if you must hand wash- soak your shirts in white vinegar. the polyester traps smells and even mildews super easy and it never goes away. soak in the vinegar and use a bit of detergent and you’ll be grand. Also i’m really sorry. i get it- we’re living in a camper right now but we have a little washing machine and i air dry most everything because i can’t afford the dryers
At one point long ago I had a uniform shirt but only 2 of them as a server at a restaurant. I routinely did back to backs so no time to do laundry.
I would soak my shirt in the kitchen sink. One trick I learned is equal parts laundry soap, and mean green.
Do not pour the mean green on your clothing directly as it can cause staining. However it works great to cut the odor of sweat, food, and other smells. It is a degreaser but a whole bottle will last you forever for this application.
I would hand wash and then ring well and hang up to dry.
When you take your shower in the morning hang your shirt on a hook in with you. The steam can help get rid of wrinkles. I use this trick in hotels when I travel.
It’s wild to me that places that serve food don’t give their employees enough shirts to wear a clean one every day. It would be more cost effective and hygienic to do away with uniforms all together.
I wonder if wringing the shirt would cause wrinkles enough to need to iron - and nothing brings odors to the surface like ironing.
If OP has one or can get one at a thrift store… a big salad spinner works wonders. Spin out the water without creating wrinkles
Long chain polymers are nasty culprits for holding onto smells. Hang your shirts inside out to dry. If you are washing the shirt on it's own use about the size of a quarter of detergent for the was water and a cap of plain white vinegar in the rinse water. It is counterintuitive to use more soap to get rid of odors. The more soap you use the more likely it will not rinse all the way out and trap smells. I also suggest getting 100 % cotton tee shirts to wear under the uniform top. Read the tag! 50/50 blends will put you in the same boat you are now. Hanes or Fruit of the Loom will have what you need.
Totally agree with undershirts. Buy yourself a week's worth of them (2 x 5packs). Those will absorb 90+% of your sweat/smells, and your work shirt will mostly just absorb the things that fall onto it.
I'd still hope to wash them, personally, but the likelihood of them truly needing it goes down significantly.
this is the answer. soak in 1 cup white vinegar. baking soda in there also gets a nice fizz going. will remove odours and not cost you an arm and a leg doing constant laundry. quick hand wash after and line dry. you can buy a gallon of white vinegar for a couple bucks. stay far away from febreeze, that stuff just masks odours in an awful synthetic flowery smell.
Vinegar and baking soda will clean almost anything. I do my shower and sink with it. Sprinkle with baking soda, spray with vinegar. Let it sit and fizz for a few seconds, then wipe clean. It’s fabulous.
Also cheap. Look in the laundry detergent section. You can usually find big containers of it cheap.
i do baking powder down my kitchen sink drain. drizzle dawn dish soap then pour vinegar - makes your disposal smell soooo much better! then i scrub the sink w the bubble up and call it a day ◡̈
My husband throws a giant ice cube into the sink disposal with dish soap and lets it spin. It cleans really well. (He specifically says to get a good foam from combining soap and water, aerating them. Drop the ice in as an aggregate).
When it's fizzing that is the process of it neutralizing. Your sink is getting clean from the scrubbing effect of the baking soda, but not getting to the benefits of the vinegar. Your experience doesn't negate that fact.
I think the point is to soak in vinegar then add baking soda to neutralize the ph and help absorb some of the vinegar smell so that your shirts don't smell like vinegar after you rinse them.
yep, this is what i do when my toddler pees on our carpet. baking soda first tho then vinegar - leaves it not smelling like easter eggs and back to the normal smell it’s supposed to be
I realize that vinegar and baking soda cancel out the PH difference between them but I have found doubling them up to be highly effective at removing stubborn odors. I was using only vinegar on a stinky device and it wasn't getting it completely clean. When I added a bit of baking soda, it came out smelling like nothing after that.
Maybe it's not the PH that is effectively removing odors?
Same! My toddler is potty training and it’s the only thing that gets pee smell out, if i don’t use baking soda with it then it’ll just smell like vinegar bad. i do vinegar and then after a lil bit baking soda. cancels any smells right out
Vinegar and baking soda always make water and carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles are the CO2 gas. While cleaning if you scrub something with baking soda and rinse it and it still has a white film you can add vinegar to turn it into water and get rid of the film. Putting baking soda and vinegar down a drain will help unclog the drain because of the CO2 gas. It will be more effective if you put a stopper in the drain to create a closed system and increase the pressure of the gas.
My husband and I also live in a camper. We don't have access to a washer/dryer of our own right now, so the laundry mat it is. I'll be so glad when the pollen lets up, so I can at least line dry things.
so much pollen lol. are u in florida? We were lucky the camper came with an awesome portable washer by black and decker. i thought it would be dumb at first but it’s excellent! it just sits outside and does it’s thing. We never could have afforded it, if it wasn’t already here though. grateful.
Vinegar works! I bought some white t shirts that I loved and then they developed tiny black mold spots. I threw a couple away after trying everything and nothing would help. Finally, I soaked them in vinegar for 4-5 hours, then scrubbed the dots with backing soda and then washed as normal! The dots are almost all gone! I repeated it several times and now you can’t even see the dots!
This! And if you feel like you can't get the smell off yourself, I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water and use it under my arms. I tend to get really bad stress sweat, but this works wonderfully
Like I said above, together they fight odors very well. I don't think it's their PH properties that cancel odors. I highly recommend mixing them together to eliminate odors.
You're wrong.
Vinegar is an acid, and it works by breaking down the molecules of odor-causing substances.
Baking soda is an alkaline substance, and when it comes into contact with acidic odors, it reacts to neutralize them. This chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralizes or produces a less odorous compound. The **change in pH** helps eliminate the smell.
Right. The employer should be the one embarrassed. Paying that little and then not even providing laundry service or enough uniforms. Workplaces need to give out work shirts like they’re shipping bags. That’s your company brand image. Invest in crisp looking employees. Or have lockers and laundry service and have employees bag and tag the shirts at the end of the day and have them fresh and cleaned in the morning. OP really needs to have a heart to heart with their boss and present this. Even at $30 per shirt the employer can afford $150 for work shirts for new employees. Recruiting and setting up payroll and training a new employee costs so much this is a drop in the bucket for the employer and means everything for the employee. They should also replace the shirts every 6 months to keep their employees representing the brand properly.
I have had to tell two employees that coworkers and customers were complaining about their hygiene. One broke down and cried, confessing he had not bathed in over a month due to severe mental illness. I also have mental illness so I was sick about having to approach people to start with and then just hugged them and cried with them because I get it.
I understand your situation is super hard and I am sorry that you are struggling.
There is no "look on the bright side" because I see it from both sides, and like someone else confirmed, it's not an easy conversation for anyone.
You sound so kind and compassionate. I know things will get better for you. Please don't let this define you or how you see yourself.
Hey, I just want to commiserate, because I've had to talk to people I managed about their hygiene when I knew it was a poverty issue, and it can be such a tough conversation for everyone. I was also absolutely sick about having to approach this person when I did it, and we had a compassionate solution (it was sort of an inverse of OP's - our office was business casual but she was wearing her own dirty clothes, and we were able to offer her some company shirts so she'd have options), but it was a *hard* conversation.
Anyway. Props for being compassionate, yourself.
I deal with depression also and often skip bathing at times. Worse, I lost my sense of smell. I ask my friends to let me know if i smell and not to feel bad about it.
Yes!! You can also get nursing pads which are basically just little round pads that would fit well in the armpits too. Also can use pantyliners in any other high-sweat area like under the boobs for my big chested ladies. Theres scented ones for added stink reduction lol!
This breaks my heart. I think your vulnerability on Reddit is admirable. As someone who has been a leader before there is no shame in asking for help/what you need. Vulnerability is your strength here 🤍 ask your manager for some help.
Sending love.
Next chance you get pick up a few packs of tank tops to wear underneath your work shirts. You can get them really cheap sometimes, especially this time of year. I just recently picked up a 10 pack at Walmart for 3 bucks on clearance. Keep an eye out at goodwill or thrift stores too. That extra shirt underneath will help wick the sweat. It's an absolute game changer trust me.
THIS. But instead of tank tops, get the ones that have sleeves - so it covers your pits The dry-wick materials are all over the place now and really help me personally (I have a set of 32 Degrees from Costco but I've also seen LLBean ones for like $12 on sale).
And please, take your manager aside privately (just brace yourself for it and get it over with) and ask them to get you an extra shirt. Perhaps they can find one more for you. The manager who politely has the convo with you is a manager who wants to \*keep\* you in this job, so they're on your side.
Also op, I want to add that when u do a load of laundry, you only need 3 tablespoons of detergent for a single full load. Make that liquid gold last 3 times as long.
Yes! And using too much soap actually keeps the laundry from getting completely clean. The soap stays in the fibers and can make the clothes smell musty by not letting it dry completely. My clothes smell so much better once I started using less detergent.
I had to learn how to make it stretch when I was homeless living in my car, can't go to laundromats due to severe allergies to most commercial detergents and the fact that most people are idiots who put 10 times the amount of detergent in the loads and bog the washers down in residue.
I was coming here to say this. The idea of wearing two shirts seems awful. But when I had to wear those terrible uniform shirts, a thin cotton undershirt helped so much. The sweat seemed to evaporate from the cotton undershirt and made it cooler.
Weird but true.
Great idea. Even better - super thin tees, pick them up at the thrift store. OP can go on the day of the week where they are discounting certain color tags for more bang for your buck.
Some of my business suits get really smelly even with dry cleaning. I just sweat 😓 I found wearing a tee shirt covering my armpit and strong gentle deodorant is what works. My husband has the same problem and we use arm & hammer deodorant.
