Taking Care Of Your Activewear

Good things come to those who sweat. That is true, but at times along with good things, come things that we don’t want. When it comes to activewear, things such as bad odour, bacterial development, infection are a nightmare. As you may know, sweating causes us to release impurities from our body and if we do not maintain personal hygiene in the long run, we can be in trouble. Just like we bathe daily to keep ourselves fresh and clean, we need to wash our activewear daily to prevent formation of any bacteria or poor odour. Wearing the same set of activewear time and again only builds up layers of body dirt and bacteria, that makes room for infections. Therefore, it is suggested to not repeat the same clothes after workout or any form of exercise, that cause you to sweat.

The fact, that you are sweating during a workout is a positive sign, that you, but at the same time, no one wants the foul odour in their clothes after workout. Good quality, high-performing activewear costs a chunk of your money, so you don't want any wear and tear in the washing machine while doing laundry. A lot of engineering goes into making the best activewear for woman, you must maintain it for that dream-like compression to stay intact! 

Does workout gear need to be washed after every use? Yes, absolutely, your sportswear set should be washed, every time after you are done working out. Warm and moist surfaces create a thriving environment to allow bacterial growth and also release a pungent odour at the same time. These garments are not alike your regular wear that you just drop in the washing machine and leave the rest up to the machine to do its work.

We often think that washing the clothes time and again will ruin them, but chances are if we follow the right instructions, they will last for a longer time. Specially for activewear, the materials that are used in making the fabric, need extra care while washing so that their properties remain the same. Microfibres like spandex, cannot tolerate high temperature, bleach, etc. be sure to set aside enough time to let them air-dry. Then how should you clean and maintain your activewear? We have got you covered.

cloth washing cycle

Do as directed

You must have noticed a small tag often near to the waist when you pull our cloth inside out. What’s written on it? Care instructions. Right, it reads out clear instructions about washing, drying, ironing, etc. While you ought not need to follow their instructions word to word every time, as who goes by the rules (pun intended)

But it is a smart move to carefully read the given instructions in that tag to make sure you do not ruin your garment by chance  of ignorance.

Washing it, inside out

Now that you have read the above instructions, you are good enough to start putting your in the wash, but inside out. Yes, often the bacteria and the dirt gets accumulated on the inside of our clothes.

Using the right detergent

Detergent is the most essential factor that is to be kept in mind when it comes to washing activewear or other clothes. Unlike most detergents available in the market, which are generally made for cotton wear, you need to select the right detergent that is dedicated for synthetic clothes like activewear. Everybody like their clothes to smell fresh every time, so we sometimes tend to add extra detergent while washing clothes. But as too much of anything is harmful, we must not use detergents excessively, otherwise it can degrade the quality and useful life of the fabric.

Drying instructions

It is best advised to let your activewear airdry. As the material in it, repels moisture, it usually dries up faster than regular clothes. Also, do not dry them under direct sunlight as hot temperatures will abrade the microfibres and cause them to fade away. Tumble drying causes friction and heat formation that can also deteriorate the elasticity of the fabric and break down the material, that ultimately leads to its wear and tear. 

keeping activewear clean

Do’s

  • Soak your clothes in diluted vinegar solution (4 parts of water to 1 part of vinegar) to remove any pungent odour.
  • Always wash your activewear in cold water and on a gentle cycle.
  • Put your activewear into a mesh bag to avoid abrasion while washing

Don’ts

  • Do not keep your clothes in a closed gym bag for a long time. Let it get exposure to air to prevent odour building.
  • Do not use bleach.
  • Do not use fabric softeners or conditioners that coat the synthetic fibres with a thin film, thereby trapping bacteria and bad smell in the clothes.

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