7 tips on how to wash your activewear to stretch its life

Just finished a workout? It’s the best feeling, right! Breathe, hydrate and enjoy the endorphins to take care of yourself, but don’t forget about your workout clothes. Admit it: They are secretly one of your biggest sources of motivation, aren’t they? Nothing feels as good as working out feeling empowered and turning heads in your favourite sportswear. Some pieces we would even like to hold onto forever. That’s probably impossible, but we will help you get as close to forever as possible. Read our 7 tips on washing and overall care of your activewear.

1. Don't pile up your workout clothes

Don’t dump your sportswear onto the growing pile of clothes in your room or into your overflowing laundry basket. Instead, wash it immediately. This is the best way to get rid of the bacteria which make it smelly. Too busy reaching your goals in life? Hang your workout clothes up or put them on a drying rack until you are ready to give them a wash. This prevents most of the bacteria causing odours from growing. 

2. Turn your clothes inside out for washing

This tip actually applies to your entire wardrobe. By turning the garments inside out, you keep the beautiful colours and prints fresh and vibrant for longer. Moreover, the inside of your activewear is of course where most sweat accumulates. Turning it inside out ensures that these sweat stains come into as close a contact with the water and detergent as possible. But don’t forget to read tip 4 on detergent first!

3. Wash at 30 degrees Celsius

It is not necessary to wash your activewear hotter than 30 degrees Celsius. In fact, it would even be harmful! The fabric may start to boil, causing the fibres of the fabric to stick together. Goodbye, head-turning sports bra! By the way, washing your sportswear at a lower temperature is also beneficial for both your bill and the environment.

4. Use a limited amount of detergent

The more detergent the better, you might think, to get the bittersweet smell of sweat out of your workout clothes. But the opposite is true. If you use too much detergent, the washing machine can’t rinse it all out, so bacteria and dead skin cells will stick to your sports clothes. Instead, use a small amount of detergent – let’s say a little less than what the bottle recommends for the size of your load. 

5. Don't use fabric softener

Yes, it will make your towels feel extra soft, but for your sportswear it will do more harm than good. Fabric softener gets into the fibres of your workout clothes, clogging its pores. As a result, it prevents sweat and other dirt from washing out, leaving unwanted odours in the fabric. And we don’t want our favourite sportswear to be permeated by that musty smell of old sports clothing, do we? Also, fabric softener can be harmful to any Lycra in your activewear.

6. Use vinegar for stubborn smells

Are there still unwanted smells on your activewear despite a good wash and our previous tips? Then soak it for half an hour in a bucket of water with some vinegar. The right ratio is approximately one part vinegar to four parts water. Vinegar contains just the right amount of acid to help remove bacteria from the fabric without causing damage. Wash your sportswear again and you’re ready to show it off smelling as fresh as a baby!

7. Let your activewear dry naturally

Don’t tumble dry your sportswear, but let it dry naturally, preferably laying flat or hanging from a drying rack. Activewear is so comfy that you want to wear it all the time, right? That’s because the designs are made to adapt to every move you make while working up a sweat. The high heat of the dryer can warp the fibres in your sportswear, permanently altering their shape, flexibility and overall fit. It also weakens any elastic properties and the material as a whole, which can lead to holes and even tears. Besides, you make your wallet and the environment happy by letting your activewear dry naturally. Just make sure you don’t let it dry in direct sunlight, as the beautiful colours would fade.

Now you’re all set to extend the life of your favourite activewear, so it can continue to empower you while you work up a sweat! But before you go, one more thing: Did you know that washing synthetic clothing releases microplastics into the waterways and ultimately into rivers and oceans? Although the amount of microplastics coming off pure by luce garments is minimal due to the very smooth surface, a tiny bit can still come off. Luckily, there’s a solution for this problem too with the Guppyfriend Washing Bag. Just put your clothes in the bag and it will filter out the tiniest micro-fibres released from textiles during washing. Collect the fibres afterwards, dispose of them properly and you can use the micro-plastic catching laundry bag again and again to help reduce the amount of microplastics in rivers and oceans!