Everyone talks about how the tween and teenage periods (basically from 11 to 18) can be a trying time for parents due to the puberty-triggered wild mood swings of their progeny. But, because it’s so thoroughly discussed, I felt ready to tackle the unpredictability of my two tweenagers. And, so far, we are riding the wave fairly smoothly. However, one side effect of all these bodily changes that doesn’t get enough press, and thus for which I was woefully unprepared, is the smell! Yowza! Pheromones must be going through a trial run at this phase, because man, the human race should have died out a long time ago if attraction to the opposite sex is based on THAT smell! The feet, the armpits, the extra body hair, the constant sweating…ICK!!!

So, where am I going with all of this? Laundry. We are a very active family: Pete and I both run; I hike a lot and practice yoga; and the kids are all involved in sports (and are going through puberty…see above). We have a lot of tech-wicking athletic apparel, which, I’m sure any runner knows, gets pretty funky smelling even after washing. The odors emanating from our laundry basket were so awful, that I would routinely have to rewash whole loads due to the horrible, residual stench. But even that didn’t work. Nothing was getting rid of the smell! Knowing I could not go on like this for another decade (my littlest is only 7), I made it my mission to find a detergent that works. I tested four detergents and/or detergent additives and have shared my opinions on them below. Hope it helps!

Product 1: FEBREZE IN-WASH ODOR ELIMINATOR

Febreze In-wash Odor Eliminator was the first thing I tried, and with fairly good results. You add this product to the detergent well along with your regular detergent, adjusting the amount depending on how stinky your clothes are. I assure you; I always used the maximum amount!

Pros: It did the trick maybe 85% of the time and didn’t leave an overly perfumey smell on the clothes.

Cons: There were still some clothes that had a lingering odor, at least some of the time. Also, unless I ordered it on-line (which, I didn’t like doing because of the impacts of shipping large, heavy things…my own issues, I admit), I had to buy it at Wal-Mart. I really, really dislike Wal-Mart, so every time I went, I would buy the store’s whole supply. I felt kind of silly with eight bottles of Odor Eliminator at check out! Plus, it’s not cheap ($8.84/50oz at Wal-Mart), especially since you have to buy it in addition to your regular detergent.

Overall Rating: B

Product 2:  IN-WASH SCENT BOOSTERS

In-Wash Scent Boosters are added directly to the washing drum with your laundry, again in the amount you deem necessary. There are numerous products like this on the market now, with each major brand having its own version in a variety of scents. I tried Downy UnStopables Fresh Scent.

Pros: These products are readily available at all major big box stores and supermarkets. And, if you like strong, flowery smelling laundry, this is the product for you. It definitely masked the nasty smells.

Cons: My biggest dislike about this product is the strong, artificial smell it left on my clothes. I’m kind of a toxic chemical freak, who believes that if you can smell your clothes from half way across the room, there are probably some synthetic, not-necessarily-good-for-you particles free floating in your environment**. Again, I may have some irrational issues with this kind of thing, so if this doesn’t bother you, go for it!

Downy Unstopables is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

**Meyer’s has an environmentally friendly version of this product that I have not had a chance to try yet.

Overall Rating: C

Product 3: WIN: HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORTS DETERGENT

WIN and WIN GREEN High Performance Sports Detergents are used in place of your regular detergent.

Pros: It really did the trick. I used this product exclusively on our laundry until the bottles ran out, and it left even our stinkiest clothes smelling normal, without any obnoxious, over-powering flowery smell. I also really like that it came in a Fragrance & Dye-Free version.

Cons: You can only buy it on-line and it’s not cheap. On Amazon, it’s $10.95/ 32 ounces, which works out to about 34 cents an ounce. If you compare this to a major brand like Tide, where you pay around 11 cents an ounce at WalMart, it’s pretty pricey, especially if you have a large family that creates a lot of laundry.

