Washing Hunting Clothes Before the Season? Skip the Scent-Free Detergent Aisle

It's two weeks before opening day. The gear bins come down from the garage shelf, and the camo jackets, base layers, and camp blankets pile up by the washer.

Every year, the same question comes up. Which scent-free detergent should you buy for hunting clothes this season?

If you're washing hunting clothes before the season, you can skip the scent-free detergent aisle. EcoWasher® EXL makes every load detergent-free, so no detergent fragrance ends up on your gear.

Short answer: EcoWasher® EXL washes in cold water with no laundry detergent. With no detergent in the wash, no detergent fragrance, perfume, or added scent goes onto your camo, base layers, or camp bedding.

The pre-season detergent hunt

Hunters tend to be careful about their gear. You check boots, sort layers, and plan every trip. Laundry is part of that routine.

So you head to the store for a special bottle. Scent-free hunting detergents sit on their own shelf, often in small jugs. You compare labels and hope your usual brand is in stock.

Then the washing starts. Camo pants, fleece jackets, wool socks, and the old sleeping bag from camp. Load after load, you measure and pour.

In a house with several hunters, the pile never seems to end. Dad's gear, the kids' first-season jackets, and blankets from the truck all need a turn.

By the time the season opens, you've bought more than one bottle. And next fall, you'll be back in that same aisle.

Why detergent-free makes sense for hunting gear

The idea is simple. EcoWasher® mixes ozone into your cold wash water before it reaches the drum. Then the ozone returns to ordinary oxygen.

No detergent goes in, so no detergent fragrance comes out on your gear. Everyday loads never need laundry detergent again, in hunting season or any other.

Start with your home. The laundry shelf loses its specialty bottles and gains space for gloves and hats. Your clothes come out soft, bright, and fresh.

Next, think about time and money. No more trips for a special jug, and no detergent spend at all. Our guide to cost per load vs detergent shows how the numbers work.

Then there's comfort and the planet. Cold washes are easy on your routine, and fewer plastic jugs go in the trash. EcoWasher® also helps extend the life of the washer you already own.

A pre-season week with EcoWasher® EXL

Saturday morning, you install EcoWasher® EXL on the wall behind your washer. It's the commercial-strength model, built for heavy, repeated loads.

• Stainless steel auxiliary hose for pre-treating
• Replaceable desiccant dryer cartridge
• About 16 × 10.5 × 3.5 inches and 8 lb
• AC 100–240 V, ozone at 0.5–1.0 mg/L
• Works with city and hard or well water
• 2-year warranty with registration
• $597 sale, $797 regular

Saturday afternoon, the first load of base layers goes in on a cold cycle. There's no cap to fill and no label to check.

Sunday, the camo pants come back muddy from scouting. You use the spray hose to rinse the knees before the load. Then they join the rest of the gear.

Tuesday is the camp blankets and the old sleeping bag liner. Each load goes in the same way, with cold water and no detergent.

Wednesday, your daughter tries on her first blaze-orange vest. It came home from the store yesterday, tags still on. One cold load later, it's folded and ready in her bin.

That evening, you wash the wool socks and glove liners. They come out soft, and you hang them by the stove to dry.

Thursday, your brother stops by with his gear bin. He asks which scent-free detergent you bought this year. You tell him you didn't buy any.

Friday night, everything is folded and packed for the trip. The gear bins go back in the truck. We help families make this switch, from picking a model to setting it up.

All season long, the routine stays the same. Wash cold, dry per the tag, and pack it away.

Pro, SE, or EXL for your hunting household?

Every EcoWasher® is built so everyday loads never need laundry detergent again. The ladder runs Pro, then SE, then EXL. Pro is not a step down from SE; they are different feature sets.

Regular prices are $397 for Pro, $597 for SE, and $797 for EXL. See all three on our EcoWasher model comparison.

EXL fits hunting camps, lodge laundry rooms, and homes with several hunters running gear loads all season. It adds an EXL-only desiccant and a 2-year warranty.

EcoWasher® Pro fits one hunter with lighter loads. EcoWasher® SE fits the home that wants a screen and a sprayer for spot pre-treating.

Each unit serves one washer. Our guide to choosing SE, Pro, or EXL walks through each one.

Getting started before opening day

Most people finish the setup in minutes with an adjustable wrench.

1. Check behind your washer for the cold-water inlet and a nearby outlet.
2. Mount EXL on the wall behind the machine.
3. Connect it to the cold-water line, using the EcoWasher setup guide.
4. Wash your hunting gear on a cold cycle, with no detergent, following each care tag.
5. Register your unit to activate the 2-year warranty.

Related reading

• Can't Get the Detergent Smell Out? Fragrance-Free Laundry Without the Jug
• EcoWasher® EXL for heavy loads
• How to stop buying laundry detergent
• EcoWasher® buyer's guide — compare, choose, and see where to buy

Not sure EXL is the right fit for your hunting-gear and scent-control laundry volume? The EcoWasher® buyer's guide walks through Pro, SE, and EXL side by side, and the EcoWasher comparison lines up the specs, so you can match the unit to how many camo, base-layer, and camp-bedding loads your household runs each season.

Ready to retire the scent-free detergent aisle for good? See where to buy EcoWasher® from an authorized U.S. reseller, with free US shipping and a 30-day money-back trial on eligible orders — and hunting clothes never need laundry detergent again.