Getting the funk out of activewear: Rockin' Green Soap review

You’re at the gym.
Lizzo is blasting on your headphones.
You’re about 10 minutes into your workout and starting to feel the endorphins pumping.
Nothing can stop you … and then it hits. That unmistakable odor of old sweat resurfacing from something you’re wearing.
Your leggings?
Your sports bra?
Who knows.
But this workout just got funky and not in a “dance between sets” kind of way.

We’ve all been there, right?

I was noticing a funk every once in a while at the gym. I wash my clothes, promise! Finally I realized that it was one specific pair of black leggings that I wear all the time.

I tried washing them on high heat. I tried using that scent booster. They would come out smelling like flowers but the minute I started sweating in them, that unwelcome odor returned.

After seeing umpteen Instagram ads for Rockin’ Green Soap (how did they know I was suffering from the funk?), and watching tons of reviews on YouTube, I decided to give it a shot. If it didn’t work, I would just toss these old leggings and thank them for their years of service.

I followed the instructions for the Rockin’ Green Soap soak, which is supposed to remove all the built-up grime in your clothes. I put every article of athleticwear I owned in our bath tub. I made sure they were all “clean” so I could see what kind of build-up, if any, would be removed. After filling the tub with water so all my clothes were submerged, I added the detergent. The instructions say to use 2 scoops, so naturally I used 4. GET OUT, FUNK. Then, I used my arm to “stir” the detergent and clothes.

60 minutes later, I removed the clothes and here’s what the water looked like.

Ick.

I was still skeptical. Rockin’ Green Soap promises that it’s not dye being removed or any kind of hoax, but I wasn’t sold yet.

I transported the clothes to the washer using a big rubber made tub. Ran it through a wash cycle without detergent, plus an extra rinse cycle, as instructed.

The clothes came out smelling like … nothing. But I couldn’t be sure it worked until I wore the stinky leggings to the gym again.

A couple days later, I gave the leggings another sniff — still odorless — and I reluctantly put them on. I know it sounds silly, but that funky odor really puts a damper in my workout. It’s a terrible distraction. Nobody wants to be the stinky kid.

Juuuuust to be extra sure, I tested them out in the sweatiest sweat session — a hot yoga class.

And it. Was. Hot.

My sports bra, leggings and poor yoga mat were drenched.

But alas, NO FUNKY ODOR! I mean, I’m sure I didn’t smell like roses after that yoga class. But I smelled like I just took a hot yoga class, not like I just wrestled with some pickles and bologna in the desert sun.

A few weeks later, I did the same soak for Kristopher’s clothes, and had the same results.

His is more brown and mine was more green. I’m not sure what that means.

Now I also use the detergent in the regular wash for sweaty clothes — I just add one scoop to the wash and thus far, the funk has not returned.

I can say with confidence that this stuff works. I’ve been asked about bedding, towels and cloth diapers, and I cannot speak to how effective this detergent is for those things. But if you have some funky gym clothes that need to be revived, this stuff is legit!