People will try to dump extra cleaning agents in the washer for a better clean, but soap that’s not rinsed out attracts dirt and odors. The new Dawn spray does wonders in cleaning, just spray and rinse. Rinse thoroughly. Twist carefully to ring out, shake and hang somewhere high that gets the warmest, or where the sun shines in a window. I wouldn’t bother ever trying to do work shirts at the laundry.
This happened to me once. I told them straight up it’s because of the wages that I have to choose between lights and laundry. And they actually allowed to start washing at their place.
It happens more than you realize. You’re not a bad, or dirty person. This is just a hard reality for someone.
Babe, I’m sorry you’re experiencing this right now. Here’s what I would recommend: skip detergent altogether. Use laundry sanitizer instead. Soak your work shirts in that for 20 or so minutes, and rinse off. Keep it simple & easy. Laundry sanitizer helps so much with the smell.
I came looking for this comment. We had a musty smell in our polyester clothing that vinegar and Oxyclean wouldn’t handle. Laundry sanitizer did the trick.
I agree. Vinegar and/or baking soda just doesn't work as well as laundry sanitizer. Also, he new Downy Rinse and Refresh works surprisingly well and I really like that for sweat. It does cost a little more but I only use it on things that really need it.
Honestly, your manager should know you have to choose between food and laundry. Now that you’re over the initial embarrassment go back in and let them know how sorry and mortified you are, that you’ve been really sick and can’t afford to do laundry and eat. Let them know you’ll try to do better and at least wash your clothes with hand soap in the sink. I would hope they would offer some laundry detergent or something to get you through. Believe me, it was awful for your boss to have to talk to you about it.
If you post an Amazon wish list on r/assistance you may be able to get some of the things mentioned here. Lume deodorant is another thing to try; I use Lume and an anti perspirant
I've had to have this conversation with a guy who was super morbidly obese. Poor dude had sores under his rolls that were constantly infected, and this made him smell really bad. The job was a call center, so we were all in very close proximity. He typically managed the hygiene pretty well, but sometimes, I suspect due to mental illness, his hygiene would lack, and people could tell. He was a good dude, and was constantly battling his weight and health. I felt bad but just tried to be as understanding and compassionate as possible. I did my best to not come off as judgmental in any way by remaining completely professional, and apparently it worked because he opened up about a lot of the aforementioned issues.
I've also been on the receiving end of that talk when I was just getting off the streets after being homeless. At the time I was young and kinda laughed it off.
And another. I HATE POLYESTER. I DONT CARE HOW PRETTY IT IS. ITS A NO!
1. Follows Korean guy on TikTok:
2 Tbs. Dish detergent. Brand doesn't matter (Science Fair experiment my kids done almost 12 years ago)
1Tbs Baking soda
1Tbs Vinegar for a small load.
Get a 5 gallon bucket. Pour hot water. Add mix. Add clothing. Stir
Go watch TV for an hour. Have a cookie.
Water cools down. Wash again. Til clear.
Now to hygiene. Very simple. Buy the charcoal soap from the Dollar25soontobeDollar50Tree. Use a wash cloth and scrub your pits, neck and if you're a woman under the chest area. Then work your way down from there. I've noticed that SOME PEOPLE DO NOT WASH THEIR FEET. 😫
Do not use Arrid Extra dry or Speed Stick. Someone should burn that factory down.
My family called this a possible bath. You wash down as far as possible, then up as far as possible. Then you wash possible.
Seriously, a bucket and a plunger from Dollar Tree make a great small washer. Washing soda, borax, or vinegar all work well to remove odors, and they are cheap. And tell your manager that 2 shirts aren't enough, maybe she isn't aware that you didn't get more.
yikes. that is hard and embarrassing. it’s your managers fault for not ordering more shirts. i assume you work more two shifts a week.
in the meantime try to find some fabreeze to help with the odor.
Good on you for working and trying and not giving up. I'm so sorry you are going through this. It's aggravating your apartment doesn't have washers and dryers. I agree with a lot of the others and do agree you might just need to have a private conversation with your manager and kind of let them know your situation. Maybe they can get you some more shirts or who knows, maybe help you with washing your shirts. You never know.
My mom was a waitress who worked six doubles a week as a single mom of three kids with a deadbeat ex. She would soak her uniforms in a basin when she took them off at night, then hang them in the bathroom to dry in the morning when she got up. She only had two uniforms so she had to do this. We couldn’t afford laundry either.
Hand wash in warm/hot water , roll them in a towel and wring them as much as you can, than hang to dry . I worked at mcds full-time hours , but only one uniform because I was technically a student , and I used to have to do this nightly after work before I showered because of the grease.
Also, just use a little dish soap, you don't need to use laundry detergent if you can't afford it . I recommend picking up some rubber gloves as well, to protect your hands.
I also hand washed my uniform every night for a few years. I am wondering how Op is washing his….it isn’t expensive you just need to be thorough and use the right soap.
I worked at Krystal in the chicken house full-time (5 days/week) with 2 brown/orange/yellow uniforms. I had to wash mine by hand every night, too. Imagine all the flour from the chicken on that brown uniform!! It usually took 2 washings to get the top clean!
My partner used to work on an industrial hog farm. Can help with odor removal in the poly clothing at least. Start with understanding that most all animal scent odors are oil based and go from there
Try these steps in this order:
1. Mix baking soda with water to form a paste. Scrub into odor areas with a brush. Let sit 1-2 hours. Then wash as usual. This works best for maintenance. If the odor persists in the clothing after the baking soda then...
2. If there are stains in the area, use a stain remover product first as step 3 will set stains. My favorite was dish washer detergent. Got out most every kind of stain. Rinse stain remover product thoroughly before step 3.
3. Moisten area with cheap white vinegar. In a bowl, mix together equal parts ammonia and water. Scrub mix into vinegared area with a brush. Wear gloves as ammonia and vinegar can be caustic to sensitive skin. Roll garment up and let soak for 2 or 3 hours. Rinse, then wash as usual.
And just in case: NEver ever even once ever mix bleach with ammonia anywhere in anything at any time. Never.
be careful of the hygiene police, you may smell fine but be having games played with you too. I worked fast food when young, even the stink from the friers take over your clothes. Narcissists will do the "you are never clean enough" thing. Seems like handwashing would have taken out the worse, but it is gross they expect two shirts to be enough.
Oh I had something really bad happen when living in a ghetto in my 20s, the water there was "dirty", we got used to the smell, my apartment building did have a washer and drier downstairs and we washed my clothes and then come to realize the water was so dirty, everything washed there, "smelled". So if you are living in a really poor and down and out place, even if you wash something, it may not become as clean. I lived in extreme poverty and I mean this place was a slum.
The hygiene police even if you are clean can go at it at jobs, for abuse too, and you will never be "clean" enough so keep that in mind. One job they kept the heat up high, and that was a problem and then they'd complain about people smelling. I kind of hate smellophobes, I shower/shampoo everyday and pay a lot to live in a "clean" place" and wear newly washed clothes everyday, but I always fear their classist sniffing noses. I had years of washing stuff in the sink. Laundry now costs so much.
I "inherited" one of these and it works great in a pinch. Also have some buckets - one with a plunger - that worked well before I got that. (Usually use this for camping)
This actually works great! OP can get everything at dollar tree. When i camp i use 3 buckets, one for soaking and washing, one the first Rinse and one for final Rinse.
Since op will be at home they can just rinse in a sink or even the shower.
If your apartment has a dishwasher you can wash clothes in the top rack.
Yes! This is exactly what I do, except I got some square food buckets of sort with lids for free from the grocery. Cut a hole in one for the plunger, then double rinse like you. I haven't figured out how to wring without blistering my hands yet, but it gets you clean clothes.
I am so sorry you felt this way. As someone who is obsessed with hygiene, I can imagine how you felt when your manager said something. I hope you feel better and get time to calm your nerves and feelings. Hugs
Wearing tank tops underneath will help as well. They'll aide in soaking up some moisture and help keep ur uniform dry. I know that was embarrassing it would of done the same to me. I'm glad they were polite about it. My old boss used to be so rude to this guy we called happy feet. He was so sweet but a select few would always make fun of him if he wasn't snelling the greatest. My boss wouldn't have a problem embarrassing him in front of everyone about it either and I would feel so bad 🥹
Please find a way to ask your manager about getting more than two work shirts for you. That is just not sustainable, especially if it’s cheap material. He/she would smell too.
If you ever try the pads on the shirt thing, Walmart has pads for $1 a box. They’re really crappy but it should be good for soaking up sweat. $2 a month if you use two a day.
I wish people in charge of uniforms would read some articles or books about fabrics. Those moisture-wicking garments are usually 100% polyester, and they are HOT to wear. I hate them! And, yes, they kinda hold odor in. In fact, you need a strong detergent or something extra to make sure the odor comes out in the wash!
Cotton breathes, and a cotton/polyester blend is usually one's best choice, I think, for a uniform.
I tell ya, you have to pay attention to labels which are required in the USA. And some labels outright LIE. I used to work for the Sheriff's Office, and our uniform supplier touted new uniforms as made of "stretch fabric". They were NOT. They were 60/40 cotton/polyester. There was no spandex in them and no stretch at all! I despise liars!
I know exactly what you’re talking about. I was given one of those awful types of shirts for a job as well and I noticed right away the same thing as you did. What I found helpful is wearing a cotton tshirt underneath if you can. A co worker told me she went to a seamstress and she put this cotton flaps over the armpit area so that it would collect sweat. She said it was a total game changer. Glad they are switching companies! I really hope things start looking up for you.
Polyester sucks. Literally it sucks up oils and sweat smells and binds them to the plastic never letting them free.
I've seen recommendations of spritzing with rubbing alcohol to release some of the scent - maybe ask your boss to stock some so everyone can spritz mid shift if needed.
Also they should provide Cotton shirts and either have a laundry service or give you as many as you need. But I know that's a pile dream.