Another down side, though it may seem silly, is the cap. There are two caps on the bottle, a white one that keeps it closed, and a bigger, colored one for dispensing the liquid. Most detergent bottles have a dispensing cap system (a lip and well on both the cap and the bottle) that is designed to catch any remaining residual liquid back into the bottle with very little mess. Not so with this product. The cap is just a cap, slightly bigger than the neck of the bottle, so that when you go to put the cap back on after pouring the detergent into your machine, the remaining liquid pours out all over your hand and the bottle. For some reason, this really bugged me.

WIN Sports Detergent is available at Amazon.com.

Overall Rating: A-

Product 4: SWEATX SPORT

SweatX Sport was my favorite of the four products tested. Like the WIN above, this product replaces your regular detergent.

Pros: SweatX really got the smells out and left a fresher scent than the WIN without being artificial or overbearing. I started using this product in the summer, when we not only had to deal with sweaty clothes, but constantly damp ones due to continual use of our in ground pool. Kids, for some reason, are incapable of hanging wet clothes to dry, thus by the time I found suits and towels, they had been festering in damp heaps for who knows how long. The SweatX detergent was even good at tackling the resulting nasty mildewy smells in these loads.

Cons: The real drawback to this product is the price! It was, by far, the most expensive of the four. I bought mine at Dick’s Sporting Goods for $22.99 for a 45 oz. bottle. Yikes! That’s over 50 cents an ounce. You can get it slightly cheaper at Amazon, but not much.

And, regarding the cap (clearly an issue for me), it wasn’t bad. It doesn’t have a well like most major brands, but at least there isn’t a double cap system that makes no sense. Plus, the liquid in this product is much thinner than the WIN, so it pours back into the bottle a lot easier if any detergent is left over.

One last con, there is no dye/fragrance free version that I am aware of.

Overall Rating: A-

So, there you have it. Admittedly, I only tried four products, but feel I got a good sense of what was out there: products added with your detergent, products added directly in with the clothes, and detergent replacements. Unfortunately, the products that cost the most were the ones that did the best job. This is one area, however, at least for my family, where I feel like the money is worth it. I needed to rewash whole loads of clothes with my regular detergent, which wasted money, energy, and time. While I feel I need to use the odor-eliminating products on every load, you could make the bottles last longer if you only use it on select loads, like sweaty sports clothes.

A side note on liquid fabric softener:  I read somewhere that liquid fabric softener retains odors on clothes, especially synthetic wicking fabrics. This seemed counter-intuitive to me, since my fabric softener has a really nice lavender scent, but I decided to test run a few loads without it.  I have noticed the laundry odor is not as strong since I’ve stopped using it, even if I don’t use any special odor-eliminating products.

As an alternative to ward off static, I’ve started using wool dryer balls, which seems to do the trick. And, as an added bonus, you can add your favorite essential oils directly to the balls to further improve your laundry’s potential! The balls are re-useable, all-natural and chemical-free…win-win-win!  You can find them at Amazon.com.

If there are any effective odor-eliminating products I’ve missed, or you have any other suggestions for improving laundry odors, please leave a comment. Thanks!

The items I’ll reviewing in this post are the Incendo Hoody, Tecto FL Hoody, Alpha SV Mitt, Accelero Tight, Cyclic Zip Neck, Accelero short, and the Poco Cap.  I’ve tested these items during short and long runs on my local mountains.  I’ve worn them primarily while running, but also for hiking, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.

Alpha SV Mitts

The Alpha SV mitts are designed for climbing and alpine use. They caught my attention for trail running because they utilize a “waterproof/breathable N80p-X GORE-TEX® fabric.”

When my hands get wet during long, cold, rainy runs, things can get pretty miserable. I’ve tried merino wool gloves, a wide range of typical performance running gloves, and overmitt shells. None of them really worked for very long in nasty weather.

Construction: The Alpha SVs are very well made. They have leather reinforcement areas on the palm and the back of the hand. The fleece liners are removable, and the design is seamless and perfectly tailored. Here’s how Arc’Teryx describes the liner: “The inner fleece liner is a hi-loft Polartec® Wind Pro® textile with high wind resistance, low stretch, exceptional warmth and breathability to keep working hands dry in cold environments.”  The liners go in and come out easily, and are attached below the wrist in the front and back with velcro. These liners were made to fit perfectly in the overmitts, and do so flawlessly. Take them out, and you notice how warm and well designed they are. As the mitts are designed to be used by climbers, they’re very well constructed, and able to take more of a beating than anything a runner would typically deliver.

