Some people say their merino wool doesn’t smell, however, all my merino clothing pieces stink really bad. Except my socks, somehow they don’t smell at all but my base layers, shirts, balaclavas, and hats all smell. I’ve washed in a washing machine multiple times, inside and out, cold water and warm, and unscented and scented detergent. These were spendy so I’m about to try hot water just so I can wear them but I’d prefer not to. Thanks

What brand and blend if any?
I have no problems with high to 100% content in Smartwool, Ibex, Duluth Trading, and my favorite Minus33, but I look for the highest content available.

butthead

Get a tub that holds your merino stuff. Add a gallon of white vinegar and let it soak overnight. Then wash as usual. Set it outside if it’s not freezing to dry flat. Sunlight is the key. Then wrap a few charcoal briquettes in an old pair of nylons and put inside you stuff to absorb odors for a week. They will not smell after.

Vinegar breaks down anything organic, so does direct sunlight. Charcoal absorbs smells.

Pretty sure they will shrink if you use hot water.

Wow okay I’ll try this. Yes they would shrink and I’d be sad, they just smell badly. The 100% merino articles smell the worst, the blends still smell but not as much. I rinse them in the lake while camping and the campfire smoke smell must have masked the b.o. smell. So I’ll soak in white vinegar, then wash that out in cold, then dry in the sun. This will be great if it works I like drying outside. Then I pack them up with charcoal. I’m on it, thanks!

If that doesn't work, you might try Gear Aid's Revivex Odor Eliminator . It was formerly called Mirazyme. I have used it with good results, but check to make sure it can be used on wool.

I am a huge fan of vinegar.

This is interesting. If my merino garments smell of anything it's a faint scent of permethrin. Please follow up with the results. Curious to know if the vinegar works.

I use vinegar in the wash for my running clothes all the time. It works very well for that.

I have read that if vinegar doesn't get it all then a washing with baking soda gets other odors. I can't say I have tried it- vinegar has always worked for me.

There are also products for washing hunting clothes that are specifically for removing odors. No Scent is one of them.

could there be some polyester of cotton in the blend? that would stink, or hold odor. my patagonia merino underlayers get a bit wet while i bike in cooler weather, but they dry and don't hold pit odor,
yesterday i got back and took off my wool long sleeve, smelled fine, but boy did my pit's stink. good luck, some would say our odors have something to do with what we eat, (not trying to sound to scientific), but i know when i go away and get away from our standard diet here, thanks to my wife, my odor changes, and after a few days of eating good food again, lot's of vege's and lack of junk food, my body odor changes.
sorry i got a little off track a bit, thanks for reading.

I've never noticed a smell in any of my merino, but as a runner I'm used to the horrible unremovable smell that synthetic technical fabrics take on after just a few wearings, so it might just be by comparison. I actually consider the lack of smell to be a perk of merino.

I realize you are already using the methods described above. Those are good methods I have used myself. Let us know how it works out. If for some reason you still end up with a smell you don't care for, try a sport wash, it will clean properly, improve the fibers & not leave any odor except for the natural sweet wool smell.

Nikwax has a specific merino wool wash that brings wool back to life & deodorizes.

I have used Penguin sport wash for years on all my gear & clothes, the brand name changed to Nathan power wash, I have washed the stinkiest wool socks & the dirtiest shirts & pants & have always been surprised by how well it works to revive the fibers & remove stains & odors. It looks pricey, but if you buy a bottle, it will last you years. If you have a HE machine, it's half a capful per load which is a minuscule amount. If not, it's a capful. I gather a full load and do it all at once so I get the most out of a wash.

Rei nikwax wool wash

Rei Nathan power wash

Thanks, I just read the REI page for that Nathan wash and it sounds like magic! If it can restore loft to my sleeping bags as well it will be well worth it. I didn’t even know REI had that category. I’m starting to think it was my diet and that I really took to long to wash stuff. I wore some of the things for weeks with just rinsing in the lake. Then drying by campfire smoke, and well, it just built up. I must have gotten used to it and I kinda feel bad for the people that must have smelled it but somebody should have told me. And yes the vinegar has helped in the 100% wool stuff except for my balaclava I use to sleep in. The synthetic blends are still yucky. Especially now I’m home and bath every day, they smell awful to me! And I wore burton and Patagonia long johns all summer to sleep in with bug spray and bo and smoke but that were so expensive, I consider them an investment! I’ll try the Nathan wash ASAP I didn’t know there was such a thing as sport wash, so thanks again.