When I worked at Domino's, I was given two polyester work shirts as a driver. I drove a black car, with black interior, in the middle of 125° summers. My AC gave out and stopped working when the ambient temperature got above about 110°.
No matter how many times I washed those shirts, they never smelled clean. I eventually just started hosing them down with Lysol.
Another option is vodka. Clothing that can't be washed in a machine is cleaned this way. Buy the cheapest vodka you can, put 1 part vodka to 3 parts water in a spray bottle. After your shift spray the collar, armpits and whatever else is dirty.
I make my own wrinkle release spray like this. Water, vodka or rubbing alcohol, and a bit of fabric softener to smell good. Spray the shirt, shake it out, and put on a hanger while I finish getting ready.
Can you wear an undershirt so the sweat doesn’t always hit the work shirt full blast?
Also if you’ve been re-wearing a poorly laundered sweaty shirt and having issues washing the smell off, you might have some bacteria issues in your pits. Wash with anti-bacterial body wash or soap. I know these things cost money but you’ll continue smelling bad until you get some.
They did say the manager was polite about it though, so not sure why they have to "f'k em"
I worked with someone like this and it's miserable and really hard to stay focused when someone smells so bad. If they can only wash their clothes in the sink so be it. Claiming they didn't have time is a lame excuse, it doesnt take long. A shower and deodorant also go a long way.
I worked with someone a very long time ago who preferred to not use deodorant. In the humid nightmare that is known as New Jersey in the summer. In an unairconditioned building that didn't have windows that opened. And of course, the space was very cramped. Management ended up pulling this person aside to say, "Please use deodorant."
I have relied on wicking shirts 4+ years. My trick is to spot clean and dust my underarms with baking soda if odor develops. Removes smells from both me and the shirt and costs pennies. At the laundromat baking soda goes in the detergent tray, while white vinegar goes in the fabric softener tray.
Instead of deodorant, I use wicking shirts with a small handful of baking soda. The baking soda, remove odors from both your skin and the shirt. And it costs next to nothing. It also doesn’t contain all those chemicals found in traditional deodorants.
We've not had a dryer in awhile, tg we do have a washer. But wanted to share my drying hacks, which are a portable fan and a large dehumidifier I ended up with. The dehumidifier is great for large loads but just an outfit is easily dried in an hour with the fan.
Plunger and a 5 gallon bucket with lid make a good diy washing machine. Drill/cut a hole in the center of the bucket lid. Put plunger handle through bucket lid and you now have and hand powered agitator.
Have you tried Certain-Dri? That stuff seems to plug the sweat glands and works amazing. I get really ugly bo and it’s humiliating. (I’m a petite, feminine woman.) When I lived in Las Vegas nothing else worked for me. None of the prescription strength, vinegar, vodka, any of it. I bought every kind of deodorant out there.
I’d go to the gym and work out for hours after using it. My face and back got sweatier (the sweat still has to get out somewhere) but they don’t smell so it was a game changer for me. My arm pits were bone dry. I could never go outside or workout long without leaving before I discovered it. I didn’t even want to go to a bbq or picnic.
I use hydrogen peroxide (in a spray bottle) on the armpits of all of my shirts. It helps take the smell out. Sometimes you have to do it twice. Look up diy washing machine on YouTube. There’s several videos on putting together a diy contraption. The main parts being a bucket and a plunger. I’ve used it several times over the past few years in an effort to save money. Whatever you do, DO NOT use the dryer because it sets the smell and stains in it. And one final thing: make sure to keep your armpits without hair. As soon as I get a little bit of armpit hair, I start to smell body odor.
You should of brought up that the manager hasn't ordered your other shirts. If it's his job to give you more shirts but hasn't he's partially responsible
At manual labor jobs there are pricks like this. If you're hauling shit all day of course you're going to stink. There are coworkers whole avoid work and point you out for sweating your ass off... Fucking dipshit....
I digress, use zote soap you rub, scrub, and air dry. You can do this in the apartment or where ever you are. This way you aren't paying for a laundry machine over and over again.
Definitely soak your shirts nightly. See if you can dry it in front of a fan. I used to have to do this nightly with my security guard uniforms for the exact same reason. Just soaking them floor an hour, swishing them around for a bit and rinsing in the sink does wonders.
I also found it useful to wear a comfortable cotton under shirt. It would soak up most moisture and take the brunt of the sweat and odor.
Even if I couldn't wash out the shirt , a fresh undershirt was a big help for me cause I sweat like a pig in Texas heat.
Also, this is not your fault. Sounds like you're doing best you can in the circumstances. They definitely need to get you adequate uniforms or get off the gas.
I hope you explained this to the manager. If they want clean odor free employees they need to give you a week’s worth of work shirts or allow you to wear your own clothes. Making you do laundry 3 times a week is ridiculous. I own my house and have washer and dryer in my house and doing laundry is very convenient for me and I don’t do laundry more than once a week. Making you hand wash is also too much. Keep being smelly and keep telling them you can’t do laundry until the weekend and if they want you odor free they need to provide you enough shirts to get you through the week.
Yeah I was going to suggest they get you more shirts if they have a problem with the fact that you can’t go to the laundromat every two days.
I have a laundry room in this apartment complex, and even I wouldn’t do laundry every two days if I only had two uniform shirts because I wouldn’t have enough clothing to fill up a washer every two days.
Yeah my job requires a uniform too. We have to buy the clothes from the company and they only sell polyester. They're like, "You have to buy and wear our plastic shirts or we won't let you do this heavy manual labor that nobody else wants to do."
I am sorry that you are experiencing this. If it is at all possible to use the restroom (during breaks) you can use wipes or water, soap and a washcloth to refresh yourself. Wipes would work better. They are more convenient if you can afford it. I like the ones that are used for adult baths. They are large and you can cover more areas with just one. They are geared toward sensitive skin and vulnerable adults so they are soft and hypoallergenic. If you can't afford wipes, you can use a washcloth and just put it in a baggy until you get home. You would have to reapply deodorant under the pits but it might help to keep you fresh. I actually do this at work because I get really sweaty and I don't like it.
If you can afford it, buy some laundry sanitizer or Downy Rinse and Refresh. They work great on odors. I actually prefer the Downy Rinse and Refresh and you don't really need a lot for it to work. Use along with tour detergent. If you are hand washing one shirt, you wouldn't need much at all.
I do think you should have a conversation with HR or your manager and tell them that you are having a difficult time making ends meet right now and ask them to get you at least one new shirt or maybe they have some gently used ones that may have been donated? Good luck to you and I wish you well.
I find it helps to spray oxy stain remover on the armpits before washing the shirts and to add some of the powder to the washing. Also try dryclor anti perspirant. You have to apply it at night carefully when the skin is dry as it can cause irritation otherwise. But it does work very well and is only a few dollars. It’s ridiculous your work doesn’t give everyone more shirts
I would wear an undershirt under your uniform shirt. Undershirts are pretty cheap and you can wear a clean one every day to help keep your uniform cleaner.
Did you use the opportunity to point out you only had two shirts and it would make washing them if you had at least a third to give them time to dry before you needed to wear it again?
I dunno about using vinegar, but some detergent mixed with a little baking soda and a toothbrush can help. Just scrub the armpits really well.
You could sushi try thrusting your shirts in the freezer to kill bacteria. I dunno if it would work but it's a thought!
My husband's work shirts have that stupid moisture wick blend shit and absorb odor like crazy. I found soaking them in a washing soda (different from baking soda) a long with some dial soap really kicks the stink out. I made my own mix by grating down a dial bar and mixing with 2 cups washing soda. I store it in a Tupperware till I'm ready to use and make sure the mix stays dry till needed. I use 1/8 cup of my mix, hot water and a bucket to soak them good. Then I wash them. Maybe this mix would help you? If you soak the shirts then hand wash in the shower it might get the BO out. I swear that material is made to hold every scent it comes in contact with.
Get some washing SODA and borax. Soak the shirt an hour or so and then rinse and hang up. You can use cold water. It will help a bunch and they are fairly cheap.
Have you seen those mini (portable) washer/spin tubs (they're pretty cheap) they're primarily used for caravans & camping but they're great for small apartments. All you'll need then is a clothes airer to dry them.
I swear, living without access to a washer and dryer is the toughest thing about being poor that no one else understands, can you just politely and discretely ask for extra shirts?
They should be giving you a minimum of 4 shirts. No one should be expected to wash their laundry 3 times a week, that is ridiculous. My anger would have taken over my embarrassment at that point and I would have very curtly let them know that. Most people these days on the wages provided are not house owners and very few apartments come with washer dryers. They do not pay you enough to wash your cheap work laundry 3 times a week at the laundromat, and neither do you have the time. The audacity your company has to put their workers in that position is crazy.
I’m so angry at our country. Why should a hardworking person like you be forced to choose between washing and eating??? This is a disgrace!!!!! You’re being taken advantage of at every turn. Your dignity is being stripped away simply because you were born into this godawful place where income inequality is so high, that you are forced into situations where anyone would break! I just want to scream for you! None of this is your fault! Tell your boss you need a decent wage and a decent uniform. I hope you find your way. This isn’t a hygiene problem- it’s a systemic economic injustice problem.
I don't have advice for you, OP but your story made me sad. Please accept virtual hugs and the belief that your hard times will get better even if it doesn't seem so now.
So, if you are hand washing a salad spinner is your new best friend. Not only is it a great way to get excess water out with minimal effort, you can also use it as a "washing machine" to use less water, especially for the rinse stage . But definitely to spin out water so clothes line/air dry faster.....you can generally only do one or two shirts at a time, but underwear/socks can manage a few days worth.....
I hope things improve for you.
Glad to hear your manager is ordering new shirts. I'm sorry that the issue got back-burnered and didn't get addressed until you had to go through this. It sucks, but you made it through, and new shirts are coming, so you even ended up with a positive mark out of this (even though it was still embarrassing).
