Washing & Drying Camo Clothes
General Topic
Question(s): I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
1) What product do you use/prefer for washing your camo clothes?
2) What product do you use/prefer for drying your clothes that reduces/eliminates static electricity? My wife recently purchased "wool balls" that you throw in the dryer that helps reduce static electricity. Most fabric sheets or fabric spray is scented and this defeats the purpose of washing your clothes to make them "scent free".
3) Do you use any other products on your camo clothes (UV "killer" spray, etc.)?
I know it sounds silly, but I turn my camo inside out before washing. In my mind, it seems like it prevents the camo from fading as rapidly.....other than that, I just buy generic unscented detergent. I usually wear smart wool as a base layer, then wear the camo over that. By doing so, I don't feel the need to wash my camo very frequently. I do wash the smart wool after every hunt, but even that probably isn't necessary as silver impregnated Smart Wool seems to reduce accumulated body odor to a reasonable extent. Regarding static electricity, either air dry or just pull the smart wool through my hand to remove it. Before Fall hunting, I'll spray my clothes with permithrin one time. It seems to last the entire season, even if hunting almost every day.
I just use a non-scented detergent, then hang to dry.
Matt
I'm sure I'm the odd man out here. I just use whatever my wife has available. Usually some scented detergent and bounce dryer sheets.
I ask myself this question: Why would a deer be afraid of a Bounce dryer sheet? What smell does a scented laundry detergent possess that a deer would be afraid of? They're kinda flowery to me. . . . why would a deer fear that?
And personally I believe if a deer is downwind, he's gonna smell me no matter what. Don't we put out a TON of scent through our mouth and nose? Seems like we would to me.
I usually use the Atsko Sport Wash, but have also used regular unscented detergent and also the "hunting" type washes. Cant say I ever notice a difference. Usually toss a handful of baking soda in wash as well.
Main thing is to hang dry - for a couple days if possible. Then dont over wear garments prior to re-washing. Washing and drying in August is ALOT faster than washing and drying in November. Push come to shove, I hang dry in my basement with a fan and dehumidifier running.
Tide Free or Costco unscented detergent, cold gentle cycle. I also turn mine inside out to wash, and hang dry. Like MM, I also use base layers that are merino wool, and next to my skin I use thin base layers impregnated with silver (NASA proved that kills bacteria, and they use it in base layers for astronauts). So I don't feel the need to wash my outer layers very often.
Ditto to Jaquomo, Line dry then run the ozone in a large tote. Repeat the ozone after every hunt and wash as little as possible.
I wash and dry my camo clothes same as I do any other clothes.
I do my stuff inside out also, why, just because. I use whatever scent free or earth scent I can find simply because I don't want to smell flowery in the woods, I would rather smell like the woods. I hang dry to not beat them up so much.
Scent-free detergent and line dry.
I never wash my outside layers unless I get blood everywhere on them . I only wash my underlayers wools and socks.
I wash my clothes in either a hunting industry scent free/uv brightener free detergent, or I buy a commercially sold detergent w/o scent or brighteners. But sometimes when I think about it I come to the same conclusion as Bake. Doesn't matter what I do, if the deer are downwind, they are going to smell me and spook.
Any "Free and Clear" laundry detergent. We use that for everything. We have two family members with sensitive skin so that's all we have ever used. Tumble dry on low heat.
I do what Medicineman noted, and flip it inside out prior to washing. It does seem to prevent fading on some things. Other than that, we wash all our stuff in unscented detergent, and I just use that. Then tumble dry, or occasionally line dry if I feel like it for some reason.
Hunters Specialties laundry detergent and unscented dryer sheets is what I use.
Atsko Sport Wash, tumble dry low and or hang dry fending on the item
Whatever the wife buys and it all gets dried with a Bounce sheet as well. I hope she is buying Mountain Fresh scent since I hunt in the mountains :^)
Why would you wash your hunting clothing different than any other clothing ?
That pretty much is how I wash all my other clothes.
Same as my other clothes. Unscented whatever brand was on sale and an unscented dryer sheet…
Before I wash new outer garments, I treat them with a dye fixative called Raycafix. I get it from G & S Dye in Ontario. It helps slow fading after many washes.
I wash all my hunting clothes with Sport Wash on the Delicate cycle, as I'm usually trying to de-scent them, as opposed to ridding them of dirt. Then into the dryer without dryer sheets. Then into a duffle washed with Sport Wash.
All Free and Clear, cold water, hang on the pullup bar in front of a fan to dry. Same with my workout clothes.
I use the dead down wind laundry detergent and dead down wind scent free dryer sheets and the wool balls in the dryer also. Been very happy with them. Dead down wind field spray. Shower with dead down wind body wash.
