Smelly Shirts: The Summer Struggle

“In summer, always wear cotton and linen — never performance shirts, or you’ll stink!”

As someone who works in textiles, let me clear this up — again.

First of All...

People say old performance shirts (like those made for sweating) stink.They’re not wrong — but it’s not the fabric’s fault.

Polyester and nylon don’t actually absorb much sweat — in fact, they absorb way less than cotton or linen. So why do they still end up smelling?

It’s all about:

• How long you’ve had the shirt

• How you wash it

• And yes, how often you clean it properly

Let’s say your shirt has a moisture-wicking finish (which most performance shirts do).Now imagine you’ve been washing it half-heartedly, using fabric softener every time. That buildup? Traps sweat, oil, bacteria — and bam: stank city.Especially if the shirt has spandex (aka elastane), which gets tight and makes it easier for grime to hide in the fibers.

So what do you do?

Wash it right.Use enzyme-based detergent or oxygen bleach with warm water (around 40°C / 104°F).Skip the gentle cycle and don’t baby your synthetic shirts — they’re tough. You don’t need a mesh laundry bag.Give ‘em a proper scrub-down.

Next Up: Apples to Apples, Please

I get it — people love comparing a cheap polyester T-shirt to a premium cotton or linen top and saying, “See? Synthetic stuff smells worse.”

But come on.That’s like comparing gas station sushi to five-star hotel sashimi and using it to judge all of Japanese cuisine.Makes zero sense.

If you want a fair comparison, do this:

• Take a well-designed, quality-made polyester shirt

• Match it against a cotton or linen shirt at the same price point

• Then go run or sweat in both

Only then can you judge which one holds up better.(And trust me, if we flip the test and compare a $10 cotton tee with a $100+ high-performance sports shirt? You already know how that’s gonna end.)

The Truth? Everything Can Stink

No fabric is magically immune to odor.

So which one actually smells worse?

Easy test:

1. Take a performance tee and a cotton tee — both the same price range

2. Wear them for a sweaty activity like working out

3. Toss them into a laundry basket and leave them there for two to three days

Then go sniff. You’ll know.

But here’s the twist:Even if the synthetic one smells bad, a proper wash usually gets rid of it completely. You can wear that shirt again and again, no problem.But if sweat sinks deep into cotton or linen?Good luck. That funk bonds with the fiber, and no home remedy might fully fix it. You might end up throwing the shirt out.

Bottom Line

If you really wanna know what works better?

Run the experiment yourself.It won’t cost much — and honestly, the results might surprise you.