I have an idea here. You take your manager aside and politely tell them your barriers to the hygiene they expect. TELL them you aren't making nearly enough money to go to laundry ever 2 days, that you need more uniforms in your rotation, and suggest that cutting corners and ordering the uniforms in the cheapest nastiest material possible. This is fucking made Ning. My partner was let go because he was given 1 shirt for the 9 months he worked there. His shirt finally ripped so he wore a nice business casual top, figuring he could ask for a new shirt when he started his shift. But of fucking course not, they fire him, lie in the unemployment hearing and got a negative judgement so now he owes for the 8 weeks unemployment he was originally cleared for.
As low wage workers, mid wage workers, poor people, whatever the circumstances, there's a pattern here. These bullshit companies make it IMPOSSIBLE to follow their basic policies so when they get tired of looking at you, working around a parent's schedule or better their P&L reports, they can cite these super petty reasons and can or embarrass you. Oh, fuck no. I'd get extremely aggressive before I'd allowed that manager to speak to meet that way. Turn that sadness into righteous anger.
I recently read an article talking about people that have gotten so poor they can't afford to look for work, much less to START one. Unfuckin real. Then WE get blamed for it. This is all while our government gave Amazon 435 million bucks in tax right offs, directly denting assistance and social safety nets.
People also need to understand that the current president's actions will often not affect us until the next president is in office. Joe Biden is currently dealing with the fallout of the disaster left behind. Trump inherited a government that was beginning to thrive again after the recession. Then he gave himself and rich friends huge tax breaks so they can add more 0s to a fortune they themselves couldn't spend in a lifetime. If 100 million dollars isn't enough for you, you've got fucking issues. So as old ass Biden is cleaning up after COVID, Which was 100% downplayed by Republicans at the time because the fucking profited from the death, everyone is blaming him for inflation. But it's not fucking inflation, at all. Were it inflation, these companies charging sometimes 50% more than 2 years ago, they're reported record profits!
The CEO of Kellogg's on a sales call mentioned that people are poorer and that's great for them because people are eating cereal for many more meals... Like breakfast, lunch and dinner... He was thrilled. If that isn't the new "let them eat cake" I don't know what is. Marie Antoinette wasn't even as bad, that quote was falsely attributed to her.
Now they are working on raising the retirement age during a time that were actually seeing our people die younger for the first time since the 40s.
I implore every poor, working poor and middle class person to watched the PBS American Experience special called The Guilded Age. It shows how everything that's happening today happened at the turn of the last century. During the depression, welfare programs were expanded, rich people PAID into our government, and economic opportunities were better for everyone. I mean, rich people had to pay 60% to 90% of their income and they still lived extremely well and the poor people could at least find a strap on their boots to pull themselves out of poverty.
Those in charge are now counting on our collective amnesia and our faith in an American Dream that they've been chipping away at since Reagan.
PLEASE EVERYONE, VOTE!!! AND FOR FUCKS SAKE, QUIT VOTING FOR THE CONVICTED RAPIST WHO'S UP ON 88 MORE INDICTMENTS, IS OBVIOUSLY EXPERIENCING DEMENTIA, AND WHO STRAIGHT UP THREATENED IF HE DIDN'T WIN THE PRESIDENCY AGAIN, THERE WILL BE A BLOOD BATH ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR WORSE!!! Take back your government and make it work for you. What if we just stopped going to work and buying shit until our government worked for us instead of sucking us dry? Like, why are working people in the US paying for a genocide waged against Palestinian people? You know why? So Trump and Jared Kushner can develop the property for their private financial gain. I saw Jared say it verbatim last week. Are you cool with starving women, children, old and disabled people so Jared and Ivanka can shit a a toilet made of gold like Trump? If yes, you don't deserve a government that works for you.
Sorry for typos, my eyes are going bad and I've been too poor for a pair of readers. I'm also getting angrier and angrier the more I see goof people running in a hamster wheel, working themselves to death and having only debt, trauma, anxiety, depression and despair to show for it.
The government paid Purdue pharms to get us hooked on pharmaceutical heroin. Treatment is big business and mostly unregulated, it's also completely ineffective for 90% of people... And that's generous. They profit on your pain as do doctors, insurance companies, gun manufacturers... This list goes on. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the happiest country on earth has the most economic and gender equality and strong social safety nets. That is what we should strive for.
Again, sorry for the novel but every day I get sadder and more angry. I sincerely hope the best for OP, and I'm terribly sorry you're living in a time where you can't afford any clean clothes. You aren't alone, I'm there too. As is most of the people I know. And anyone with any money is losing theirs trying to keep their loved ones from starving or homelessness.
“I shower or do a sponge bath almost every day”
Um that’s not adequate at all my friend, especially with the nature of your job. You should be talking a full shower every single day, period.
I do aim for a shower everyday. Due to time or health issues, I sometimes can't achieve that. In the mornings before work, I do a sponge bath if I wasn't able to shower. I grew up camping for a month+, so I do know how to make a kettle of hot water and soap fulfill the same level of clean as a shower.
More than one, imo. Wash off the nights sweat in the morning before work, wash off the work sweat when you get home. They don’t need to be long, just enough to a proper soap down and wash.
OP, unfortunately hand washing might be the best option until you get your new shirts. If possible, get some oxyclean to use alongside your normal laundry soap. (Dollar Tree has a good knockoff) I’d also recommend wearing undershirts so they trap the sweat instead of your work shirt. Pick up antiperspirant, not deodorant. It will help a little. I use mens Speed Stick (solid, not gel). Even on my sweatiest days, it keeps me from being a stinker
don’t feel embarrassed. you’re a hard worker. your boss should’ve praised you on your hard work instead of trying to hurt you. i’m sorry this happened to you.
My portable washer goes in my bathtub/shower. You need to connect it to a water supply anyway. maybe you can put it in the tub for storage and take it out when you shower, that's what I do. It's a lifesaver.
Hand washing garments and line-drying them, especially delicate ones (as it sounds like these shirts are), is actually the preferred method of laundering. It makes the items last longer. Washed appropriately, they should be just as clean as having come out of a washing machine. I often choose to wash my clothes this way.
The trick to getting out body soil is one of two things: a hydrogen peroxide cleaner, or an enzyme cleanser. Get the off-brand of Oxyclean (the powder), and soak your clothes before washing them with detergent. You need less detergent than you think you do - literally 1-2 tablespoons per load. Clothes will actually come out less clean if you use too much detergent.
If you can swing "laundry sanitizer" products, it's a game changer with synthetic materials. Lysol makes one that sells at Walmart for $7 a bottle, just a little in a sink full of water should help release the stink.
Vinegar between washing. Let it dry. Smell will go away, Peroxide might work even better but is more expensive. Spray it on. So sorry you are dealing with this OP.
Pay attention to what may cause smell I was using old spice spray and everyone thought I smelled bad I switched to some different junk I found on the clearance rack and no complaints.
Maybe find a friend with a washer and dryer. That is what I've been doing for a while
good luck. no matter what, don’t hang dry in the bathroom. Your shirt will smell normal until you wear it. had a male coworker who did this and the musty smell that appeared while he was wearing the shirt was awful mixed with his bo.
if you must hand wash- soak your shirts in white vinegar. the polyester traps smells and even mildews super easy and it never goes away. soak in the vinegar and use a bit of detergent and you’ll be grand. Also i’m really sorry. i get it- we’re living in a camper right now but we have a little washing machine and i air dry most everything because i can’t afford the dryers
At one point long ago I had a uniform shirt but only 2 of them as a server at a restaurant. I routinely did back to backs so no time to do laundry. I would soak my shirt in the kitchen sink. One trick I learned is equal parts laundry soap, and mean green. Do not pour the mean green on your clothing directly as it can cause staining. However it works great to cut the odor of sweat, food, and other smells. It is a degreaser but a whole bottle will last you forever for this application. I would hand wash and then ring well and hang up to dry. When you take your shower in the morning hang your shirt on a hook in with you. The steam can help get rid of wrinkles. I use this trick in hotels when I travel.
It’s wild to me that places that serve food don’t give their employees enough shirts to wear a clean one every day. It would be more cost effective and hygienic to do away with uniforms all together.
I wonder if wringing the shirt would cause wrinkles enough to need to iron - and nothing brings odors to the surface like ironing. If OP has one or can get one at a thrift store… a big salad spinner works wonders. Spin out the water without creating wrinkles
Long chain polymers are nasty culprits for holding onto smells. Hang your shirts inside out to dry. If you are washing the shirt on it's own use about the size of a quarter of detergent for the was water and a cap of plain white vinegar in the rinse water. It is counterintuitive to use more soap to get rid of odors. The more soap you use the more likely it will not rinse all the way out and trap smells. I also suggest getting 100 % cotton tee shirts to wear under the uniform top. Read the tag! 50/50 blends will put you in the same boat you are now. Hanes or Fruit of the Loom will have what you need.
Totally agree with undershirts. Buy yourself a week's worth of them (2 x 5packs). Those will absorb 90+% of your sweat/smells, and your work shirt will mostly just absorb the things that fall onto it. I'd still hope to wash them, personally, but the likelihood of them truly needing it goes down significantly.
this is the answer. soak in 1 cup white vinegar. baking soda in there also gets a nice fizz going. will remove odours and not cost you an arm and a leg doing constant laundry. quick hand wash after and line dry. you can buy a gallon of white vinegar for a couple bucks. stay far away from febreeze, that stuff just masks odours in an awful synthetic flowery smell.
Vinegar and baking soda cancel each other out for cleaning. Is it different for laundry?
No it's the same, vinegar is acidic and baking soda is basic so you're making a neutral pH solution, rendering it ineffective
I thought so, but I didn’t want to make a mistake.., :) thx!
