Win High Performance Sports Detergent
Most of our favorite riding garments are constructed from synthetic fabrics. Polyester and other synthetics fabrics have impressive wicking qualities and other features that perform when active, but come with a downside. They often can develop odor that can be hard to get rid of, even after repeated washing. Getting rid of odor is made even more difficult by the washing requirements of performance fabrics, as care labels often specific washing in cold water, and ideally line dried. We recently received samples of WIN Sports Detergent, a product optimized for use with technical fibers and synthetic fabrics and put them to the test.
Putting Win Detergent to the test.
The odor in question is caused by bacteria that can often be difficult to remove. WIN is formulated to remove the oils and bacteria, eliminating the source of those foul smells.
Safe for synthetic fabrics and all colors, we tested samples of both WIN Blue and WIN Green, aka the Fresh Scent and Dye Free and Fragrance free formulas. This was ideal, as I prefer using detergent with fresh scent. Inga on the other hand, has extremely sensitive skin and chooses product accordingly.
Win along with the other cleaning products currently in our rotation.
I’ve become vigilant about pulling my sweaty clothes out of my gear bag after a day of riding, to avoid gnarly-smelly damp mildewy gear, which can be harder to clean if run in a full load of laundry. We also make an effort air out and wash our riding gear after each use.
Win recommends a full capful for a wash.
In use
Inga, Green formula. Washed in cold water, 27 minute cycle, short wash setting.
After pulling her riding clothing from the washer and hanging it on the line to dry we did a smell test. Aside from one older jersey, the clothing was odor free. Her usual method of washing has been to run warm water with a regular off the shelf, all natural sensitive skin formula detergent. Although the care labels specify cold water, she has found that she needs warmer temps and additional detergent to get them clean.
Conclusion: WIN Green Detergent performs as promised, removing odor, and was a significant upgrade from the typical detergent for washing riding clothing.
Drying a load of riding gear after washing with the Win Blue formula detergent.
Test 2: Jason, Blue WIN Detergent. I often wear my knee pads on a number of rides, airing them out between uses, which has predictable results. (they smell unpleasant.) Washing a load of my riding gear with the Blue Win Detergent, I hung everything out to dry. A few hours later we performed a smell test to find that everything smelled clean. I prefer the Blue over the Green as the smell simply was more fresh to me.
Conclusion: For particularly smelly gear or gear that could use a deep clean, I’d recommend soaking gear in WIN Detergent pre-wash to maximize cleansing power and pull any potential lingering odor. I have more than a few riding buddies that would greatly benefit from picking up some Win Detergent for washing riding gear. How to tell them, though is a whole different story…
WIN Sports Detergent runs $10.95 for a bottle, which will get 21 loads of gear refreshed. We haven’t seen it at our local stores, but you can get it online at Amazon.com, with discounts offered when you purchase multiple bottles. Bermstyle readers can also receive $1.00 off their first bottle of WIN using the coupon code “EVERYWIN” at checkout on Amazon.
Learn more at WinDetergent.com