As usual I have some problems with the discussion in this thread, and the calls/directions for special treatment of merino wool in particular.
Retired now but over 44 of working, with much of that outside daily. Been wearing 100% merino for over 1/2 of that time.
Extravagant/expensive/hard to care for? NO! Not if approached with the right mindset. I buy it to wear, and wear often. The benefits are simple care (I treat my wool underwear/socks just like normal daily clothes, including their washing), long life that actually reduces the cost over time, little to no odor from my smelly body, superior comfort.
I tried single pieces of brands, to try over time. Sometimes a T-shirt or briefs or socks to find a brand that suit my demands.
What did I find?
First longevity, fabric weight played a big factor with thin lightweight failing early, also seam construction played a noticed part. I now buy mid-weight or heavy only, with good flat seams. I daily wear Merino socks year round getting several years of good service, over 6 in many cases (I only wore steel toecap boots at work, known sock eaters), I have some heavy weight long-johns well over a decade old.
Second, simple wash needs, Merino can be washed with regular laundry, even in med to warm temp water setting. If the item shrunk too much I discontinued the brand. Also sizing is important. I buy a larger size than worn expecting some shrink, but not continuous. Regular machine washing will show wear fast on some brands eliminating them.
Third comfort, which never really showed any trouble. Warm temp wear was no trouble in spite of the insulation quality and reputation. I found that it has a much wider temp comfort range than other fabrics. Soft and comfortable to wear.

"I wore some of the things for weeks with just rinsing in the lake. Then drying by campfire smoke, and well, it just built up."
"Add a gallon of white vinegar and let it soak overnight."
"Nathan wash"
"Penguin sport wash"
All stuff I would never do with my daily wear, why with my wool. Even Nikwax products which I do use for camping specific item care, is not in regular use. There is not a clothes wash cycle at my home that does not contain Merino wool products, often it's about 1/3rd of the load. All washed med temp, with a popular laundry detergent (Tide Pods, no idiot children in my house), then tossed into the dryer at med temp (just like and with my regular laundry). When I get home from a trip it all gets washed.
Yes I did spend $$ on wool clothing, but due to care and longevity it has been cheaper over the items lifetime. It needs special care? No, not the stuff I buy and wear regularly. The problem with smell? Never had one, and buy with the lack of odor accumulation as a primary reason especially now in my smelly older age.

Apologies over the rant, just like a lot of stuff, guess I do quite differently, with satisfactory results.

butthead

You know, smell is one of our most fickle senses. Often times we perceive odors that no one else notices, or we don't notice a smell that can drive other's out of the room. In addition, we easily become oblivious, or unaware of odors once we've been around them for awhile.

I've never noticed any of my merino underwear or socks holding smells, but maybe somebody else would.

On a side note, several years ago I was having problems with sweaty feet. Almost got trench foot because they were wet from sweat all day. I switched from cotton to merino wool socks, which immediately cleared up my foot problems. Now I wear wool socks throughout the year. Wool wicks away the moisture and keeps my feet healthy.

awbrown: "You know, smell is one of our most fickle senses. Often times we perceive odors that no one else notices, or we don't notice a smell that can drive other's out of the room. In addition, we easily become oblivious, or unaware of odors once we've been around them for awhile.

"

This is well documented. Some people have a 'nose' for odors that only they can smell.

I once received a beautiful sweater as a gift but it had a funky odor that never went away regardless of how many washings. It looked good on me but the smell was musty. After about a year I decided I had enough and tossed it. I surmised that it was manufactured using infected fabric or stored prior to purchase wet or in an unhealthy environment and the fabric was permanently wrecked.

Tom