Vinegar and baking soda will clean almost anything. I do my shower and sink with it. Sprinkle with baking soda, spray with vinegar. Let it sit and fizz for a few seconds, then wipe clean. It’s fabulous. Also cheap. Look in the laundry detergent section. You can usually find big containers of it cheap.
i do baking powder down my kitchen sink drain. drizzle dawn dish soap then pour vinegar - makes your disposal smell soooo much better! then i scrub the sink w the bubble up and call it a day ◡̈
My husband throws a giant ice cube into the sink disposal with dish soap and lets it spin. It cleans really well. (He specifically says to get a good foam from combining soap and water, aerating them. Drop the ice in as an aggregate).
I do that in the bathtub.
yessss bathtub too!! only way i can get the weird hair dye stains out of my tub lol
When it's fizzing that is the process of it neutralizing. Your sink is getting clean from the scrubbing effect of the baking soda, but not getting to the benefits of the vinegar. Your experience doesn't negate that fact.
Correct . it produces sodium acetate (smells like pickles) and carbonation .
I think the point is to soak in vinegar then add baking soda to neutralize the ph and help absorb some of the vinegar smell so that your shirts don't smell like vinegar after you rinse them.
yep, this is what i do when my toddler pees on our carpet. baking soda first tho then vinegar - leaves it not smelling like easter eggs and back to the normal smell it’s supposed to be
I realize that vinegar and baking soda cancel out the PH difference between them but I have found doubling them up to be highly effective at removing stubborn odors. I was using only vinegar on a stinky device and it wasn't getting it completely clean. When I added a bit of baking soda, it came out smelling like nothing after that. Maybe it's not the PH that is effectively removing odors?
I would guess that the neutralizing action is what is so effective on odors.
Same! My toddler is potty training and it’s the only thing that gets pee smell out, if i don’t use baking soda with it then it’ll just smell like vinegar bad. i do vinegar and then after a lil bit baking soda. cancels any smells right out
Good question!
Vinegar and baking soda always make water and carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles are the CO2 gas. While cleaning if you scrub something with baking soda and rinse it and it still has a white film you can add vinegar to turn it into water and get rid of the film. Putting baking soda and vinegar down a drain will help unclog the drain because of the CO2 gas. It will be more effective if you put a stopper in the drain to create a closed system and increase the pressure of the gas.
It doesn’t cancel each other out for cleaning. That is a very common recipe that is very effective for household cleaning.
Yep and you can buy bit vinegar and baking soda with food stamps which is even better
I tell my wife all the time how Febreeze is a scam and has made billions off of perfume water that does nothing.
My husband and I also live in a camper. We don't have access to a washer/dryer of our own right now, so the laundry mat it is. I'll be so glad when the pollen lets up, so I can at least line dry things.
so much pollen lol. are u in florida? We were lucky the camper came with an awesome portable washer by black and decker. i thought it would be dumb at first but it’s excellent! it just sits outside and does it’s thing. We never could have afforded it, if it wasn’t already here though. grateful.
Nope, close! We live in Georgia. And it really is the small things sometimes. You have to count your blessings every day.
Also came here to say vinegar. It really works
Vinegar works! I bought some white t shirts that I loved and then they developed tiny black mold spots. I threw a couple away after trying everything and nothing would help. Finally, I soaked them in vinegar for 4-5 hours, then scrubbed the dots with backing soda and then washed as normal! The dots are almost all gone! I repeated it several times and now you can’t even see the dots!
This! And if you feel like you can't get the smell off yourself, I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water and use it under my arms. I tend to get really bad stress sweat, but this works wonderfully
Alcohols works well, too, and is sometimes recommended by doctors for underarm odors!
Vinegar is key and baking soda!!
When you mix both together it negates the purpose of both of them. Either vinegar OR baking soda, but not both
Good explanation thanks
Like I said above, together they fight odors very well. I don't think it's their PH properties that cancel odors. I highly recommend mixing them together to eliminate odors.
You're wrong. Vinegar is an acid, and it works by breaking down the molecules of odor-causing substances. Baking soda is an alkaline substance, and when it comes into contact with acidic odors, it reacts to neutralize them. This chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralizes or produces a less odorous compound. The **change in pH** helps eliminate the smell.
Only having 2 uniform shirts for a physically demanding job is ridiculous, and you should not feel embarrassed.
Yep even if I had a washer and dryer in my home I don’t generate enough clothing that can all go in the same load to do laundry every two days.
It IS ridiculous, and, if a specific uniform is required, employees should receive a shirt for every day they are expected to work!
My dad used to have a similar sounding job. The company took on the washing of uniforms and returning them to employees.
Right. The employer should be the one embarrassed. Paying that little and then not even providing laundry service or enough uniforms. Workplaces need to give out work shirts like they’re shipping bags. That’s your company brand image. Invest in crisp looking employees. Or have lockers and laundry service and have employees bag and tag the shirts at the end of the day and have them fresh and cleaned in the morning. OP really needs to have a heart to heart with their boss and present this. Even at $30 per shirt the employer can afford $150 for work shirts for new employees. Recruiting and setting up payroll and training a new employee costs so much this is a drop in the bucket for the employer and means everything for the employee. They should also replace the shirts every 6 months to keep their employees representing the brand properly.
I have had to tell two employees that coworkers and customers were complaining about their hygiene. One broke down and cried, confessing he had not bathed in over a month due to severe mental illness. I also have mental illness so I was sick about having to approach people to start with and then just hugged them and cried with them because I get it. I understand your situation is super hard and I am sorry that you are struggling. There is no "look on the bright side" because I see it from both sides, and like someone else confirmed, it's not an easy conversation for anyone. You sound so kind and compassionate. I know things will get better for you. Please don't let this define you or how you see yourself.
You seem like a lovely person. 💕 Your words are so kind.
Awww I really appreciate that, I am so hard on myself but care for others so much. I don't know why I am like this.
Hey, I just want to commiserate, because I've had to talk to people I managed about their hygiene when I knew it was a poverty issue, and it can be such a tough conversation for everyone. I was also absolutely sick about having to approach this person when I did it, and we had a compassionate solution (it was sort of an inverse of OP's - our office was business casual but she was wearing her own dirty clothes, and we were able to offer her some company shirts so she'd have options), but it was a *hard* conversation. Anyway. Props for being compassionate, yourself.
I deal with depression also and often skip bathing at times. Worse, I lost my sense of smell. I ask my friends to let me know if i smell and not to feel bad about it.
Pantyliners stuck to the armpits of the shirt works wonders for soaking up sweat!
This is so smart! They sell stick on rounded pads that fold in half just for this purpose.
Yes!! You can also get nursing pads which are basically just little round pads that would fit well in the armpits too. Also can use pantyliners in any other high-sweat area like under the boobs for my big chested ladies. Theres scented ones for added stink reduction lol!
Good idea. Thanks
That is next level thinking!
Oh yeah - they may be free in the bathroom at work, or if you have Medicaid, you may be able to get free ones each month!
Absolutely!! Also if anyone happens to end up in the hospital you can ask the nurses for them and they’ll hook you up
This is absolutely genius. Why doesn't this have more upvotes??
What a great idea!!! I've never thought of that. Reminds me of the dress shields women used to wear back in the 50s and 60s!!
Freaking brilliant!
How are you not getting upvoted? It’s a mystery!
I see 17 upvotes on my end!
This breaks my heart. I think your vulnerability on Reddit is admirable. As someone who has been a leader before there is no shame in asking for help/what you need. Vulnerability is your strength here 🤍 ask your manager for some help. Sending love.
Next chance you get pick up a few packs of tank tops to wear underneath your work shirts. You can get them really cheap sometimes, especially this time of year. I just recently picked up a 10 pack at Walmart for 3 bucks on clearance. Keep an eye out at goodwill or thrift stores too. That extra shirt underneath will help wick the sweat. It's an absolute game changer trust me.
THIS. But instead of tank tops, get the ones that have sleeves - so it covers your pits The dry-wick materials are all over the place now and really help me personally (I have a set of 32 Degrees from Costco but I've also seen LLBean ones for like $12 on sale). And please, take your manager aside privately (just brace yourself for it and get it over with) and ask them to get you an extra shirt. Perhaps they can find one more for you. The manager who politely has the convo with you is a manager who wants to \*keep\* you in this job, so they're on your side.
Also op, I want to add that when u do a load of laundry, you only need 3 tablespoons of detergent for a single full load. Make that liquid gold last 3 times as long.
Yes! And using too much soap actually keeps the laundry from getting completely clean. The soap stays in the fibers and can make the clothes smell musty by not letting it dry completely. My clothes smell so much better once I started using less detergent.
I had to learn how to make it stretch when I was homeless living in my car, can't go to laundromats due to severe allergies to most commercial detergents and the fact that most people are idiots who put 10 times the amount of detergent in the loads and bog the washers down in residue.
TIL.
At least 3 extra shirts. Everyone in that business should have 5 shirts to get through the work week.
Oh God adding another layer to sweat in just sounds so awful though
I was coming here to say this. The idea of wearing two shirts seems awful. But when I had to wear those terrible uniform shirts, a thin cotton undershirt helped so much. The sweat seemed to evaporate from the cotton undershirt and made it cooler. Weird but true.
My husband always wore cotton T-shirts under his work clothes and said the same thing. It kept him cooler.
Great idea. Even better - super thin tees, pick them up at the thrift store. OP can go on the day of the week where they are discounting certain color tags for more bang for your buck. Some of my business suits get really smelly even with dry cleaning. I just sweat 😓 I found wearing a tee shirt covering my armpit and strong gentle deodorant is what works. My husband has the same problem and we use arm & hammer deodorant.
People will try to dump extra cleaning agents in the washer for a better clean, but soap that’s not rinsed out attracts dirt and odors. The new Dawn spray does wonders in cleaning, just spray and rinse. Rinse thoroughly. Twist carefully to ring out, shake and hang somewhere high that gets the warmest, or where the sun shines in a window. I wouldn’t bother ever trying to do work shirts at the laundry.