Performance: I found the mitts very comfortable when running in rain and snow, from 20 degrees to 35 degrees.  Any warmer than 40 degrees and the mitts felt too hot with the liners in. Switching the liners out for a light merino wool glove worked well in that situation. The shells let the water bead off, and didn’t allow for an unpleasant soak through. At $225, they’re not cheap. But, having warm dry hands throughout a long wet run is something that doesn’t come easily.  If I was going to run an ultra through nasty weather, these babies would fit the bill perfectly.

Tecto FL Hoody

In order to keep my upper body dry on long, cold, wet runs, I tested the Tecto FL Hoody.

Construction: This jacket features Gore-Tex Active fabric, which is the lightest and most breathable Gore-Tex fabric you can find at this time. The jacket is designed for moving fast through wet weather. The Tecto FL is very light, weighing in at just over 10 ounces. To cut down on weight, the design team didn’t include pit vents or hand pockets. There’s one water sealed pocket on the upper left arm – just enough to carry a couple of cards and a key. The fit is trim, and the minimalist die-cut cuff tabs work beautifully to keep the elements out of the lower arm, while still offering adjustability.

If you visit the product page on the Arc’teryx site, they do a great job of describing how to keep the jacket (or any jacket of this sort) waterproofed. This is key, as many people spend more to get a waterproof yet breathable jacket, then neglect to care for it when the DWR finish begins to wear off.  Pay particular note to spots where there’s rubbing against a hydration vest, waist belt, or that sort of thing.  This jacket packs down nicely, and comes with a small stuff sack that, when stuffed, is about the size of a fist.

Performance: Given the generously sized hood, it’s clearly meant to accommodate a climbing or skiing helmet. This works well when hiking, but didn’t work out well for running. The extra material (that would fit snugly around a helmet) tends to bounce and cause a booming noise effect around the ears when running. That said, I tested the jacket because I was interested in the material, not so much the hood. Fortunately, the material works excellently in the rain. It’s surprisingly breathable – so much so that I wouldn’t even consider it a wind shell. But when it starts raining, the water rolls right off and continues to do so throughout the run. If worn with a Gore-Tex Active shelled hat, this would be an ideal combo.  This thing wears the way I’d want a running jacket to wear, and did a phenomenal job of keeping me dry during multi-hour long runs.

Incendo Hoody

Construction: Another jacket I tested was the Incendo Hoody. Unlike the more technical Tecto FL, this jacket is specifically designed for running, and as such has a hood made for the head vs. a helmet. It’s very light, and as such it’s very easy to pack it down and carry it in a hydration vest or pack. The jacket has a water resistant fabric that is perfect for short periods of rain, but doesn’t keep a runner dry for extended runs in a downpour.

Performance: The jacket felt nice and light. It breathed well, and was comfortable on windy, mildly rainy, or snowy days. Above 50 degrees, the jacket felt too warm to wear in light rain. The hood was comfortable, not too loud, but came down a little low over my forehead – interfering with my vision a bit. I think having a slightly rigid edge might help with this. It packs down nicely, and takes up very little room (and adds very little weight) in a hydration vest/pack.

Cyclic Zip Neck

Construction: For cold trail runs, I tried the Cyclic Zip Neck. This is a mid to heavy-weight running shirt, with a zipper coming down to the chest.  It offers thumb loops for a little extra warmth, but is comfortable to wear without using them.

My Impressions: I found this shirt to be very comfortable when paired with a jacket or vest when temperatures were in the 20s F, and by itself when the temps were in the 30s.  It managed perspiration well, and the material feels very durable.  A nice option for under a jacket like the Tecto FL, which was why I chose it.  No rubbing or other design concerns to report.

Accelero Tights

The running tights I tested were the Accelero Tights.  These feature a smooth finish fabric that makes them feel like satin.

