expose them to a clingy, odorous substance like smoke. Your microbiome, the various organisms living on the surface of your skin, feed on the fatty, oil-based sweat compounds to create the noxious smell we all know so well. The more material they have to feed on, the worse the smell gets. Synthetic fabrics attract smellier types of bacteria as opposed to cotton, making it even more critical to address the cause at its source.

That’s why it’s so important to use a cleaning product that can stand up to the test of these stains and odors.

How to Wash Performance Fabrics with OUT Pro Wash

While there are a few laundry hacks that might partially help combat the problem, a detergent specially formulated for eliminating smells from synthetic fabrics is the easiest way to get rid of trapped odors.  Traditional detergents are typically intended for traditional fabrics, like cotton, which is more absorbent and less likely to hold onto various smells as synthetic materials do. These detergents aren’t usually powerful enough to mask trapped sweat, smoke, and other compounds- especially in performance fabrics.

Why OUT ProWash Works

A product like OUT ProWash is specifically formulated to penetrate tightly woven fibers and eliminate the odor particles themselves. Well-suited for work clothes and activewear, OUT ProWash’s ingredients are designed to target the oil-based odors that become entrapped in polyester and other hard to clean fabrics. Sports formulas like OUT ProWash not only pry out dirt and odor-causing compounds but prevent them from sticking back onto clothes during the remainder of the wash cycle. The product also enables you to launder your clothes at any temperature because the detergent is effective in cold water. With a regular detergent, cold or warm water typically won’t kill or even fully remove the odor-causing bacteria from your clothes. You’d need hot water to even begin approaching a similar level of efficacy that OUT ProWash ensures.

Keep Your Routine the Same with OUT ProWash

A specially formulated detergent like OUT ProWash is a simple solution because you don’t have to change any part of your washing routine. Designed as a booster for your regular detergent, add OUT ProWash to your laundry with the same products you already use or try it by itself for less soiled loads. The formula works well in regular washers but is also adapted for high-efficiency washers that typically struggle to remove deep-set stains or lingering smells. Usually, high-efficiency washers use less water, making it difficult for a traditional detergent to remove all of the debris and odorous compounds. OUT ProWash works well in high-efficiency washers, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice clean clothes for a more sustainable machine.

Safe for Clothes and Your Washer

Not only does OUT ProWash target and remove stubborn odors and stains, but it also protects the quality of your clothes and is safe on plumbing and septic systems. When used as directed, OUT ProWash is entirely safe for your washing machine. It is safe to use on all washable fabric types because it is not formulated to attack the actual fibers of clothes like bleach does. OUT ProWash is tough on stains and odors but not the fabric itself; our formula will never comprise the quality of your clothes.  You can also use it to pretreat stains, but as with all new products, make sure to test an inconspicuous area first to rule out any adverse interactions.

At Summit Brands, we design OUT ProWash and all of our products with sustainability and pollution prevention in mind. We take the entire life cycle of the product into account from the amount of packaging we use, to ensuring that our bottles are recyclable once empty.  We are committed to implementing greener chemistry into our formulas while continuing to better our products’ performance. OUT ProWash reflects these values and is a component of our work towards a more sustainable future. With summertime here and lots of outdoor adventures to be had, incorporate OUT ProWash into your routine and take care of those stubborn odors and stains for good.