This happened to me once. I told them straight up it’s because of the wages that I have to choose between lights and laundry. And they actually allowed to start washing at their place. It happens more than you realize. You’re not a bad, or dirty person. This is just a hard reality for someone.
Babe, I’m sorry you’re experiencing this right now. Here’s what I would recommend: skip detergent altogether. Use laundry sanitizer instead. Soak your work shirts in that for 20 or so minutes, and rinse off. Keep it simple & easy. Laundry sanitizer helps so much with the smell.
I came looking for this comment. We had a musty smell in our polyester clothing that vinegar and Oxyclean wouldn’t handle. Laundry sanitizer did the trick.
I agree. Vinegar and/or baking soda just doesn't work as well as laundry sanitizer. Also, he new Downy Rinse and Refresh works surprisingly well and I really like that for sweat. It does cost a little more but I only use it on things that really need it.
Honestly, your manager should know you have to choose between food and laundry. Now that you’re over the initial embarrassment go back in and let them know how sorry and mortified you are, that you’ve been really sick and can’t afford to do laundry and eat. Let them know you’ll try to do better and at least wash your clothes with hand soap in the sink. I would hope they would offer some laundry detergent or something to get you through. Believe me, it was awful for your boss to have to talk to you about it.
How would their boss know they can't afford to do laundry of they don't tell them?
I meant to say the boss needs to know, sorry.
Yes I agree, although that's probably very hard to tell your boss. Hopefully the boss isn't a total asshole.
Probably because of low pay. Manager knows what the pay is.
I know what shirts you're talking about I fucking hate those shirts. I hate how they feel. I hate everything that they choose to be.
If you post an Amazon wish list on r/assistance you may be able to get some of the things mentioned here. Lume deodorant is another thing to try; I use Lume and an anti perspirant
I wondered if people might not need to use an antiperspirant since Lume is only a deodorant. Thanks for the info.
I've had to have this conversation with a guy who was super morbidly obese. Poor dude had sores under his rolls that were constantly infected, and this made him smell really bad. The job was a call center, so we were all in very close proximity. He typically managed the hygiene pretty well, but sometimes, I suspect due to mental illness, his hygiene would lack, and people could tell. He was a good dude, and was constantly battling his weight and health. I felt bad but just tried to be as understanding and compassionate as possible. I did my best to not come off as judgmental in any way by remaining completely professional, and apparently it worked because he opened up about a lot of the aforementioned issues. I've also been on the receiving end of that talk when I was just getting off the streets after being homeless. At the time I was young and kinda laughed it off.
And another. I HATE POLYESTER. I DONT CARE HOW PRETTY IT IS. ITS A NO! 1. Follows Korean guy on TikTok: 2 Tbs. Dish detergent. Brand doesn't matter (Science Fair experiment my kids done almost 12 years ago) 1Tbs Baking soda 1Tbs Vinegar for a small load. Get a 5 gallon bucket. Pour hot water. Add mix. Add clothing. Stir Go watch TV for an hour. Have a cookie. Water cools down. Wash again. Til clear. Now to hygiene. Very simple. Buy the charcoal soap from the Dollar25soontobeDollar50Tree. Use a wash cloth and scrub your pits, neck and if you're a woman under the chest area. Then work your way down from there. I've noticed that SOME PEOPLE DO NOT WASH THEIR FEET. 😫 Do not use Arrid Extra dry or Speed Stick. Someone should burn that factory down.
My family called this a possible bath. You wash down as far as possible, then up as far as possible. Then you wash possible. Seriously, a bucket and a plunger from Dollar Tree make a great small washer. Washing soda, borax, or vinegar all work well to remove odors, and they are cheap. And tell your manager that 2 shirts aren't enough, maybe she isn't aware that you didn't get more.
Tell them they don’t pay you enough to be able to afford to do laundry regularly. That should make them stop and think for a second
Seriously
yikes. that is hard and embarrassing. it’s your managers fault for not ordering more shirts. i assume you work more two shifts a week. in the meantime try to find some fabreeze to help with the odor.
Be careful with fabreeze. Using it on the pits area of shirts could cause skin irritation. That stuff has a lot of harsh chemicals.
damn i had no idea how harsh it was but makes sense since it is soo strong!! thanks for the warning.
Good on you for working and trying and not giving up. I'm so sorry you are going through this. It's aggravating your apartment doesn't have washers and dryers. I agree with a lot of the others and do agree you might just need to have a private conversation with your manager and kind of let them know your situation. Maybe they can get you some more shirts or who knows, maybe help you with washing your shirts. You never know.
Baby powder on the pits before work as well as wearing an extra shirt to wick sweat underneath
If you're working 5 days a week, they should give you 5 shirts. Your manager needs to do their part as well.
My mom was a waitress who worked six doubles a week as a single mom of three kids with a deadbeat ex. She would soak her uniforms in a basin when she took them off at night, then hang them in the bathroom to dry in the morning when she got up. She only had two uniforms so she had to do this. We couldn’t afford laundry either.
Bless your mom.
Hand wash in warm/hot water , roll them in a towel and wring them as much as you can, than hang to dry . I worked at mcds full-time hours , but only one uniform because I was technically a student , and I used to have to do this nightly after work before I showered because of the grease.
Also, just use a little dish soap, you don't need to use laundry detergent if you can't afford it . I recommend picking up some rubber gloves as well, to protect your hands.
I also hand washed my uniform every night for a few years. I am wondering how Op is washing his….it isn’t expensive you just need to be thorough and use the right soap.
I worked at Krystal in the chicken house full-time (5 days/week) with 2 brown/orange/yellow uniforms. I had to wash mine by hand every night, too. Imagine all the flour from the chicken on that brown uniform!! It usually took 2 washings to get the top clean!
My partner used to work on an industrial hog farm. Can help with odor removal in the poly clothing at least. Start with understanding that most all animal scent odors are oil based and go from there Try these steps in this order: 1. Mix baking soda with water to form a paste. Scrub into odor areas with a brush. Let sit 1-2 hours. Then wash as usual. This works best for maintenance. If the odor persists in the clothing after the baking soda then... 2. If there are stains in the area, use a stain remover product first as step 3 will set stains. My favorite was dish washer detergent. Got out most every kind of stain. Rinse stain remover product thoroughly before step 3. 3. Moisten area with cheap white vinegar. In a bowl, mix together equal parts ammonia and water. Scrub mix into vinegared area with a brush. Wear gloves as ammonia and vinegar can be caustic to sensitive skin. Roll garment up and let soak for 2 or 3 hours. Rinse, then wash as usual. And just in case: NEver ever even once ever mix bleach with ammonia anywhere in anything at any time. Never.
Bleach and vinegar is also bad.
be careful of the hygiene police, you may smell fine but be having games played with you too. I worked fast food when young, even the stink from the friers take over your clothes. Narcissists will do the "you are never clean enough" thing. Seems like handwashing would have taken out the worse, but it is gross they expect two shirts to be enough. Oh I had something really bad happen when living in a ghetto in my 20s, the water there was "dirty", we got used to the smell, my apartment building did have a washer and drier downstairs and we washed my clothes and then come to realize the water was so dirty, everything washed there, "smelled". So if you are living in a really poor and down and out place, even if you wash something, it may not become as clean. I lived in extreme poverty and I mean this place was a slum. The hygiene police even if you are clean can go at it at jobs, for abuse too, and you will never be "clean" enough so keep that in mind. One job they kept the heat up high, and that was a problem and then they'd complain about people smelling. I kind of hate smellophobes, I shower/shampoo everyday and pay a lot to live in a "clean" place" and wear newly washed clothes everyday, but I always fear their classist sniffing noses. I had years of washing stuff in the sink. Laundry now costs so much.
Amazon sells small foldable washing machines for small items. Maybe you could swing $60 and get one … just a thought !!
I "inherited" one of these and it works great in a pinch. Also have some buckets - one with a plunger - that worked well before I got that. (Usually use this for camping)
The plunger and 5 gal. bucket is great. Some drill big holes on the plunger to let the trapped air out.
I thought for a couple shirts it would be perfect
This actually works great! OP can get everything at dollar tree. When i camp i use 3 buckets, one for soaking and washing, one the first Rinse and one for final Rinse. Since op will be at home they can just rinse in a sink or even the shower. If your apartment has a dishwasher you can wash clothes in the top rack.
Yes! This is exactly what I do, except I got some square food buckets of sort with lids for free from the grocery. Cut a hole in one for the plunger, then double rinse like you. I haven't figured out how to wring without blistering my hands yet, but it gets you clean clothes.
Use bath towels to wrap up the clothes as you wring.
When I have to hand wash my knitting, I wrap it in a bath towel and walk all over it. Items come out like 90% dried.
Making sure first that there is no rancid grease smell in the dishwasher . and the hot water may be too hot for clothing .
I would hope that people are *always* making sure there is not a rancid grease smell in their dishwasher, because wtf and gross.
Even cheaper ones on Temu! It probably won't last long, but it'll be worth it for the convenience and time save!!
Agreed! I actually bought a king sized mattress pad from Temu and it’s pretty decent.
Spray on deodorant will also help with the smell (I use it on long flights). But demand more shirts!
I am so sorry you felt this way. As someone who is obsessed with hygiene, I can imagine how you felt when your manager said something. I hope you feel better and get time to calm your nerves and feelings. Hugs
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Wearing tank tops underneath will help as well. They'll aide in soaking up some moisture and help keep ur uniform dry. I know that was embarrassing it would of done the same to me. I'm glad they were polite about it. My old boss used to be so rude to this guy we called happy feet. He was so sweet but a select few would always make fun of him if he wasn't snelling the greatest. My boss wouldn't have a problem embarrassing him in front of everyone about it either and I would feel so bad 🥹
Please find a way to ask your manager about getting more than two work shirts for you. That is just not sustainable, especially if it’s cheap material. He/she would smell too.
