Is your laundry detergent making you glow?

[NevadaZielmeister]

So, while I was trying to figure out whether there was a way to take an image and run it through Photoshop and recreate "deer vision", I found out through article reading that hunters should be careful with what detergent they use. I learned that Deer see much more into the Ultraviolet Spectrum than humans do. And so, when you use "Optical Brightener" in your detergent, you essentially are making your self glow to the Deer. Here is Optical Brighteners Defined:

Optical brightener - Wikipedia

And here is the article that caught my attention:

Stay Blended: The Perfect Hunting Camo For Every Season - Grand View Outdoors

The article states that hunting clothing should "never be washed in laundry detergents containing UV brightening agents. Brightening agents absorb light in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Always read the label before purchasing."

In order for me to figure out which detergents to use for my hunting clothing, I found this website:

Choosing the Right Detergent | ZukaBaby

Hope this helps.

 

[406]

In for reading
I always use just baking soda and hot water cycle. No matter what I do, it always seems pointless, I'm gonna stink. So I figure plain old man stink is at least not as bad as man stink plus chemical pretend flower stink. The visual spectrum of it never even occurred to me.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[kodiakfly]

I've washed in "hunting" detergent for years. Not so much for the scent control thing, because yeah...I'm gonna stink. But the UV brighteners in normal detergent seemed like a bad thing for hunting clothes.

 

[Michiganhunter]

I make my own detergent with borax washing soada and felsnaptha it doesn't have any odor that I can tell but I do wonder if it is as good as specialized hunting detergent

 

[ezmorningrebel]

i use atsko sport wash for all my hunting clothing. no uv brighteners.
you can also check out ecos free and clear. just make sure not to get the lavender scent.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Pretty much a no-brainer for me. I don't like normal detergent scents left in my hunting clothing so I haven't used typical laundry detergent for multiple decades. I always use a non-scented detergent that has no UV brightening agents. But to be truthful...

I was a skeptic about the usefulness of carbon suits like Scent-Lok from day one. I wouldn't use an Ozonics unit if you bought it and carried it for me. HECS suits?....show me the scientific proof beyond doubt and I'll believe it...and then I still won't utilize it. I'm not at all a big believer in the potential benefits of avoiding UV brighteners. I use them because they are typically in the detergents I choose for hunting gear. I'd really like to see some definitive science which absolutely shows proof that game animals have a significantly harder time seeing clothing washed in non-brightener detergents.

My post (here) is in no way meant to be argumentative...more like an alternative viewpoint. One of the core principles of marketing and selling a product like this (or these) is to convince people there is 1) a problem they don't want, and 2) a solution in the product offered. Evidence and testimony is brought forth but absolute proof is almost always absent. In the end, it's up to us to decide whether we believe in these offerings or not. It can't hurt to use non-brightener detergent, but I would not feel at all different if it wasn't available. This coming from a bowhunter who typically needs an animal 20 yards or closer to make the kill.

 

[Superkodiak38]

I use sports wash the first time I wash it after that it's just arm and hammer baking soda and cold water, line dried.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've been using Sportwash for probably 15 years now, just because of this and no fragrances added.

Whatever you do, don't let your wife buy detergent with Febreeze added. Holy Moly.........that stuff stinks, and stays in normal clothes even after being washed again in baking soda. Nasty stuff.

 

[Tsnider]

have always heard they see detergent. i just use the hunting specific stuff and call it good. ill sometimes rewash a load of towels in just water and no soap before i put my hunting gear through as well, thought its probably not necessary.

 

[go4thegusto]

I did an article on this some time back with a little testing. It took a soaking of straight of Sportwash to deaden snow camo fleece gloves. It is minimally effective as a UV killer. If the fabric has UV brightened fabric fibers from the mill like most snow camo, especially fleece, you are screwed. If a non-UV fabric was washed in Tide or something with a UV brightener and needs to be restored then Sportwash may work. I have a UV bulb in my car in a small flashlight that I bring right in the store. I find a dark corner or dressing room with switch and check it out.

