On days when the US Women’s National Soccer Team plays a match, head equipment manager Jake Schoch fields nearly 200 pounds of laundry and goes through two 22-ounce bottles of stain remover to wrest stains from jerseys. In a week’s time, he has been known to shepherd six to seven sizable loads of wash.
Most people’s workout-wear laundry regimens aren’t nearly as intense. But performance fabrics that wick, insulate, breathe, support, and compress benefit from some forethought when you’re deciding how to keep them clean, fresh, and in good shape for the long haul.
“In general,” says Schoch, “treat your workout clothing with the same care and intention as you would dress clothes.”
Here are four pieces of advice to keep in mind.
“One thing we do whenever gear is especially wet is try to get it washed as quickly as we can,” says Schoch. “The longer you let the clothes sit while wet, the harder it is [for] the gear to bounce back and continue to be durable.” Leave damp exercise clothing in a gym bag or on a bedroom floor for too long, and it could even mildew.
If you can’t launder your sweaty items right away, hang them up to dry. Christina Colizza, research editor at Wirecutter, swears by rinsing her compression shorts and sports bras—and then hanging them to dry—before a full wash. Or consider a well-ventilated laundry hamper. Our favorite, the Starplast Tall Flex Laundry Basket, will help aerate clammy clothing until laundry day.
As Ask a Clean Person podcast host Jolie Kerr notes, turning clothing inside out before washing makes sense when you consider which side of, say, your favorite running T-shirt is exposed to the most sweat and dead skin cells (odor-causing bacteria thrive on these). When sorting, consider separating synthetic performance fabrics (Lycra, polyester, nylon, mesh) from natural fabrics (cotton, wool) so that you wash items of similar weight and structure together. And heed the care labels on your garments.
It may seem counterintuitive, but doubling down on detergent won’t get your favorite pair of workout leggings any cleaner. Over time, detergent has the potential to build up, trap odors, and encourage mildew. Stick to the recommended dose. Skip fabric softeners, which can film over performance fabrics and hamper their abilities.
Workout wear stinks for a reason: Oils, sweat, skin cells, and other “soils” have a tendency to lodge in the microscopic grooves of synthetic fibers and can be tough to remove. The American Cleaning Institute suggests considering sport detergents, which are formulated to eradicate elite-level odors and tough stains, though we had mixed luck with the ones we previously tested for our guide to the best laundry detergent.
Heat is a notorious enemy of performance wear: It’s known to shrink, break down, and even melt some fabrics. Hot water, in general, cleans clothing better. But it also degrades synthetic performance fabrics over time, causing them to lose their elasticity and overall oomph. Wash garments made with these fabrics in cold or, at most, warm water. Then, ideally, skip the dryer. Air dry clothing, being careful to lay things flat on smooth surfaces so that they don’t become snagged or misshapen. The Everyday Home Heavy Duty Drying Rack is sturdy and commodious. (Wirecutter’s laundry-drying picks include a wall-mounted rack, ideal for smaller spaces, and clips that won’t damage delicates.)
Forced to break the no-heat rule because of sheer volume and time constraints, Schoch does put uniforms and practice clothes in the dryer. If you find yourself in a time crunch that only a dryer can satisfy, set the machine on a low temperature and tumble for the shortest time possible.
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