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Q:
How do I wash the sweaty odor from my hat?
How do I wash the sweaty odor from my polypropylene toque? I used Wisk liquid detergent without success. The toque is clean but it still smells badly. I need help. Alexander Do Toronto, Ontario, Canada
How do I wash the sweaty odor from my polypropylene toque? I used Wisk liquid detergent without success. The toque is clean but it still smells badly. I need help. Alexander Do Toronto, Ontario, Canada
A:
Alas, Alexander. Your sad plaint is hardly unique. Some synthetic fabrics - older-style polypropylene was particularly prone to this - don't just absorb body odors, they actually chemically BOND to those odors. Think of a spinning little polypropylene atom. Among its electrons and protons you might find, in the case of your toque (now, THERE is a funny word - toque!), actually stink electrons that have insinuated themselves into your hat's atomic structure. I believe this was the case for the guy who sat in front of me at a showing of Lord of the Rings last week, and unbuttoned his thick, cheap parka in the warm theater. Well, pretty soon a certain aroma had insinuated itself through about six rooms, making it difficult to focus on the screen even when the jaw-droppingly beautiful Liv Tyler made an all-too-brief appearance.
So, you can wash the thing in pure Wisk, and chances are your toque will still stink. You might try spraying it with some Febreze, an odor-remover that seems to work pretty well. But my advice is this: Buy a new hat. Get yourself a Manzella Power Dry Cap ($12 U.S.), a nice, lightweight hat made with modern Power Dry Polartec. It not only will better resist smell bonding, it even comes with an anti-germ finish. Or, for something warmer, an Outdoor Research Windstopper Alpine Hat ($23), made with wind-proof fleece for extra warmth. It, too, is made of new-generation material that is far less apt to smell.
So, you can wash the thing in pure Wisk, and chances are your toque will still stink. You might try spraying it with some Febreze, an odor-remover that seems to work pretty well. But my advice is this: Buy a new hat. Get yourself a Manzella Power Dry Cap ($12 U.S.), a nice, lightweight hat made with modern Power Dry Polartec. It not only will better resist smell bonding, it even comes with an anti-germ finish. Or, for something warmer, an Outdoor Research Windstopper Alpine Hat ($23), made with wind-proof fleece for extra warmth. It, too, is made of new-generation material that is far less apt to smell.