Washing your hunt gear???

[whitebuffalo]

I won't use my washer machine,,I wash them in a tub of water with a box of baking soda,,wash let sit in for 5,min or so then hang in blue spruce pines in my back yard for a week or so,,
Then I have several coolers that are washed out with baking soda too,,I fold and stuff warmer weather in one cooler and colder weather in another,the coolers seal and the tubs (unless they come with a built in seal),, don't,,

I beleive there is still some garbage left over even after you wash without anything in your washer machine,,I've servised several of my own with pump changes,motor changes and belt service too,,I always see left over residue in some of pump parts and the center for the softener usually will always carry some too. Plus I found the colors last longer like this too,,Jason B.

[Arwin]

I do a couple rinse cycles then wash then in H.S. earth scent detergent. Hang dry outside and out then out them into my H.S. scent free bag with a couple earth scent waffers or pine. Love that earthy/piney smell!!!

[tamure]

LOL Green Apple shampoo! I'll have to try that.    :D

[GR]

Couple of cycles to clean the machine, then All or Tide scent free with a little baking soda tossed in for added measure. Hang dry outside. Packed in plastic tub with some baking soda. Get dressed when I get there, change back afterwards. Hunting cloths are for hunting.

[42WLA]

This a timely post. This just came out on offical E-mail to all Air Force personnel. Our new uniform is NOT to be washed in any detergent with optical birghteners. They posted a list of what you CAN and CANNOT use.

Laundry detergents with optical brighteners
•20 Mule Team Detergent (all versions)
•Ajax (all versions)
•All Liquid (all versions)
•All Free and Clear
•All Baby
•All with stain lifters
•Arm & Hammer FabriCare Powder (all versions)
•Arm & Hammer Fresh ‘n Soft Fabric Softener (all versions)
•Arm & Hammer Liquid (all versions)
•Arm & Hammer Perfume Free and Dye Free Liquid Detergent
•Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
•Ariel Powder (P&G Europe) - All versions
•Ariel Liquid (P&G Europe) - All versions
•Ariel LiquiTabs (P&G Europe) - All versions
•Ariel Tablets (P&G Europe) - All versions
•Asta
•Bold 3-in-1 (UK/Ireland) - (All versions)
•Daz
•DeliCare Fine Fabric Wash (all versions)
•Dreft Liquid
•Dreft Powder
•Dynamo (all versions)
•Era Liquid (all versions)
•Fab (all versions)
•Gain Liquids (all versions)
•Gain Powders (all versions)
•Ivory Snow Liquid
•Ivory Snow Powder
•Persil (Henkel)
•Persil Powder (Unilever - UK/Ireland/France) - All versions
•Persil Liquid (Unilever - UK/Ireland/France) - All versions
•Persil GelTabs (Unilever - UK/Ireland/France) - All versions
•Purex Powder (all versions)
•Purex Liquid (all versions)
•Purex Fabric Softener (all versions)
•Purex Baby (all versions)
•Rain Drops Water Softener and Detergent Booster
•SA8 Plus Concentrated Detergent
•SA8 with Bioquest Concentrated Detergent
•SA8 with Gelzyme Liquid Detergent
•SA8 Sensitive Laundry Detergent
•SA8 Tablets Laundry Detergent
•SA8 Concentrated Liquid Detergent with Fabric Softener
•SA8 Solutions Tri-Zyme Stain Pre-Soak and Detergent Booster
•SA8 Solutions Dry Chlorine Bleach
•Surf Liquid (all versions)
•Surf Powder (UK/Ireland)
•Suavitel Fabric Softener (all versions)
•Tide Liquids (all versions)
•Tide Powders (all versions)
•Tide Tablets (all versions)
•Wisk (all versions)
•XTRA Laundry Detergent
•Yes (all versions)
•Zout (all versions)
•All laundry products made by Colgate-Palmolive

Laundry detergents without optical brighteners
•All Powder (all versions)
•Allens Naturally Liquid Laundry Detergent
•Allens Naturally Powdered Laundry Detergent
•Bold Powder
•Cheer Free
•Cheer Liquid (all versions)
•Cheer Powder (all versions)
•Country Save Powdered Laundry Detergent
•Ecover Ecological Liquid Detergent
•Oxy-Prime Powdered Laundry Detergent
•Planet Ultra laundry detergents[1]
•SA8 Delicate Gentle Liquid Detergent
•SA8 Solutions Prewash Spray Spot Treatment
•SA8 Solutions Prewash With Enzymes Liquid Spot Treatment
•SA8 Solutions Smashing White Water Softener And Detergent Booster Powder
•SA8 Solutions Smashing White Water Softener And Detergent Booster Liquid
•SA8 Solutions All Fabric Bleach
•Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent Liquid, Free & Clear
•Woolite (all versions)

[gobbler10ga]

Hunt Naked  

[GR]

Thanks, looks like I'm going shoppin.

