Have you ever put your shiny, new activewear in the wash, only to have it come out the other end looking a bit… smaller?
It’s an all too common experience, and the root cause is simple: activewear is usually made from different material that your traditional laundry. As such, you need to be aware of the differences and how to avoid causing damage in the laundry.
That’s where we can help. The next time you’re about the throw your activewear in the washing machine with everything else, consider this method instead:
- Start with a good soak — Use cold water only, or a mix of cold water and white vinegar to pre-treat your activewear. Let them sit for about half an hour, then move on to the wash. This should help keep sweat or grass stains at bay.
- Wash, but go light on detergent — When you start up your washing machine, be careful to not add too much detergent. Usually, we recommend putting slightly less than the recommended amount.
- Use cold water — Don’t wash athletic clothes in hot water! This will cause it to shrink, or damage the fabric that makes your athletic wear keep its shape.
- Bad odor? Use more vinegar! — If you’re worried about any lingering smells on your clothes, add a bit more white vinegar to the wash. It will soak up the smells and leave you fresh!
- Skip the fabric softener — the chemicals in fabric softener aren’t meant for activewear, and can even damage its sweat-wicking ability.
- Air-dry — the heat from a dryer will have the same effect as hot water, so find a place to hang up your activewear so that it will dry completely. If you have to dry it, use the lowest possible setting.
Follow this advice and you’ll avoid the embarrassment of saggy activewear during your next workout!
