How to wash your workout clothes

Unfortunately, for some clothing, especially activewear, unpleasant odors can cling on a bit more, even if it's freshly washed. Your workout clothes can "trick" you by starting to smell again as soon as you get moving. We can offer you some good tips on how to wash and preserve your activewear in the best possible way.

 

Your activewear is functional in a way that keeps you dry and makes you feel fresh and sporty. After an intense workout, many notice that they don’t smell quite optimal and sweat can settle well into your clothes. Washing activewear incorrectly can result in the odor not being removed, and in many cases, it can smell worse than before. Regardless of whether the activewear is expensive or cheap, sweat odor should not remain in the fabric, and it’s simply about washing the clothes properly.

 

How often should I wash activewear?

Hopefully, you have some extra energy left after your workout to put on a load of laundry, because that’s the best thing you can do to avoid that bad and sour smell from settling permanently in your clothes. In other words, it’s very wise to wash activewear as soon as possible after use. If for some reason you can’t wash them immediately, try to avoid putting them in with the rest of the laundry, and instead hang them up so they can breathe a bit.

We strongly recommend washing activewear separately to avoid discoloration and to prevent the smell from transferring to your other clothes.

 

 

Which detergent should I use?

The type of detergent you use can have a big impact on how long your activewear maintains its quality. First of all, it's important to mention that you should definitely avoid powder detergent, and it’s recommended to use liquid detergent for your activewear. Powder might not rinse out properly, which can wear down the fabric. That said, there are various detergents developed specifically for washing activewear. Nowadays detergents can clean leggings at lower temperatures, so you don’t necessarily have to worry about the sweat smell lingering. If your activewear contains wool, it should be washed with special detergents like mild wool detergent.

It can be helpful to rinse your activewear in cold water before washing to remove salt and other residues.

 

 

Which washing program should I use?

Most washing machines have a sport program, and it’s recommended to use this because it’s fine-tuned for sportswear, washing the garment more effectively. Some machines don’t have such a program, and then we suggest using the synthetic cycle, as it’s quite similar.

 

What temperature should I use?

One of the reasons activewear still smells sour after washing is usually because it was washed at too low a temperature. Always check the label and follow the washing instructions on your activewear. Tight-fitting garments such as underwear and leggings should ideally be washed at 60 degrees for a hygienic wash. The problem is that this can damage the fabric, and many activewear items are labeled for lower temperatures. You will often find that 40 degrees is recommended for leggings, and some models only tolerate 30 degrees. Despite this, the safest bet is always to choose the sport program at 40 degrees or a synthetic program at 30 degrees with a detergent specifically selected for activewear.

 

 

Fabric softener and tumble drying?

Fabric softener or conditioner is not recommended for activewear because this clothing is usually made of more technical and functional materials that are water-repellent and breathable. The breathable material consists of finely woven fibers, and fabric softener can risk affecting both the breathability and the water-repellent properties of the garment. While it works great on regular clothes, it’s not a good idea to use on activewear. The biggest mistake people make when washing activewear is using fabric softener because it enhances sweat odor. Unless otherwise stated on the care label, we advise against using fabric softener on activewear.

Activewear should not go in the tumble dryer. Technical activewear often has materials that are breathable, water-repellent, elastic, and stretchy. These properties make such clothing very sensitive to incorrect treatment, and it doesn’t take much to risk damaging the functionality of the activewear. In other words, high spin cycles and tumble drying can ruin the stretch in activewear. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you do not put your activewear in the tumble dryer, and instead hang it on a drying rack or clothesline.

 

 

How to get rid of sweat stains?

Need help removing sweat stains from your activewear?

Here are some stain removers you can use:

• Acetone - This removes grease, nail polish, and plastic. Be careful not to use this on acetate and triacetate, and remember it is highly flammable.
• Vinegar with five to seven percent concentration - This can help remove sweat stains.
• Citric acid - Can be used for rust removal and bleaching; dissolve a teaspoon of citric acid per deciliter of water.
• Water - The simplest thing to do is to use water. For bodily stains, which can be anything from sweat to egg white, this dissolves with cold water. If you want to remove grease stains, use hot water.

 

Washing sour activewear

 

If your activewear still has a sour smell, you can use vinegar as a fabric softener substitute to remove the sour odor from the clothes. You can also soak clothes that smell bad in water with vinegar overnight and then wash the garment in the washing machine with regular detergent afterwards.

 

 

How to wash your active leggings?

You should wash your active leggings after a maximum of one day of use. This will reduce bacteria and remove odors. You can also assess based on your workout. Was it a high-intensity session with lots of sweat? Or just an hour’s walk? If you sweat a lot during the workout, it’s clear that the leggings can go in the washing machine. Leggings can actually become stiff if you sweat a lot. For low-intensity workouts with little sweat, you can decide for yourself whether you want to wash them or wear them again.

Despite this, even a short walk can make leggings start to smell. There are good detergents available, and it’s recommended to use ones specifically developed for active and leisurewear that effectively remove bad odors from the leggings.

 

One important thing to remember is not to mix activewear with other textiles. This can damage the synthetic fabric and increase the likelihood that the fabric loses its technical properties, as with our Vortex 2 Leggings with compression and a higher elastane content. To read more about our leggings, you can read here.

 

 

How to wash socks after training

 

How you should wash socks in the washing machine largely depends on what the socks can tolerate. They should be separated the same way as other clothes, meaning based on the material of the clothes. If they are synthetic, you should wash them at a maximum of 40 degrees so they don’t get damaged by too high heat.

With white socks, they are often dyed white. To preserve colors, you should be careful with the shoes you wear and how dirty the floors you walk on are. You should also wash them more often and preferably at 40 degrees unless otherwise specified on the label.

Also read: How to choose the best socks for training, and Benefits of bamboo socks.

 

For help and advice on how to wash your shoes, you can read our article "how to wash shoes", which gives a detailed guide on how to maintain and wash your shoes.

Also read: Good shoes for work and training

 

Maintenance tips for your activewear

A brief summary of how you can care for your workout clothes in the best way, and wash them correctly:

 

• Avoid letting worn activewear sit for too long before washing
• Wash the clothes as soon as possible after training
• Wash at a high temperature if possible
• Do not use fabric softener
• Avoid tumble drying
• Use suitable detergent