What is best stuff for stinky vest?

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What is best stuff for stinky vest?

Posted: 7/22/2018 11:36:10 AM EDT

My vest is starting to smell really bad and I wanted to see what advice you guys had to help get that funky smell out?

Not so bad other smell it but I get the joy of smelling it. Also advice for undershirts so far the 150 weight wool shit I bought is by far the best thing I have used I have done a 40 hour week with it on and still has no smell to it at all that's saying a lot as I sweat a lot. Well worth the money believe it was $39 or $29 for the shirt on Amazon called Woolly. I might get some for just everyday use also that how much I like them.

Posted: 7/22/2018 12:11:45 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
What is best stuff for stinky vest?

View Quote

A garbage can

Posted: 7/22/2018 12:47:43 PM EDT

[#2]

Soap and water?

Posted: 7/22/2018 1:02:36 PM EDT

[#3]

This,and only this.

Posted: 7/22/2018 9:06:23 PM EDT

[#4]

a wool undershirt?

I spray my carrier with febreeze, but I know my panels are sealed. The way to remove the stink is to take all the tink off of it (make some velcro blanks or you're in for a treat if you have any hook on your system), take the panels out, turn it inside out, and put it in the washer.

Posted: 7/22/2018 11:45:07 PM EDT

[#5]

You need heat to kill odors. Washers of today don't allow enough hot water in them in order to save energy.

I have a front loader. So, it doesn't take much water. I set it on the hottest setting. Then, I heat up a large pot of water on the stove. Probably a little more than a gallon. Get the water temp around 160* or so...not boiling but too hot to touch. Then, pour it in the front loader and add the clothes and vest carrier. Add a tiny bit of bleach (cap full for a top loader and half a cap full for a front loader. Then, add your favorite detergent and let it run. Dry and wear.

Only way I know to reliably kill odors. Bleach helps but the hot water is the secret.

I also wipe the panels down with Lysol wipes.

Posted: 7/22/2018 11:56:17 PM EDT

[#6]

I use laundry detergent and bleach (diluted to just above the strength of a normal washing machine load) in a bowl of hot water. Take a rag and with it dripping wet, scrub both sides of the inserts. Don't get the inserts soaked but make sure they are very damp. Let them sit in the sun (body side facing up) for 20 minutes. Take a rag with clean water and scrub one more time and let sit in the sun till dry. Repeat as needed until there is no bleach smell and no funk smell. Carriers get washed with the regular clothes.

The best undershirts I found were those $11 under armor knock-offs they sell at Walmart. Anything cotton felt like a used rubber by the end of the night.

Posted: 7/23/2018 1:01:13 PM EDT

[#7]

I swear my gear has smelled like Fajitas for the last month. Its not as fun as it sounds. Cannot get the stink out so I am all ears on this thread.

Posted: 7/23/2018 1:25:13 PM EDT

[#8]

I usually throw my boots into a ziploc bag and then into the chest freezer for an overnight. The freezing temps kill any bacteria.

Should work for a vest, just make sure it is dry, you could always add a bit of baking soda or dessicant packs into the bag as well.

Posted: 7/23/2018 2:13:53 PM EDT

[#9]

Find someone that sews and have them make additional carriers for your panels. Hopefully you have a vest with removable panels.

Wash the carriers with Arm and Hammer detergent in the laundry. Have enough carriers to change each day. My washer has a disinfect setting, so getting water temp hot enough isn't an issue.

Scrub the panels with Zep antibacterial cleaner and pat to dry with a clean towel.

Start using Gold Bond powder or spray.

Posted: 7/23/2018 10:56:07 PM EDT

[#10]

When I worked LE, a guy I worked with suggested the odor eliminator spray that you use while hunting. He claims it worked wonders for stank vest.

Posted: 7/25/2018 5:41:49 AM EDT

[#11]

I spray my carrier with Febreeze, before hanging it in my locker. In the summer months, i hang a damp rid hanger (thing that absorbs moisture) from the tough hook i hang my vest from. Even after the longest and sweatiest days, it’s not to bad the following day.

Posted: 7/26/2018 4:05:44 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Have enough carriers to change each day.

View Quote

You change your carrier each day?

That's... dedicated

Did you have someone sew you multiple external carriers, btw? I had one custom made and it is starting to get a little raggedy, but it was an R&D version anyway.

Posted: 7/26/2018 4:32:21 AM EDT

[#13]

I spray it with lysol every night when I hang it on the locker door. I hang it flipped upside down over the door, so one panel is outside. I just wash the carriers with the laundry.

Maybe some sort of baking soda?

The panels say just to wipe down and not get wet...

Posted: 7/26/2018 4:39:29 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
When I worked LE, a guy I worked with suggested the odor eliminator spray that you use while hunting. He claims it worked wonders for stank vest.

View Quote

Ive used scent killer on mine and it works. I usually only use that in the hot summer months or after it gets really sweaty. Otherwise its just fabreeze and normal washing.

Posted: 7/26/2018 11:13:55 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
I spray it with lysol every night when I hang it on the locker door. I hang it flipped upside down over the door, so one panel is outside. I just wash the carriers with the laundry.

Maybe some sort of baking soda?

The panels say just to wipe down and not get wet...

View Quote

Think about how wet the panels get when you sweat. Wiping down the panels won't hurt them. Neither will washing them.

Posted: 7/26/2018 11:14:54 AM EDT

[#16]

Fabreeze

Posted: 7/26/2018 3:35:01 PM EDT

[#17]

Freezer.

Tossing it in a cheap deep freezer when off duty will kill any bacteria present which is what stinks up your gear. I do it with my running shoes and other gear that doesn’t do well in the wash. No idea on if that would have a negative effect on the vest though. Check with the manufacturer on the temperature ratings before doing so.

Posted: 7/28/2018 1:34:55 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
a wool undershirt?

I spray my carrier with febreeze, but I know my panels are sealed. The way to remove the stink is to take all the tink off of it (make some velcro blanks or you're in for a treat if you have any hook on your system), take the panels out, turn it inside out, and put it in the washer.

View Quote

Yes, wool! Used it in Iraq as a Marine grunt and it wicked away sweat better than anything else! I have used this shirt in 115+ degree in hot Southwest Texas desert!

Wool wicks fast and do not take on smell as much as synthetic do! Love my wool as much now as I did when I worked in North Dakota.

Posted: 7/29/2018 4:11:18 PM EDT

[#19]

In the summer, I wash my carrier every 2-3 days. There is a disenfectant spray called Odoban that I get from Wal-Mart that helps in between shifts. If an opportunity presents itself, I change my uniform shirt and undershirt in the middle of my shift while the vest dries in the sun for 5-10 minutes. Can't wait for October...

Posted: 7/30/2018 7:37:47 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
This,and only this.

View Quote

Listen to me, this is what we use, it works and thats from a guy that worked 6 12's in a row.

Posted: 8/1/2018 10:33:29 AM EDT

[#21]

Wash the carrier with soap and a cup of vinegar. Use the "extra rinse" setting. For daily funk control, those scent killer hunting mixes in a spray bottle work very well.