[Juniper Bow]

Just got done washing all of the clothes (in unscented detergent) that I am taking on a hunting trip this weekend. They are hanging outside draped with pine needle bunches, of course with our MT fires they will probebly smell like smoke anyway! Then they go into a plastic bag along with some small pieces of Doug Fir and Lodgepole, all of this then goes into a duffle bag.
How much difference this makes I don't know, but the sense of smell that deer and elk have always amazes me.

[whitebuffalo]

42WLA,,Looks like basically anything with sodium carbonate,,Just taking a stab in the dark with that,,Regular plain baking soda has sodium bicarbonate in it,,sodium cabonate is like a soapy kinda softener of sorts and is wonderfull for skull mounts if you don't use da beetles,,J

[42WLA]

I'm not sure but it appear to be an additional ingredient. This is from another source, "Optical brighteners are usually derivatives of coumarin or stilbene, and may have patents and trade secrets."

I'm washing a load of hunting clothes in Sportwash as I type this. Better safe than sorry. I might not be able to control my scent hunting in 90 degree weather in Eastern NC in a couple weeks but at least I won't glow.

[whitebuffalo]

LOL,,

[JEFF B]

i just wash em then what ever hunting area im in  if its got tee tree i just rub teetree over myself if its pine same thing. well it works for me. thats what i will be doing when i come over there.    wolfman

[Doc Nock]

I sure dind't think this up but read it more'n likely on the Sportwash bottle...

I was my longhandles each year or other "wear to huntin street clothes" in sportwash before...before I wash my camo. It helps clean out the inside of the machine and remove any other junk. Gotta wash that stuff anywho, so I use that load to clean the machine good.

Course, living on my own, years ago I started using Cheer Free (no scents or brighteners) ALL the time...so I try to keep the machine clean.

Air dry on a line or fence if line isn't available. Never use a dryer unless I'm away...then I take some of my scent kill spray and wet a paper towel, and wipe the inside of a commercial dryer really well...then wash and dry some "non camo" clothes first, dry them, and then wash and or dry my camo.

Also dress skin out at the hunt site.

[DarkeGreen]

I haven't bothered with scent control for years now. Back when I did it started 1 month before season with soap that kills all the critters on your body that generate the funcky smells. The washer was  cleaned with bleach, then baking soda. The clothes wash in a whole box and then hung to dry after being springkle with baking soda while wet. After they dried they were stored with a masking scent colected from the area I hunted.

Don't forget about your breath. The hot moist air you exhale is a big part of the problem.

I got into studing wind with smoke to see how the air flowed in area I hunted. After a while I just quit playing with scent control and used the wind and my setups to prevent issues. It sure is nice to not have to mess with all that stuff now.

[Plug]

Ditto that D.G.

 IF I could get all the foreign odors off my clothes and IF I could get all the man smell out of my various pits, cracks and crotches,  I'd literally blow it with my first exhaled breath.

Cheesesteak w' fried onions breath might be a bit more aromatic than washer residue on your clothes from previous wash cycles.  I ain't giving up cheesesteaks so I'll take a shower once a day, keep my clothes reasonably clean and hunt the wind

[Guru]

Dark, You figured out a way to make the wind blow the same way all the time and make the deer come in upwind everytime?  Let us in on the secret        

We all try to hunt with the wind in our favor, it's the deer that don't cooperate that we all need to worry about scent control for......

A lot of good advice here....

[Golden Hawk]

Lots of good responses to this question. Thanks to all. so many opinions and good ideas. Have a great hunting season everybody!!

[Plug]

Originally posted by Guru:
We all try to hunt with the wind in our favor, it's the deer that don't cooperate that we all need to worry about scent control for......

A lot of good advice here....

If those uncooperative deer hit your scent stream they are going to smell you.  You can wash your clothes in anything you want.  You are still going to smell like a man.  

If a deer comes in "downwind" at bow ranges and doesn't react it's because he didn't enter your scent stream or (extremely rare) chose to ignore your smell.  It ain't because you didn't stink.

I think there is some credibility to diluting your scent to the point the deer thinks you're farther away.  But at bow ranges I don't know if it's relevant for the simple reason we all have to breathe.

[SOS]

My wife started washing with dye and perfume free detergent all the time so wouldn't get any hunting clothes mixed up.  Nice not having to do anything different.  The store bought or homemade scent blocker.  Stored in the RubberMaid tubs.

[jacobsladder]

Leroy..... ive done the same thing with plastic tubs...sounds to me as long as you keep that mojo going..youll be in good shape..good luck bud!!!!