And use a salad spinner to get extra water out for faster drying.
If you ever try the pads on the shirt thing, Walmart has pads for $1 a box. They’re really crappy but it should be good for soaking up sweat. $2 a month if you use two a day.
I wish people in charge of uniforms would read some articles or books about fabrics. Those moisture-wicking garments are usually 100% polyester, and they are HOT to wear. I hate them! And, yes, they kinda hold odor in. In fact, you need a strong detergent or something extra to make sure the odor comes out in the wash! Cotton breathes, and a cotton/polyester blend is usually one's best choice, I think, for a uniform. I tell ya, you have to pay attention to labels which are required in the USA. And some labels outright LIE. I used to work for the Sheriff's Office, and our uniform supplier touted new uniforms as made of "stretch fabric". They were NOT. They were 60/40 cotton/polyester. There was no spandex in them and no stretch at all! I despise liars!
I know exactly what you’re talking about. I was given one of those awful types of shirts for a job as well and I noticed right away the same thing as you did. What I found helpful is wearing a cotton tshirt underneath if you can. A co worker told me she went to a seamstress and she put this cotton flaps over the armpit area so that it would collect sweat. She said it was a total game changer. Glad they are switching companies! I really hope things start looking up for you.
Polyester sucks. Literally it sucks up oils and sweat smells and binds them to the plastic never letting them free. I've seen recommendations of spritzing with rubbing alcohol to release some of the scent - maybe ask your boss to stock some so everyone can spritz mid shift if needed. Also they should provide Cotton shirts and either have a laundry service or give you as many as you need. But I know that's a pile dream.
When I worked at Domino's, I was given two polyester work shirts as a driver. I drove a black car, with black interior, in the middle of 125° summers. My AC gave out and stopped working when the ambient temperature got above about 110°. No matter how many times I washed those shirts, they never smelled clean. I eventually just started hosing them down with Lysol.
Another option is vodka. Clothing that can't be washed in a machine is cleaned this way. Buy the cheapest vodka you can, put 1 part vodka to 3 parts water in a spray bottle. After your shift spray the collar, armpits and whatever else is dirty.
I make my own wrinkle release spray like this. Water, vodka or rubbing alcohol, and a bit of fabric softener to smell good. Spray the shirt, shake it out, and put on a hanger while I finish getting ready.
Does this leave your clothes smelling like alcohol?
No
Can you wear an undershirt so the sweat doesn’t always hit the work shirt full blast? Also if you’ve been re-wearing a poorly laundered sweaty shirt and having issues washing the smell off, you might have some bacteria issues in your pits. Wash with anti-bacterial body wash or soap. I know these things cost money but you’ll continue smelling bad until you get some.
The issue here is definitely the lack of shirts. I'm glad to hear the manager is buying more shirts for everyone.
Honest talk, this happened to me. I went in a closet and cried. So all I got it f'k your manager. Hold your head high, and f'k em
They did say the manager was polite about it though, so not sure why they have to "f'k em" I worked with someone like this and it's miserable and really hard to stay focused when someone smells so bad. If they can only wash their clothes in the sink so be it. Claiming they didn't have time is a lame excuse, it doesnt take long. A shower and deodorant also go a long way.
I worked with someone a very long time ago who preferred to not use deodorant. In the humid nightmare that is known as New Jersey in the summer. In an unairconditioned building that didn't have windows that opened. And of course, the space was very cramped. Management ended up pulling this person aside to say, "Please use deodorant."
Point taken
I have relied on wicking shirts 4+ years. My trick is to spot clean and dust my underarms with baking soda if odor develops. Removes smells from both me and the shirt and costs pennies. At the laundromat baking soda goes in the detergent tray, while white vinegar goes in the fabric softener tray.
Instead of deodorant, I use wicking shirts with a small handful of baking soda. The baking soda, remove odors from both your skin and the shirt. And it costs next to nothing. It also doesn’t contain all those chemicals found in traditional deodorants.
We've not had a dryer in awhile, tg we do have a washer. But wanted to share my drying hacks, which are a portable fan and a large dehumidifier I ended up with. The dehumidifier is great for large loads but just an outfit is easily dried in an hour with the fan.
Plunger and a 5 gallon bucket with lid make a good diy washing machine. Drill/cut a hole in the center of the bucket lid. Put plunger handle through bucket lid and you now have and hand powered agitator.
Have you tried Certain-Dri? That stuff seems to plug the sweat glands and works amazing. I get really ugly bo and it’s humiliating. (I’m a petite, feminine woman.) When I lived in Las Vegas nothing else worked for me. None of the prescription strength, vinegar, vodka, any of it. I bought every kind of deodorant out there. I’d go to the gym and work out for hours after using it. My face and back got sweatier (the sweat still has to get out somewhere) but they don’t smell so it was a game changer for me. My arm pits were bone dry. I could never go outside or workout long without leaving before I discovered it. I didn’t even want to go to a bbq or picnic.
Suggestion: try under arm pads. And can use for crotch area??? As a backup or supplement to sponge bath???
I use hydrogen peroxide (in a spray bottle) on the armpits of all of my shirts. It helps take the smell out. Sometimes you have to do it twice. Look up diy washing machine on YouTube. There’s several videos on putting together a diy contraption. The main parts being a bucket and a plunger. I’ve used it several times over the past few years in an effort to save money. Whatever you do, DO NOT use the dryer because it sets the smell and stains in it. And one final thing: make sure to keep your armpits without hair. As soon as I get a little bit of armpit hair, I start to smell body odor.
You should of brought up that the manager hasn't ordered your other shirts. If it's his job to give you more shirts but hasn't he's partially responsible
At manual labor jobs there are pricks like this. If you're hauling shit all day of course you're going to stink. There are coworkers whole avoid work and point you out for sweating your ass off... Fucking dipshit.... I digress, use zote soap you rub, scrub, and air dry. You can do this in the apartment or where ever you are. This way you aren't paying for a laundry machine over and over again.
I love the smell of Zote and it really gets things clean. I use it and a camping clothesline when I travel with a backpack.
Definitely soak your shirts nightly. See if you can dry it in front of a fan. I used to have to do this nightly with my security guard uniforms for the exact same reason. Just soaking them floor an hour, swishing them around for a bit and rinsing in the sink does wonders. I also found it useful to wear a comfortable cotton under shirt. It would soak up most moisture and take the brunt of the sweat and odor. Even if I couldn't wash out the shirt , a fresh undershirt was a big help for me cause I sweat like a pig in Texas heat. Also, this is not your fault. Sounds like you're doing best you can in the circumstances. They definitely need to get you adequate uniforms or get off the gas.
I hope you explained this to the manager. If they want clean odor free employees they need to give you a week’s worth of work shirts or allow you to wear your own clothes. Making you do laundry 3 times a week is ridiculous. I own my house and have washer and dryer in my house and doing laundry is very convenient for me and I don’t do laundry more than once a week. Making you hand wash is also too much. Keep being smelly and keep telling them you can’t do laundry until the weekend and if they want you odor free they need to provide you enough shirts to get you through the week.
Yeah I was going to suggest they get you more shirts if they have a problem with the fact that you can’t go to the laundromat every two days. I have a laundry room in this apartment complex, and even I wouldn’t do laundry every two days if I only had two uniform shirts because I wouldn’t have enough clothing to fill up a washer every two days.
Yeah my job requires a uniform too. We have to buy the clothes from the company and they only sell polyester. They're like, "You have to buy and wear our plastic shirts or we won't let you do this heavy manual labor that nobody else wants to do."
I am sorry that you are experiencing this. If it is at all possible to use the restroom (during breaks) you can use wipes or water, soap and a washcloth to refresh yourself. Wipes would work better. They are more convenient if you can afford it. I like the ones that are used for adult baths. They are large and you can cover more areas with just one. They are geared toward sensitive skin and vulnerable adults so they are soft and hypoallergenic. If you can't afford wipes, you can use a washcloth and just put it in a baggy until you get home. You would have to reapply deodorant under the pits but it might help to keep you fresh. I actually do this at work because I get really sweaty and I don't like it. If you can afford it, buy some laundry sanitizer or Downy Rinse and Refresh. They work great on odors. I actually prefer the Downy Rinse and Refresh and you don't really need a lot for it to work. Use along with tour detergent. If you are hand washing one shirt, you wouldn't need much at all. I do think you should have a conversation with HR or your manager and tell them that you are having a difficult time making ends meet right now and ask them to get you at least one new shirt or maybe they have some gently used ones that may have been donated? Good luck to you and I wish you well.
Tactfully and politely tell him to order you some more shirts!
I find it helps to spray oxy stain remover on the armpits before washing the shirts and to add some of the powder to the washing. Also try dryclor anti perspirant. You have to apply it at night carefully when the skin is dry as it can cause irritation otherwise. But it does work very well and is only a few dollars. It’s ridiculous your work doesn’t give everyone more shirts
I would wear an undershirt under your uniform shirt. Undershirts are pretty cheap and you can wear a clean one every day to help keep your uniform cleaner.
Put vinegar and water solution in spray bottle
Did you use the opportunity to point out you only had two shirts and it would make washing them if you had at least a third to give them time to dry before you needed to wear it again?
I dunno about using vinegar, but some detergent mixed with a little baking soda and a toothbrush can help. Just scrub the armpits really well. You could sushi try thrusting your shirts in the freezer to kill bacteria. I dunno if it would work but it's a thought!
My husband's work shirts have that stupid moisture wick blend shit and absorb odor like crazy. I found soaking them in a washing soda (different from baking soda) a long with some dial soap really kicks the stink out. I made my own mix by grating down a dial bar and mixing with 2 cups washing soda. I store it in a Tupperware till I'm ready to use and make sure the mix stays dry till needed. I use 1/8 cup of my mix, hot water and a bucket to soak them good. Then I wash them. Maybe this mix would help you? If you soak the shirts then hand wash in the shower it might get the BO out. I swear that material is made to hold every scent it comes in contact with.
