Summary
In this guide, you'll learn more about how to extend the lifespan of your gym gear. Here's how you can do it:
- Avoid Balling Them Up: Instead, air dry them after your workout.
- Wash Them Inside-Out: This prevents your fabric print from fading or wearing out.
- Clean Them Right: Disinfect with vinegar solution and use detergent sparingly. Also, avoid fabric softener.
- Dry Them Properly: Avoid drying directly under the sun. Lay your workout clothes on a flat surface to dry.
- Be Gentle With Your Gear: Store them in neatly folded stacks and wear in rotation to prevent wear and tear.
After tons of searching, when you’ve finally found gym gear that fits just right, moves with you and gives you a full range of motion, it feels like you’ve unlocked the workout goldmine. Every challenging workout or an intense HIIT session seems doable and your resilience keeps growing.
But no matter how premium your workout clothes are, with time and wear and tear, they’re likely to lose that ‘just-bought’ freshness. However, with proper care, you can extend the lifespan of your gym gear and keep it as new as ever.
Let’s explore some easy-to-follow, practical tips that make your workout clothes last longer, enhancing their durability and performance.
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5 Tips To Extend Your Gym Gear’s Lifespan
1. Avoid Balling Them Up
For starters, one of the things you need to keep in mind is not to stuff your damp workout clothes in your gym bag or just toss them in a corner. Sure, you might have to do so if you’re going somewhere after your session but once in a while it’s okay.
Rather than throwing your wet gym clothes on your dirty laundry chair or the floor, hang them somewhere where they can air dry. This is one of the best hacks I've implemented on extending the lifespan of my own gym clothes.
This is because if you roll the wet ones up, it’s basically an open invitation for bacteria to feast and foster. The more the bacteria grow, the more your gym clothes will stink – even after washing.
In addition, most workout clothes are made of moisture-wicking fabric. This fabric absorbs the sweat from your skin and locks it in.
While this is great during your training session, it also means your gear is withholding the body odor and sweat from the workout. To avoid this, just let your wet clothes air dry!
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2. Wash Them Inside-Out
Since the inner layer of your gym gear comes in direct contact with all the sweat, dirt and odor, it’s important to pull the insides out before washing. This way, during the wash, you’ll be able to clean the microfibers of your workout garments. Moreover, washing your gear inside-out also prevents it from losing its freshness.
As you wash it this way, you’re able to protect the outer fabric from fading away or wearing out. You should also use cold water and a chemical-free detergent to preserve your gear’s stretchiness and elasticity.
This way, your workout clothes will maintain their fitting post-wash. Also, avoid overloading your washing machine so your clothes can cycle in properly as they’re washing.
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3. Clean Them Right
While it may seem simple, cleaning your workout clothes is different from cleaning your regular ones. For instance, you can use bleach to remove stains, dirt and odor from your regular clothes.
However, this can be detrimental to your gym gear. To disinfect your gym gear, mix 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar with water and soak your damp clothes in this solution overnight.
This will not only kill any bacteria that grows due to sweat or dirt, but will also rid your gear off the unpleasant smell. Also, avoid using too much detergent.
In fact, the more detergent you use, the poorer your gym gear will be overtime. This is because your gear is constructed of microfibers that are water-resistant.
Adding too much detergent means the soap residue will get trapped in these microfibers. This may also cause irritation when you wear your workout clothes again. For the same reason, avoid using fabric softeners post-wash.
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4. Dry Them Properly
A golden rule of thumb for drying your gym gear is to avoid exposing it to the sun. Exposure to UV rays strips your gear off its color and print, weakening the fabric overtime. Instead, dry your gear in a covered or sheltered area to prevent direct impact of sun rays. And if need be, dry them inside out under the sun.
Moreover, to reserve your gear’s elasticity, lay it out flat on a surface when drying rather than hanging it. This is because when you hand your wet workout clothes, the water will weight it down, causing it to sag and lose its adaptive fit. Just place a towel or useless bedsheet under your gear and let it dry on a flat surface.
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5. Be Gentle With Your Gear
Though it sounds easy, most of us are quite rough when it comes down to our activewear. To make it last longer, you need to treat it care and consideration. For starters, make sure you stack them up in neat folds instead of throwing them in your wardrobe or stuffing them in your gym back.
When you store your gear in clean folds, you don’t compromise its stretchability. This keeps your gear in-tact and in good shape.
Moreover, by categorizing your gear in stacks of t-shirts, leggings, bras, joggers, shorts, etc. you’re able to keep different pieces from creating abrasion against one another. This minimizes friction and maintains your gear’s shape.
In addition, wear your workout clothes in rotation. The more you wear them, the more you’ll need to wash them, which leads to sagging and fading, compromising the look and feel of your fabric. So, invest in multiple athletic wear pieces to wear them in rotation.
I've built an entire wardrobe of gym clothes ranging from 3 jogger pants, 2-3 leggings, a few shorts, 4-5 t-shirts and bras. I keep rotating my outfits, giving at least a week's gap between re-wearing a piece. This has kept some of my oldest purchases looking as fresh as new!
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Key Takeaways
To sum it all up, it's not only the quality of your gym gear that determines its longevity. It is also how you look after it and treat it once you've started using it. With the right maintenance, you won't just preserve the look and feel of your activewear, you'll also save yourself a lot of money from having to buy new ones over and over again.
Remember, your workout wardrobe is as important as your fitness routine. It needs dedication and consistent care to stay durable and maintain its stretchability after every wash or workout. With just a few tips and hacks, you'll make sure your gym gear looks as good as new.
FAQs
How can I keep my gym clothes fresh?
To keep that "just-bought" look and quality of your gym clothes, air dry your damp gear right after workout to prevent the odor from building up. Always wash your workout clothes with cold water by pulling them inside out. Use detergent sparingly and avoid any kind of fabric softener. If you're concerned about bacteria buildup, then soak your damp gear in vinegar-water solution overnight then wash the next day. Also, dry your gear in shaded areas to protect it from direct sun exposure as it can fade the print and quality of your fabric.
Why do my workout clothes smell even after washing?
Most of the times, workout clothes have that sweat stench in them even after a wash because they're not disinfected properly, which means there's still bacteria buildup in them. Or, because they weren't washed properly and the sweat is still trapped in the microfibers. This often happens when you overload the washer with the dirty workout clothes, which prevents them from cycling properly in the machine. This also happens when you use non-activewear specific detergent. To avoid this, wash only a few pieces of clothing at once. Also, use a gym gear-specific detergent to clean your clothes properly.
Is it okay to wear gym clothes twice?
No, it is typically not recommended to re-wear gym clothes from a day prior without washing them. This is because after a workout, the microfibers of the gear hold the sweat and bacteria. If you wear the previous day's workout clothes again, the bacteria buildup is likely to cause skin irritation or rashes from forming. Make sure the gear is air dried and free of any kind of odor before wearing it again.
How often should you wash your workout clothes?
Ideally, you should wash your workout clothes after every workout to keep the bacteria and sweat from building up and causing odor. When you wash them right away and dry them properly, your gym clothes won't have that sweaty stench either. Make sure you're following the care instructions on your gear's label to preserve its elasticity and keep it looking fresh and new.