Performance: These are, hands down, the most comfortable running tights I have ever owned. Some of my other running tights actually catch the hair on my legs from time to time and create a bit of friction. The Acceleros go on smooth and run even smoother. I find myself wanting to wear them even when I’d ordinarily go for a pair of shorts. They’re the perfect cool weather tight in my opinion. I like the integrated key pocket, and the mesh paneling on the back of the leg, the flat-locked seams and the stretchy feel. They felt great up to about 50 degrees, at which point they were a bit warm.

Accelero Shorts

Many of my friends like running tights for winter running, but prefer to wear shorts on top (read more on the great shorts over tights debate here).  For this reason, I tried out the Accelero shorts.  These are lightweight and breathable, medium to long in length, and have a DWR coating.  The DWR coating is nice, especially in the winter, as it helps to repel some of the rain, allowing the upper leg to stay drier longer. There’s also a side stash pocket with a zipper – a nice touch for a key and driver’s license.

Performance: These are very comfortable and don’t add much at all to the overall weight. There’s no binding or restrictive feeling when running.  I do sometimes find that I catch my thumb on the side pockets when running, especially on the flats and uphills sections. That said, the pockets were handy for stashing some running gloves in cool weather.

Poco Cap

I have been looking for a lightweight, packable hat. Accordingly, the Poco Cap appealed. It scrunches down to about half the size of my fist, yet maintains its shape nicely when unfurled. A breathable cap for sure, but the tight mesh weave actually gives it a warmer feel than would appear.

Performance: I find the Poco cap very comfortable, and prefer this hat on cool days without steady rain.  It offers up a bit of that city retro styling, which is new for me on the trail. I’ve been caught wearing this to the coffee shop after the run. Too comfortable to take off it seems.

Where to purchase: All of the gear in this review can be purchased at the Arc’Teryx website, at REI.com, or at Amazon.com. Purchases made via these links help keep reviews like this coming, thank you for your support!

I get a lot of requests like this and often decline them because I find it hard to review clothing. It fits or it doesn’t. It’s comfortable or it’s not. There’s not much more to say. I told Dave that I couldn’t promise a formal review, but he indicated he wanted to send me something anyway, so I figured what the heck, why not?

I had heard of the brand Janji, and was vaguely aware of their clothing line, but I’d never really dug in and checked them out as a company. I’m glad that I did!

A pair of shorts from Janji arrived a few days ago, and my wife’s first response when she saw them was “those are way more colorful than anything you wear.” She was right. My taste in running shorts is pretty bland, and a pair in bright blue, red and white with a logo from the Haitian flag was a bit of a departure from my usual attire. But, I’m not averse to colorful shoes or shirts, so why the bias against a bit of color in my shorts? They actually did look kinda nice:

I tried them on, and the fit is to my liking. Not too baggy, not too long (mid-thigh). I’m a size 34-35 waist in most pants and I wouldn’t go any smaller than the large they sent me. Comfort was good, and no strange chafe over 7 miles running later that afternoon (they were under a pair of long pants, to cold for shorts only right now!). Will I continue to wear them? Yes. But a review isn’t really what this post is for.

After getting the shorts I decided to poke around on the Janji website a bit, and came away impressed by what I saw. They are a company with a mission to provide food and water to those in need. They donate a portion of each sale (25% of gross margins according to the FAQs) to partner organizations in various countries who provide essential services. As an example, buying a pair of the Haiti running shorts provides funds for 8 packets of nutritional medicine to a malnourished child in Haiti. Similar programs are in place with organizations in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Peru, and the USA (the company is based in Boston and they donate a portion of profits from sales of their logo branded apparel to the Greater Boston Food Bank).

As one who is averse to spending a ton of money on running apparel, this is a company that is doing something good with the profits that they make. Their prices are by no means the cheapest out there, but I’m impressed enough by the company mission that I just bought a Janji shirt. I encourage you to check them out!

For more info, head over to the Janji website or watch the interview below with Janji co-founder Dave Spandorfer: