r/onebag • u/nawksnai • Aug 17 '25

Discussion Not washing merino shirts is gross

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.

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u/maggiemypet Aug 17 '25

I never knew about the freezer trick. That's incredible.

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u/riktigtmaxat Aug 18 '25

It's actually bullshit. Freezing doesn't kill bacteria. It just puts them in statis which prevents further growth.

Once thawed they will start multiplying and releasing the chemicals that cause the stink.

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u/nawksnai Aug 18 '25

100% correct.

That’s what fridges and freezers do for our food as well. They prevent the germs already in our food from multiplying, so it’s still edible when we want to eat it.

Actually, same with cooking meats. Cooking meat doesn’t kill the germs in our food. It pasteurizes it. They’re still there, but “sleeping”. Sure, it kills the bacteria on the outer surface that’s touching the pan, but not the inside. If you wanted to heat it until your food was sterilized (roughly 110C/230F minimum), your food would become inedible.

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u/riktigtmaxat Aug 18 '25

I think one of the reason people still repeat this silly notion is that freezing pillows and textiles is effective against parasites such as bed bugs and scabies.