You might think that you should wash your athletic clothes the same way you wash your everyday wear. You'd be wrong. Check out our tips and tricks below to ensure your workout gear has as long of a lifespan as possible!
After a tough, sweaty workout, most people take off their athletic apparel and chuck it either directly into the washing machine or their dirty clothes hamper. To make sure that your clothes end up smelling as clean as possible, though, you should let your sweaty workout gear air out before washing. That means you need to lay it out where it can breathe; you'll be surprised at how much of the initial odor dissipates, as well as how much fresher the clothes will smell after they've also been washed!
When it's time to wash your workout clothes, opt for cold water over hot. When you wash your clothes in hot water, especially if they're made out of stretchy materials like spandex or polyester, could damage their overall stretchiness and flexibility. That damage will make them more likely to rip, which means you'll end up having to replace them sooner. The same principle applies to hot air, which is why you should refrain from drying your clothes in the dryer. Instead, try to hang them up to dry; if air-drying isn't an option, use the lowest heat setting on your dryer.
Avoid fabric softeners! They may make your other clothes smell amazing at first, but they have the opposite effect on stretchy materials than they do on regular, cotton materials. On materials like spandex and polyester, fabric softeners can leave a weird coating that traps smells into the fabric, which is counterproductive. Your gear might smell good after your initial wash, but after your next hard workout, it'll be even harder than before to get the gross smells out. Don't ruin your workout clothes or make it nearly impossible for yourself to EVER get sweaty smells out of your tank tops and leggings--do yourself a favor and stay away from fabric softeners.
We hope this info saves dirty athletic apparel everywhere, and we hope it helps you learn how to care for your clothes in a way that helps them last forever.