Wash my stuff often. I use about triple the recommended amount of unscented soap and a cup or two of baking soda (family buys me lots of the soap every Christmas)... the 3x amount is to hopefully override the nice smelling Tide the Mrs uses for regular clothing... I also use the 'extra rinse cycle' too...
Ultra low heat for 30 minutes or so then hang dry.
I get my 6 deer a year and an elk every other year when i go. It works for me.
I put them together with all the laundry with whatever soap is there and hang them to dry. Never had a problem with scent yet, and had my fare share of game taken with the bow. My last deer, I shot while wearing a dirty pair of jeans, (from working in the machine shop), and a, just as dirty, camo jacket. A long time ago, I used to care about the scent, and use all the "best there is" products and store the clothing in a plastic tote with vegetation form the area I was to hunt. Little by little, I took one detail off the equation at a time to see if there was a difference. When all the details were taken away, I found no difference, other than spending less money on things "THEY CONVINCE YOU", you need to buy. Learn to hunt and buy less crap. It works for me, and cost me less.
Atsco wash, unscented or earth scent dryer sheets, put clothes in plastic tote with earth scent wafers till I hunt. I always at least wash armpits up with hunters specialty soap if I'm in a hurry. Hope this helps. scentman
For the most part, I agree with Juan's statement.
I don’t think any of the scent control stuff bow hunters do makes much, if any difference, at all. That said, I know guys who kill a hell of a lot more and bigger whitetail bucks than I do. Some, indeed do all the scent control stuff religiously. Personally, I don’t think it really does anything for them, I just think they are great deer hunters hunting the wind, so they'd be killing those deer anyway.
In that regard, however, if you think it’s working for you and it gives you confidence to remain in the field longer, that’s what’s probably going to contribute to success more than anything.
I don’t know about you guys, but when hunting days on end and I put a fresh shirt on, or better yet socks, and they smell like whatever laundry soap that was used, I feel like I just took a shower and it makes my day.
Well sounds like I'm against the norm here! I wash my clothes in unscented detergent. Hang to dry then put in a plastic tote where I cut little evergreen branches and layer these between my clothes. So when I go hunting, I always shower with unscented soap. Dress in my base layer...grab my tote and get dressed in my outer layer outside of my truck when I arrive to my hunting spot. When I return from my hunt, I reverse the order....
FF
I really mean no disrespect when I say this, but if you live in a state with predictable dominant winds, I think your perspective on scent management is likely not as developed as folks that live in areas with light and variable winds. Light and variable winds and scent management for your clothes can buy you time and allow a critical moment or two and booger fewer deer overall. I would die on this proverbial hill.
For SIX DECADS + it has been wash in plain water & hang outside to dry. Once a week. At the end of the season they get washed in regular laundry soap & dried in the dryer & packed away. Next season, wash in plain water & dry outside a few days b/4 season starts. I use nothing on my cloths "unless" I'm going South where the "chiggers" are. Then they get A dose of permethrin. A wide variety of critters have been arrowed & probably 1/3 of them from the ground. Works for me.
Wash with whatever unscented hunt stuff they sell. Hang/air dry. Then store in plastic bin with trash bag full of pine branches/vegetation from where I hunt. Clothes will smell like the woods
OK, I use to do the pine branch thing and leaves an stuff in a bag... big no no nowadays... with the deer tick population being what it is plus I had spiders and stink bugs mixed in, it's not worth it. Scent wafers are 6 bucks at Cabelas any scent you want, deer can't tell the difference. Hunting buddy put stand in a Hemlock tree, after a 3 hr sit he picked 4 ticks off of him. Hope this helps. scentman
Before becoming a scent control addict, 99 out of 100 deer that got downwind, even 100 plus yds out, nailed me. After going the scent control route, I might get detected 50% of the time under 30 yds, over 30 yds out can’t remember the last time I got busted.
It’s a lot of hassle sometimes, but it works. Two of my P&Y bucks came from straight downwind. Never would have happened before.
Bathe in scent free soap year round. Anything that goes to the woods gets hung outside and sprayed down with scent elimination spray. Some sprays work much, much better than others. Scent lok helps. Have played a little with ozone but can’t comment on it yet. All clothes are either outside or in tubs. Boots only get worn for hunting.
Arm and Hammer unscented laundry detergent, body wash and deodorant. Also use one of the field sprays. All clothes are in a plastic tote with a earth scent wafer.
So you take all the precautions , you use scent wafers , scent spray And put in a cough drop or pour a cup of coffee from your thermos?? BAM you just blew all your prep lol. Whatever makes you feel good and gives you confidence and hope the wind is right.
