How to Wash Hunting Clothes During the Season (Even at Elk Camp)

Quick answer: To wash hunting clothes for scent control, use an unscented detergent plus Unscented Laundry Booster (1/4 cup for small loads, 1/2 cup for large loads), skip fabric softener and dryer sheets, and store clothes in a sealed tote right away. Between washes, or at elk camp with no washer, heavily saturate your layers with Odorless Outdoorsman Unscented Odor Eliminator. It eliminates odor on contact.

Once the season gets going, laundry gets hard to keep up with. You're hunting mornings and evenings, maybe stacking days during the rut, or you're five days into an elk hunt with no washer for 50 miles.

Here's how to keep your hunting clothes clean of odor all season, whether you're home every night or living out of a camp.

Why hunting clothes are so hard to keep odor free

• Synthetic fabrics hold body odor. Moisture-wicking base layers are great for comfort, but sweat odor clings to synthetic fibers.
• Regular detergent adds scent. Most detergents, softeners and dryer sheets leave fragrance behind on purpose.
• Your house has a smell. Cooking, pets, candles and the family laundry all transfer onto clothes stored in a closet.
• Back-to-back hunts stack odor. Every sit adds a little more sweat if the clothes never get reset.

How to wash hunting clothes, step by step

1. Clear the washer. If your washer also handles family laundry, run a rinse cycle first to clear out leftover scented detergent.
2. Use unscented detergent. No fragrance, no brighteners added for "fresh scent."
3. Add Unscented Laundry Booster. Add 1/4 cup for a small load or 1/2 cup for a large load. Detergent cleans the dirt. Laundry Booster eliminates the sweat odor detergent leaves behind.
4. Skip softener and dryer sheets. Both are built to add scent.
5. Dry away from household smells. Use a clean dryer with no dryer sheet, or hang clothes outside away from the grill, smokers and the dryer exhaust.
6. Seal them up immediately. Move clothes straight into an airtight tote or scent-free bag.

Between washes: the in-season reset

You don't need to run a load after every hunt. When you get back to the truck or the house, heavily saturate your outer layer, base layer, gloves, hat and face mask with Odorless Outdoorsman 16 oz Unscented, then put them back in the tote. Spray the fabric directly and saturate it well. Odor is eliminated on contact, not covered with fragrance.

This works well for whitetail hunters going out morning and evening, and it keeps odor from building through a week of rut sits.

At elk camp or on a backcountry hunt

Western hunts bring their own odor problems. You're hiking hard, sweating through layers every day, sitting around a campfire at night and sleeping in the same clothes you hunt in. There's no washer, and you might not have room for spare layers.

• Treat layers every night. Heavily saturate the clothes you hunted in, including the armpits, collar and waistband where sweat collects.
• Deal with campfire smoke. Smoke odor clings to jackets and packs. Saturate them the same way before the next morning's hike.
• Bag your clean layers. Keep tomorrow's base layer sealed in a bag inside your pack, away from food and fuel.
• Pack a 4 oz. The 4 oz Unscented fits in a hip belt pocket for gloves, straps and a midday reset.

Common mistakes that undo a clean wash

• Storing hunting clothes in the bedroom closet
• Wearing your hunting jacket to grab breakfast
• Getting dressed at home and riding in a truck that smells like coffee and fuel
• Washing hunting clothes in the same load as everyday laundry
• Using a "free and clear" detergent but still tossing in a dryer sheet

FAQ: Washing hunting clothes

What's the best way to wash hunting clothes? Use unscented detergent with Unscented Laundry Booster, skip softener and dryer sheets, and store clothes sealed right away.

How often should I wash my hunting clothes during the season? It depends on how much you sweat and how often you hunt. Many hunters wash every few hunts and reset clothes with an unscented odor eliminator between washes.

Can I use Laundry Booster on camo and technical fabrics? Yes. It's safe on fabrics and doesn't stain.

How do I get campfire smoke out of hunting clothes at camp? Heavily saturate the jacket, layers and pack with Odorless Outdoorsman Unscented. It eliminates smoke odor at the source on contact.

Does Laundry Booster add a scent? The Unscented version doesn't. It eliminates odor without adding fragrance.

Keep your clothes ready all season

The Hunting Season Saver Kit pairs Unscented Laundry Booster for wash day with a 16 oz and a 4 oz Unscented spray for the days in between. Shop Odorless Outdoorsman and go into every hunt with clean layers.