REVIEW: WIN Sports Detergent
After camping in the backwoods of Maine and hiking to the summit of Mt. Katahdin in non-stop torrential rain, I had amassed a bag full of filthy, sweaty performance gear. Not only was this hike strenuous, it was miserably wet. I blew past the limits of my waterproof jacket, pants, and shoes, suffering the final seven hours soaked down to my socks and undergarments. The timing of WIN Sports Detergent‘s arrival was perfect.
Like the detergent suggests, I separated out all of my performance gear from the rest of my laundry for these loads. Two days after the climb, my soft shell pants, soft shell jacket, wicking long-sleeved shirt, and hiking socks were crumbled in a still soggy and rather smelly heap. My rain jacket and waterproof pants, though no longer wet, were coated in a layer of dirt and had a slight funk. After one washing, all looked clean and smelled better than new. Sometimes after a strenuous climb, I have to wash my socks or shirt more than once. Not this time. In fact, as these garments were hanging to dry, my six year old daughter wandered through the laundry room and, borderline shouting, asked: “What HAPPENED in here?!” From her emphatic tone, I thought maybe the laundry room had flooded or the cat knocked something over, until she continued her thought, “It smells soooo good!”
I continued with the gear I’d been wearing around camp, which had spent several days coated in bug spray, sunscreen, and sweat. All emerged just as clean and fresh smelling as the hiking batch. Next, I moved on to some performance shirts that have long since stopped wicking and smelled a little in the underarm area even after they were freshly laundered with normal detergent. One wash with WIN showed significant improvement in reducing the years’ worth of accumulated underarm stench.
Where this detergent falls just a touch short is in stain removal. While the dried mud from the hike came off without a problem, I didn’t have as much luck with blood. Post-boxing I had a small spot of dried blood about two hours old on one of my shirts, which I blotted off, but didn’t fully rinse prior to washing. I should have pre-rinsed it, but this was in the name of testing. I was a little disappointed to see the mark was still visible after washing. Though, to be fair, it’s probably only visible to me because I’m looking for it.
WIN green vs. WIN blue
WIN green is fragrance free, while WIN blue may elicit favorable fragrance reactions from you and family members. Both work equally well.
Note: Follow Directions for the Cap
One point to be aware of is the cap. Be sure to pull the top cap off before unscrewing the lower detergent cap. Likewise, when done pouring the detergent, fasten the white lower cap before returning the colored cap on top. It directs you to do this on the top cap. But, my husband, who washed the first load independently, became flustered as he dripped detergent down the side of the bottle when he couldn’t get the caps aligned or back on. This was user error, not the fault of the product. Or as my husband positions it, “a design complication that facilitates user error.” The directions blend into the cap and can easily be missed. So, if you just remember to handle the two caps separately, your end experience will be fine.
COUPON
Get $1.00 off your first bottle of WIN by using coupon code EVERYWIN at checkout on Amazon.
Summary
✅ Removes odor from performance gear after one washing
✅ Compatible with HE washers
✅ Leaves clothes smelling fresh
✅ Removes dirt well
✖ Non-pre-treated blood stains may not fully come out
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received WIN Sports Detergent for free from WIN as coordinated by Outdoor PR in consideration for review publication.
I also use WIN, the unscented variety, as I have asthma. Not only does it clean my tech gear remarkably well, it is very cost-effective. That little bottle does a whole lot of laundry!