Silly question but.... when you guys wash your hunting clothes in your home washer do you run a wash cycle of baking soda in the washer first to kill any laundry soap scents?

I run a wash without clothes with that scent free hunting detergent prior to putting my hunting clothes in it. With all the perfume and dyes from ohter detergents it seems prudent to me though it may be overkill. Low money in any case so why not?

I don't but it probably would be a good idea.

I actually wash mine in a Sports wash and dry them in the dryer with some dirt smelling dryer sheets. I just don't have a place or the ambition to line dry.

What saves me is I have so many different sets of camo that after washing, they go into the bottom of a sealed tub. In the tub I have a mixture of pine boughs,cedar scraps and even some dog fennel which grows everywhere I hunt.

Those freshly washed clothes will not see light of day for probably two months until I get down to them. I do store and keep all my camo clothes seperate and sealed in plastic tubs. I don't seem to get busted at all especially if I consider the wind whether in a stand or on the ground so I am pretty confident in my washing routine.

Good luck!

Guess I wasn't being paranoid after all. Thanks guys!

My routine is basically the same as Frank's.

The last few years Ive been buying run o the mill scent and dye free detergent from supermarket and with one wash Ive had pretty good success on yotes and deer.If you can beat a coyotes nose you can beat any.I do store em in bins with pine and cedar twigs.

I'm guilty of never washing my clothing....just my thermals, socks, underwear and camo t shirts.

I bowhunt with fleece and have them impregnated with my masking scents. We are talking years of spraying the camo to keep the scent there year round. Thats me.....

If you wash your clothing, and don't want any masking scents on them, then after drying spray them down with a good Scent eliminator and store them in a large plastic container.

You should use a good cleaner other than baking soda...baking soda absorbs odors...if it didn't, people wouldn't put BS in their fridge!?!?!

I wash mine in a non- UV detergent made specifically for my camo and carbon clothes. Shawn

I use Tide Free. No scent and no UV brighteners. Then after the dryer they go into a plastic tub that has oak leaves wrapped in cheese cloth inside. They leave smelling like the forest floor.

Before each Hunting Season.....

I wash mine with regular detergent,then I run them through a complete cycle of just water to get them rinsed completely.

Then I spray them down with "tick-spray" and hang them to dry and air out for a day or two.

Then I spray them down with Cover-Up "Fresh Earth" scent that I get from Joe Skipp.

Once I start hunting,I just keep re-spraying them with Cover-Up spray.  

Ok I just ran a wash cycle with Sportwash. Now to toss in my clothes with another batch of Srortwash then in the tote with them. Seems everyone has a similar theory so we can't all be wrong. LOL!! Everybody have a safe and successful season!

I wash them like regular clothes, make sure I spill a little coffee on 'em, go have breakfast in them, walk through some corn or beans, maybe even spill a little diesel on them....You know, so I smell like a farmer.  

I wash like the rest seem to-blank wash cycle then with clothes. Hang dry and put in plastice tub outside. I dress in the parking lot where I hunt-camo is only for the woods. Gets a little cold come December but works for me.
Good luck with the bears, LeRoy!

I wash mine in Arm and Hammer detergent. I used to have a metal locker I hung them in on the back porch or carport, I got rid of it and need to get another one. I'd throw in that metal locker, a handfull of pine needles or cedar branches, even some dried leaves. I think it was more of a mental thing, cause I don't know if it helped or not. If your down wind, will they really smell your cover scent ?
I still like to wash my hunting clothes in Arm and Hammer though.
Jerald

Leroy... i do everything i can to keep my gear clean...but there is no better scent control than wind direction...my 2 cents.

You are right on that note Steve. But evey little bit helps. I keep my stuif in plastic tubs all year and when I open them they smell like dirt. I just want them extra scent free for Canada so I have no odors the bears aren't used to.

I wash all my hunting clothing in green apple shampoo. I have had deer come in down wind from me and made some easy close shots. Been doing this for years and it works great.

I leave my camo hanging out side. I don't wash it. I let it get rained on etc. I dry it in the dryer if it is wet. That's it.

I use Arm & Hammer detergent also, then they go in a bag with local vegetation. I only wash them once a year or so unless they get really muddy or something.

Sport wash for my "outer" camo. They go directly into the sealed tub hot out of the dryer. I only get dressed to hunt after I park at my hunting area.

JDS III