The Best Way to Wash Your Workout Clothes
Exercising is excellent for your health, but it may be hard on your clothes. To keep them in good condition, you must wash them often and thoroughly. Smelly workout clothing is a turn-off for many people. How your training clothes are stored after leaving the gym impacts how they smell the next time you put them on.
Learn how to properly wash your workout clothing to keep them looking and smelling fantastic for as long as possible! We’ll show you how to wash your workout clothing in this blog article to stay fresh and clean!
Why Do Workout Clothes Smell After Washing?
It’s bacteria that causes your training clothing to stink afterward. According to a study conducted in 2014, different forms of bacteria reside in various types of materials, which affects how unpleasant workout clothing smell. Apparel made of synthetic polyester reeked significantly worse after a spinning lesson than clothing made of natural cotton. Natural textiles such as cotton are preferable to absorb moisture and odors better.
In this investigation, the only clothing worn and not cleaned was examined for odors. However, what about the smells that linger after washing your dress? Still, the explanation is that the same bacteria that causes foul odors remain in the material.
Most fitness attire is made to keep you cool while working out in synthetic materials. As a result of their inability to wick away moisture and regulate body temperature, natural fibers such as cotton and linen are poor candidates for athletic wear. Because synthetic training clothing is more comfortable, it’s a superior choice. If you like to get rid of the gym odor, you might take measures to eliminate microorganisms in the cloth. You’ll keep your materials safe by doing this.
How Often Should You Wash Your Workout Clothes?
You should give yourself a lot of time to wash your activewear. This is so you don’t damage the synthetic materials. You can’t hurry the wash and dry process. Don’t use the dryer or fabric softener when you wash synthetic workout clothes. They will wear out the material if you do.
You should always wash your workout clothes after you use them. This way, the bacteria, sweat, and skin cells won’t build up, and it will be easier to remove them. This will help to reduce the smell factor of your clothes.
You should air-dry your clothes after wearing and before washing them unless you can put them in the washing machine right away. After you wash them, let them air dry. You might need multiple sets of workout clothes, so you always have a fresh set to wear.
Steps To Take Immediately After Changing Out of Workout Gear
Take action as soon as your workout is done to keep your clothes from smelling bad after you work out. Follow these tips to increase the chances of your workout gear smelling fresh and preventing damage to the delicate fabrics.
1. Remove Clothes
Take your sweaty, hot clothes off as soon as possible. This is because wearing them can increase the chances of getting a yeast infection for women or a skin rash for people with sensitive skin. Plus, it’s essential to treat your clothes quickly.
2. Turn Clothes Inside Out
To clean your clothes better, turn them inside out. That way, the sweat, skin, and bacteria on the inside will be outside, where they can be more easily cleaned.
3. Wash or Soak Gym Clothes Immediately With Cold Water
Wash your workout gear immediately after you finish working out. If you can’t do it right away, soak the clothes in cold water mixed with white vinegar for 30 minutes or less. The vinegar will help get rid of the smell, and the cold water will stop bacteria from growing and make the smell worse.
4. Skip Fabric Softeners and Hot Water Cycles
If you want to wash your clothes in a washing machine, don’t wash them with other hot water clothes. The hot water will wear out the synthetic material, stretching without returning to its original shape.
Fabric softeners can make your clothes softer, but they can also wear out faster. So, if you want to keep your workout clothes in good condition, don’t wash them with other clothes that you’ve added fabric softener to.
5. Air Dry Sports Clothes For Longevity
If you want to keep your sports clothes looking good for a long time, air dry them. Excessive heat can cause them to become too stretched out and not return to their original shape.
Ways To Remove Workout Odors From Sports Clothes
You may have a problem with bad smells remaining on your sports clothes after washing them. This is often because the washing instructions for activewear require cold water washing. However, using only cold water does not kill bacteria or remove oily sebum from the surface. Therefore, you must adapt your strategy to keep your clothes looking great while removing the extra oils, skin cells, and bacteria that cause odors.
1. Baking Soda
Adding baking soda to your laundry when you wash performance wear can help get rid of any smells and make the clothes feel fresher. This is a good option if you run out of laundry boosters or want to use a more natural way to clean your clothes. Sporting apparel should be washed in cold water on a moderate cycle in your washer to prevent shrinkage.
2. White Vinegar
Adding vinegar to your laundry can help remove soap build-up in your clothes. This will help get rid of any bad smells caused by bacteria. To do this, replace half of the laundry detergent you usually use with vinegar.
3. Performance Clothing Detergent or Laundry Booster
You might consider investing in a performance clothing detergent or laundry booster. These products are specifically designed to protect your high-performance workout clothes from damage and wear while also getting rid of any bad smells. Many activewear brands recommend using these products to help keep your clothes looking and smelling suitable for longer.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Washing Workout Clothes
To avoid your clothes shrinking, avoid heat. High heat can make your clothes shrink, and it will also make bad smells worse. Wash your workout clothes in cold water and use the low or no-heat setting on the dryer. If possible, let them air dry instead.
If you didn’t sweat too much, you might be tempted to wear your workout clothes again without washing them. But experts suggest that if you want to prevent bad smells, you should wash your workout clothes after every use. Washing them immediately is the best way to get rid of the odor-causing bacteria.
Some workouts make us sweat more than others. This might make you wonder how often you need to clean your gym clothes. But according to hygiene experts, if you are sweating, you should wash your gym gear after every workout.
White vinegar is a natural deodorizer. Add one cup of cold water and soak your workout clothes for 15 to 30 minutes. Then wash them as normal. The alkaline properties of baking soda get rid of sweat’s acidic odor.
Gym clothes stink mainly are bacteria, sweat, and body oils. These things build up inside synthetic fabrics and create a bad smell. In addition, the type of fabric that gym clothes are made from also makes them smell bad.
You should wash your gym clothes in cold water. This is because hot water can break down the elasticity of the stretchy material in your clothes, shrinking and lasting for a shorter time.
When you’re done working out, it’s essential to get your clothes as clean as possible. This starts as soon as you take them off. If you can, let your gym clothes dry before putting them in the hamper or laundry bag. This will help keep bacteria from growing and causing foul smells.
Air-drying clothes can take a long time, depending on the weather and the material of the clothes. For example, denim jeans will usually take around 3 hours to dry outside in good weather.
Sweat stains can be a common occurrence, but they don’t have to be permanent. The stains will disappear if you know how to remove sweat from your fabrics.