Longsprings, there are many things in our lives that do smell but don't alarm animals. Poop and pee being two of them. Coffee too. I'm not a smoker but not convinced that cigarette smoke alarms them either. Old timers smoked regularly and killed a lot if animals.
What alarms animals is the gas produced by the billions of bacteria on the outside of our skin. Antibacterial body soap helps a little, for awhile, until the bacteria reproduce.
Some fabrics hold those residual scents more than others. Wool, synthetic with silver, etc. are much better at rejecting the residual scent than plain synthetics, cotton, etc.. Someone can take every precaution with clothes, bury them in dirt, seal them in tubs, wrap them in a deer hide, etc.., but that does nothing to eliminate the five billion bacteria farting and burping 24/7.
I guess I’m in the school of thought that recognizes you can go through all the scent control machinations you want. As soon as you step into the woods your natural human scent will overwhelm any and all of them and any game animal will wind you if your scent travels downwind to them. End of story.
Like I always say, you can fool their eyes (decoys, blinds), you can fool their ears (calling, rattling, etc.), but you cannot fool their nose. Game animals will wind you regardless of whatever you do with your clothing. You have to stay upwind of them to kill them.
Bunch of baking soda in cold water wash, hang dry inside out
Depends on the material. Dyed cotton needs more 'delicate' care than polyester. And it still fades.
I use All 'free and clear', and the 'extra rinse' cycle on the washing machine. And 'just enough' detergent. (It doesn't take much, you weren't doing an oil change in your hunting clothes, were you?)
I use hunter laundry soap or Free & Clear unscented soap and always hang my clothes outside in a screened porch to dry. Also after a hunt I hang my clothes outside between hunts. This reduces washing frequency and leaves a fresh scent.
I bought a UV light and tried testing my camo after washing in UV killing detergent. But didn't notice any difference. As long as you don't use a household detergent with whiteners/brightness, no problem. My regular hunting specific soap was fine (I like Dead Down Wind brand)
I did notice on rarw occasions some brands/fabrics has a weird red glow under the UV light. Not a bright detergent type glow, more like something in the fabric ink.
Been doing the exact same thing that Swampbuck does for decades. At camp, I throw them in the creek and dry them on a clothesline.
What difference does inside out or not make. It’s not like the fabric and dye is only on one side of the material. Do you notice a difference.
Baking soda wash and then line dry outside , done .
I use ALL free and clear on all my clothes and hang dry and hunt the wind.
Bou, if your question was directed at me, I need to make a clarification. I do exactly as Swampbuck EXCEPT turn my clothes inside out. I somehow missed that part when I read his post.
I tried just about everything over the years.
Now, when they are dirty, I wash them with the laundry detergent that happens to be there, and hung them to dry, or , depending on weather, sun dry.
Do what makes you feel better, as feeling good , makes it easier to be a successful hunter.
I hang them inside out cause the Florida sun is brutal and fades it out. It seems to slow the fading down, the old faded stuff usually is under the leafy camo anyway. Creature of habit I guess
I used to use "sport wash", now I tend to just use unscented detergent. Someone noted above turning it inside out. I do that too. Not sure it helps, but my theory is that it slows any fading - though that's less an issue with modern fabrics for sure.
I turn my clothes inside out, use scent free detergent and then air dry.
Arm and Hammer unscented laundry detergent, and throw into the dryer....
If the wind is in my face, the deer won't smell me..
If the wind is blowing from behind me, the deer will smell me..
I usually wash mine in baking soda and hang them out to dry.
I use Atsko Sport Wash and usually air dry. If I need them quicker, I will throw in the dryer. I agree 100% that if the deer get downwind they are gonna smell me. I just try not to add any extra to scent if I don’t have to. Probably doesn’t make that big of a difference though. Killed plenty of deer growing up after rushing home from school and throwing on my camo that was never kept in a scent free container and I know Mom wasn’t using any special detergent.
Any of my cotton/poly stuff I do wash inside out to help slow the fading. Modern poly fabrics don’t seem to fade as bad so they stay right side out.
Washing and drying camo clothes can be tricky, but with a little know-how, you'll keep 'em lookin' fresh. I've found
https://laundrysolutions.net/ to be super helpful for this kinda stuff. They've got tips on how to wash camo without fading the colors or damaging the fabric. Usually, it's best to wash 'em inside out in cold water and avoid using harsh detergents or bleach. As for drying, air drying is your best bet to prevent shrinkage and maintain the colors. Tossing 'em in the dryer on low heat can work too, just make sure to remove 'em while still slightly damp to prevent over-drying.
