Laundering athletic gear

Mix 1/2 cup of borax in a pail of water.  Soak dry-fit undergarments and socks left too long in a hockey or athletic bag in this solution overnight. Then dump the clothing along with the water in your washing machine, add detergent, and wash. Borax is a natural substance.  It can irritate the skin if it's left in clothing, so after soaking, wash/rinse/spin clothing and dry in the washing machine as per clothing label instructions.

Soaking in a Borax solution removes the smell from athletic gear better than anything else I've tried, and it's less expensive than many detergents. It worked on a dry-fit t-shirt that had held onto an unpleasant odour even after two washings and drying in the sun on the line.  After the borax-solution soaking, the expensive hockey undergarment didn't have to be trashed.

Borax powder is sold in the laundry section. "20 Mule Team" is one of the brand names borax is sold under.

Washing Soda

You can buy washing soda or use baking soda to make it. Put baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 250 degrees F for 1 hr. Heating removes the water and carbon dioxide molecules form baking soda turning it into sodium carbonate, or washing soda. Add 1/2 cup to a full load of laundry to soften water, boost stain removal and remove odours. See more uses for washing soda here.