Ungulates see the UV spectrum that humans cannot. We glow like a street light with UV brightened fabrics.

 

[Gr8bawana]

They probably just see the glowing cloud of human stink around us.

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

Pretty much a no-brainer for me.

It is a no brainer to anyone having hunted for awhile, but no way a no brainer to someone new. I had NO IDEA about Optical Brighteners in detergents. So I am glad I stumbled over this information. Thank you though for all that you have shared to this forum. I have read your other posts and they are well thought out and informative.

But to be truthful...

I was a skeptic about the usefulness of carbon suits like Scent-Lok from day one. I wouldn't use an Ozonics unit if you bought it and carried it for me. HECS suits?....show me the scientific proof beyond doubt and I'll believe it...and then I still won't utilize it. I'm not at all a big believer in the potential benefits of avoiding UV brighteners. I use them because they are typically in the detergents I choose for hunting gear. I'd really like to see some definitive science which absolutely shows proof that game animals have a significantly harder time seeing clothing washed in non-brightener detergents.

I would love to see scientific tests as well. However, when you look at the picture from the first link in the first post, the look of the detergent under UV light is frightening. Really, is it that much of an ordeal just to use different detergent and then know that this is just one more issue you do not have to worry about, right?

My post (here) is in no way meant to be argumentative...more like an alternative viewpoint. One of the core principles of marketing and selling a product like this (or these) is to convince people there is 1) a problem they don't want, and 2) a solution in the product offered. Evidence and testimony is brought forth but absolute proof is almost always absent. In the end, it's up to us to decide whether we believe in these offerings or not. It can't hurt to use non-brightener detergent, but I would not feel at all different if it wasn't available. This coming from a bowhunter who typically needs an animal 20 yards or closer to make the kill.

I did not take your post as argumentative, just showing a different viewpoint. But I ask you this, where in my posts/links is there some advantage to be gained from marketing by the hunting companies. My last link was for a baby website, which really did not contain any hunting links at all. Trust me, I see no marketing in my comments or this thread, only a discussion about different ways to wash clothing.

I am also a bow hunter and I disagree, we need every advantage we can get.

have always heard they see detergent. i just use the hunting specific stuff and call it good. ill sometimes rewash a load of towels in just water and no soap before i put my hunting gear through as well, thought its probably not necessary.

This is a good idea and thank you for sharing. I was thinking about using the washer empty, but can see how the towels might absorb the previous UV brightening agents since they cling to the fabricate by purpose.

They probably just see the glowing cloud of human stink around us.

Dude, that is funny. That got a laugh out of me. Thank you.

 

[Kevin Dill]

It is a no brainer to anyone having hunted for awhile, but no way a no brainer to someone new. I had NO IDEA about Optical Brighteners in detergents. So I am glad I stumbled over this information. Thank you though for all that you have shared to this forum. I have read your other posts and they are well thought out and informative.

No-brainer for me, and in no way did I refer anywhere in that statement to you personally or anyone else. Nor did I imply it. The no-brainer thing simply meant that my detergents of choice happen to have no UV brighteners in them...hence...no decision to be made. I appreciate your thoughts.


I would love to see scientific tests as well. However, when you look at the picture from the first link in the first post, the look of the detergent under UV light is frightening. Really, is it that much of an ordeal just to use different detergent and then know that this is just one more issue you do not have to worry about, right?


"Ordeal"? Where did that get implied? It's no problem or ordeal for anyone to use whatever detergent they decide. That's what I do. It's what I recommend, too. Again, I simply brought my perspective which applies to me and isn't put there as a directive or declarative "this doesn't work" sort of thing. I always advise people to keep an open mind in both directions and don't be mislead either by naysayers or cheerleaders. For the record, the degree of UV brightness in my hunting clothing has not been, is not and will likely never be an "issue" for me. It may be for some, and that's for each of us to decide. I think it's also up to each of us to decide whether a product works to actually solve a claimed problem.