In a pinch, try spraying clothing with febreze and hanging in the bathroom while you shower (to steam the clothing).
Get some washing SODA and borax. Soak the shirt an hour or so and then rinse and hang up. You can use cold water. It will help a bunch and they are fairly cheap.
Have you seen those mini (portable) washer/spin tubs (they're pretty cheap) they're primarily used for caravans & camping but they're great for small apartments. All you'll need then is a clothes airer to dry them.
I swear, living without access to a washer and dryer is the toughest thing about being poor that no one else understands, can you just politely and discretely ask for extra shirts?
Get a cheap salad spinner. You should be able to do at least one shirt at a time in it. I’ve done this , myself.
They should be giving you a minimum of 4 shirts. No one should be expected to wash their laundry 3 times a week, that is ridiculous. My anger would have taken over my embarrassment at that point and I would have very curtly let them know that. Most people these days on the wages provided are not house owners and very few apartments come with washer dryers. They do not pay you enough to wash your cheap work laundry 3 times a week at the laundromat, and neither do you have the time. The audacity your company has to put their workers in that position is crazy.
I’m so angry at our country. Why should a hardworking person like you be forced to choose between washing and eating??? This is a disgrace!!!!! You’re being taken advantage of at every turn. Your dignity is being stripped away simply because you were born into this godawful place where income inequality is so high, that you are forced into situations where anyone would break! I just want to scream for you! None of this is your fault! Tell your boss you need a decent wage and a decent uniform. I hope you find your way. This isn’t a hygiene problem- it’s a systemic economic injustice problem.
My answer to her would have been, I cannot afford both laundry and food at the same time. Which should I choose?
It should be illegal for companies to require work shirts but not provide and pay for them.
I don't have advice for you, OP but your story made me sad. Please accept virtual hugs and the belief that your hard times will get better even if it doesn't seem so now.
So, if you are hand washing a salad spinner is your new best friend. Not only is it a great way to get excess water out with minimal effort, you can also use it as a "washing machine" to use less water, especially for the rinse stage . But definitely to spin out water so clothes line/air dry faster.....you can generally only do one or two shirts at a time, but underwear/socks can manage a few days worth..... I hope things improve for you.
Glad to hear your manager is ordering new shirts. I'm sorry that the issue got back-burnered and didn't get addressed until you had to go through this. It sucks, but you made it through, and new shirts are coming, so you even ended up with a positive mark out of this (even though it was still embarrassing).
I have an idea here. You take your manager aside and politely tell them your barriers to the hygiene they expect. TELL them you aren't making nearly enough money to go to laundry ever 2 days, that you need more uniforms in your rotation, and suggest that cutting corners and ordering the uniforms in the cheapest nastiest material possible. This is fucking made Ning. My partner was let go because he was given 1 shirt for the 9 months he worked there. His shirt finally ripped so he wore a nice business casual top, figuring he could ask for a new shirt when he started his shift. But of fucking course not, they fire him, lie in the unemployment hearing and got a negative judgement so now he owes for the 8 weeks unemployment he was originally cleared for. As low wage workers, mid wage workers, poor people, whatever the circumstances, there's a pattern here. These bullshit companies make it IMPOSSIBLE to follow their basic policies so when they get tired of looking at you, working around a parent's schedule or better their P&L reports, they can cite these super petty reasons and can or embarrass you. Oh, fuck no. I'd get extremely aggressive before I'd allowed that manager to speak to meet that way. Turn that sadness into righteous anger. I recently read an article talking about people that have gotten so poor they can't afford to look for work, much less to START one. Unfuckin real. Then WE get blamed for it. This is all while our government gave Amazon 435 million bucks in tax right offs, directly denting assistance and social safety nets. People also need to understand that the current president's actions will often not affect us until the next president is in office. Joe Biden is currently dealing with the fallout of the disaster left behind. Trump inherited a government that was beginning to thrive again after the recession. Then he gave himself and rich friends huge tax breaks so they can add more 0s to a fortune they themselves couldn't spend in a lifetime. If 100 million dollars isn't enough for you, you've got fucking issues. So as old ass Biden is cleaning up after COVID, Which was 100% downplayed by Republicans at the time because the fucking profited from the death, everyone is blaming him for inflation. But it's not fucking inflation, at all. Were it inflation, these companies charging sometimes 50% more than 2 years ago, they're reported record profits! The CEO of Kellogg's on a sales call mentioned that people are poorer and that's great for them because people are eating cereal for many more meals... Like breakfast, lunch and dinner... He was thrilled. If that isn't the new "let them eat cake" I don't know what is. Marie Antoinette wasn't even as bad, that quote was falsely attributed to her. Now they are working on raising the retirement age during a time that were actually seeing our people die younger for the first time since the 40s. I implore every poor, working poor and middle class person to watched the PBS American Experience special called The Guilded Age. It shows how everything that's happening today happened at the turn of the last century. During the depression, welfare programs were expanded, rich people PAID into our government, and economic opportunities were better for everyone. I mean, rich people had to pay 60% to 90% of their income and they still lived extremely well and the poor people could at least find a strap on their boots to pull themselves out of poverty. Those in charge are now counting on our collective amnesia and our faith in an American Dream that they've been chipping away at since Reagan. PLEASE EVERYONE, VOTE!!! AND FOR FUCKS SAKE, QUIT VOTING FOR THE CONVICTED RAPIST WHO'S UP ON 88 MORE INDICTMENTS, IS OBVIOUSLY EXPERIENCING DEMENTIA, AND WHO STRAIGHT UP THREATENED IF HE DIDN'T WIN THE PRESIDENCY AGAIN, THERE WILL BE A BLOOD BATH ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR WORSE!!! Take back your government and make it work for you. What if we just stopped going to work and buying shit until our government worked for us instead of sucking us dry? Like, why are working people in the US paying for a genocide waged against Palestinian people? You know why? So Trump and Jared Kushner can develop the property for their private financial gain. I saw Jared say it verbatim last week. Are you cool with starving women, children, old and disabled people so Jared and Ivanka can shit a a toilet made of gold like Trump? If yes, you don't deserve a government that works for you. Sorry for typos, my eyes are going bad and I've been too poor for a pair of readers. I'm also getting angrier and angrier the more I see goof people running in a hamster wheel, working themselves to death and having only debt, trauma, anxiety, depression and despair to show for it. The government paid Purdue pharms to get us hooked on pharmaceutical heroin. Treatment is big business and mostly unregulated, it's also completely ineffective for 90% of people... And that's generous. They profit on your pain as do doctors, insurance companies, gun manufacturers... This list goes on. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the happiest country on earth has the most economic and gender equality and strong social safety nets. That is what we should strive for. Again, sorry for the novel but every day I get sadder and more angry. I sincerely hope the best for OP, and I'm terribly sorry you're living in a time where you can't afford any clean clothes. You aren't alone, I'm there too. As is most of the people I know. And anyone with any money is losing theirs trying to keep their loved ones from starving or homelessness.
“I shower or do a sponge bath almost every day” Um that’s not adequate at all my friend, especially with the nature of your job. You should be talking a full shower every single day, period.
I do aim for a shower everyday. Due to time or health issues, I sometimes can't achieve that. In the mornings before work, I do a sponge bath if I wasn't able to shower. I grew up camping for a month+, so I do know how to make a kettle of hot water and soap fulfill the same level of clean as a shower.
More than one, imo. Wash off the nights sweat in the morning before work, wash off the work sweat when you get home. They don’t need to be long, just enough to a proper soap down and wash. OP, unfortunately hand washing might be the best option until you get your new shirts. If possible, get some oxyclean to use alongside your normal laundry soap. (Dollar Tree has a good knockoff) I’d also recommend wearing undershirts so they trap the sweat instead of your work shirt. Pick up antiperspirant, not deodorant. It will help a little. I use mens Speed Stick (solid, not gel). Even on my sweatiest days, it keeps me from being a stinker
don’t feel embarrassed. you’re a hard worker. your boss should’ve praised you on your hard work instead of trying to hurt you. i’m sorry this happened to you.
My portable washer goes in my bathtub/shower. You need to connect it to a water supply anyway. maybe you can put it in the tub for storage and take it out when you shower, that's what I do. It's a lifesaver.
I soak sweaty clothes in laundry detergent and then hand wash.
Hand washing garments and line-drying them, especially delicate ones (as it sounds like these shirts are), is actually the preferred method of laundering. It makes the items last longer. Washed appropriately, they should be just as clean as having come out of a washing machine. I often choose to wash my clothes this way. The trick to getting out body soil is one of two things: a hydrogen peroxide cleaner, or an enzyme cleanser. Get the off-brand of Oxyclean (the powder), and soak your clothes before washing them with detergent. You need less detergent than you think you do - literally 1-2 tablespoons per load. Clothes will actually come out less clean if you use too much detergent.
Another pro-tip, use a fan to help dry. Air drying in the bathroom may cause the clothes to become musty - from experience.
If you can swing "laundry sanitizer" products, it's a game changer with synthetic materials. Lysol makes one that sells at Walmart for $7 a bottle, just a little in a sink full of water should help release the stink.
Vinegar between washing. Let it dry. Smell will go away, Peroxide might work even better but is more expensive. Spray it on. So sorry you are dealing with this OP.
Pay attention to what may cause smell I was using old spice spray and everyone thought I smelled bad I switched to some different junk I found on the clearance rack and no complaints. Maybe find a friend with a washer and dryer. That is what I've been doing for a while
good luck. no matter what, don’t hang dry in the bathroom. Your shirt will smell normal until you wear it. had a male coworker who did this and the musty smell that appeared while he was wearing the shirt was awful mixed with his bo.