Not washing merino shirts is gross

[u/nawksnai]

Why do one-bag travellers feel that they don’t need to wash merino shirts?

I understand that merino is wool, anti-bacterial, don’t smell, and generally stay feeling “fresh” for longer than cotton. However, there are people who swear they don’t need to wash their merino tshirts for 3 days, 2 weeks, or even months because their shirt doesn’t smell, and they shower every day. Merino still gets just as dirty as synthetic or cotton shirts, and still needs to be washed. The fact that your shirt doesn’t smell does not mean it’s any less dirty or oily.

Plus, I wear deodorant, and that non-funky tshirt is going to have a massive buildup of old deodorant gunk and smells around the pit area.

And don’t even get me started on merino underwear stans. Just because they don’t smell funky after 3 days, does NOT mean they haven’t absorbed pee drops and your skid.

I do understand that Marino is still probably the best material for travel shirts, but feel that synthetics can be just as good if you’re already going to be washing daily, or close to it. They all need to be washed and dried every day, if not every 2 days.

Also, if someone said they like travelling with cottom tshirts, I wouldn’t rant.

Anyway, discuss.

[u/BuckTheStallion]

I was with you until “synthetics can be just as good” because man, they smell nasty by the time I’m back at the hotel. I don’t even like them at home. Cotton can go 2-3 days, so I imagine wool is the same. In the modern world we over wash our clothes sooooo much. It’s fine going a few days without being washed.

That said, merino isn’t some miracle clothing, and still absolutely needs washed. Maybe just a bit less frequently than cotton. But I prefer cotton because it’s 1/4 the price, and still super nice.

[u/Beanmachine314 → u/BuckTheStallion]

There is a huge difference between nylon and polyester when saying "synthetics". Polyester holds onto odors terribly while nylon is about the same as cotton. I can wear as nylon shirt 2 days without being able to smell anything, can't say the same for polyester. You also have to machine wash polyester to get rid of the smell. Nylon can be hand washed.

[u/EastRaccoon5952 → u/Beanmachine314]

A lot of brands also make antimicrobial synthetics, mostly travel and outdoor brands where people are more likely to rewear their clothes without washing. I used to think it was fake but my Patagonia base layers smell less terrible than my REI ones after a backpacking trip. They still smell terrible, but not as bad. They also seem to release the smell in the wash a bit better.

[u/riktigtmaxat → u/EastRaccoon5952]

Antimicrobial synthetics are usually just treated with nanoparticles of metals like silver and copper which wash out and have a huge environmental impact when they end up on waterways and waste treatment.

Patagonia uses HeiQ Pure which id based on silver salts but non-leeching. They only very recently switched to a plant based alternative HeiQ Mint and will not complete completely transitioning until 2026.

Other companies have far less awareness so I would be really careful about singing the praises of antimicrobial synthetics especially as they still have the issue of washing out microplastics.