I did not take your post as argumentative, just showing a different viewpoint. But I ask you this, where in my posts/links is there some advantage to be gained from marketing by the hunting companies. My last link was for a baby website, which really did not contain any hunting links at all. Trust me, I see no marketing in my comments or this thread, only a discussion about different ways to wash clothing.


I think you're taking this waaay too personally. I didn't address you personally anywhere in my post and I did not in any way indicate that you were marketing anything. I don't think you are.... and it never occurred to me that you might. My comment was directed straight toward understanding the manufacturers of products which supposedly give us an advantage or solve a problem. It's simple marketing strategy and it accounts for male enhancements, fat burners, HECS suits, breath mints, and detergents. We killed a heck of a lot of animals at close ranges without sweating which detergent for many decades...so the UV issue is relatively new and it isn't universally accepted to be a problem for hunters. I think those who believe in it should pursue it 100%, but they shouldn't be surprised if a lot of good hunters are aware of it and decide it's not affecting their success.

I am also a bow hunter and I disagree, we need every advantage we can get.


This is where you and I have our most basic philosophical disagreement. For the record I can disagree with you, like and respect you, and still want to buy you a brew after a hunt. I am of the school which says we definitely DON'T need every advantage we can get in order to be successful on a reasonable basis. I can and do hunt with a longbow, no camo, no scent sprays, no rangefinder, no sights, no HECS...no Ozonics....no Scent-Lok....no treestand. I'm pretty sure I could wash in Tide and get the job done afield with my bow. At the same time I think you should have the right to use whatever you prefer with nobody telling you otherwise. You're definitely smart enough to decide that for yourself.

Now I 'need' a breath mint....

 

[KMT]

Deer, elk and ducks don't seem to mind my Tide or All unscented detergent. Maybe they are even attracted to its brightness.

 

[camping1601]

All Free and Clear.

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

Deer, elk and ducks don't seem to mind my Tide or All unscented detergent. Maybe they are even attracted to its brightness.

I know from previous experience that duck decoys without UV paints do not attract ducks, so the opposite is true for ducks. Still not sure regarding the deer and elk. I would think that a hunter looks like a threat if they are identified, right?

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

I think you're taking this waaay too personally. I didn't address you personally anywhere in my post and I did not in any way indicate that you were marketing anything. I don't think you are.... and it never occurred to me that you might. This is where you and I have our most basic philosophical disagreement.

For the record I can disagree with you, like and respect you, and still want to buy you a brew after a hunt.

Ut oh, I never took anything personally. My apologies then for the tone of my comments.

I'm looking forward to that brew my friend. And thank you for the comments. I know they are filled with a lot of experience and we can agree on some things, disagree on others. But that is where the brew and two adults chatting about stuff comes in.

Have a good one.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have never worried about UV and have never had an animal just pick me out for no reason.

 

[jherald]

I've tried many types of different sports washes and regular grocery store detergents. I honestly haven't noticed a difference with animals spotting me after washing with one type or another. I'm sure it plays some kind of role in it but the biggest factor is keeping downwind of the animals and staying perfectly still when they are looking at you.

Far as duck hunting, never had issues with decoys or clothes neither here in Alaska or in Arkansas. Some of the old wood decoys we have had for literal generations work as good now as the day they were bought over 60 years ago. One thing I found was dull or matte finish paints seemed to work much better than paints that were glossy, and the shiny plastic decoys only worked better the older they got after being faded in the sun and had the paint beat up.

I do however like the Nikwax washes and Sportwash for performance fabrics and waterproof breathables, I think it cleans those fabrics better than regular detergents and leaves the membranes clean and breathable.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I have never worried about UV and have never had an animal just pick me out for no reason.

^^^This^^^