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Surely more than once you’ve wondered how to wash sportswear to keep it in good condition and prevent unpleasant odors. Sportswear or technical clothing requires special care to extend its lifespan.
In this article, we’re going to offer you a series of tips on how to wash sportswear to prevent it from losing its technical characteristics of breathability, softness, or color vibrancy.
To keep your sportswear in good condition and prevent it from deteriorating prematurely, especially if you use it regularly, you should follow some care and cleaning recommendations; these same care tips will also help you prevent unpleasant odors from appearing.
Useful tips on how to wash sportswear
42K running sportswear is specifically developed for running, trail running, or fitness, but it is also optimal for other sports activities such as trekking, hiking, Nordic walking, padel, beach volleyball, beach tennis…
The technical fabrics used by 42K running feature technologies to ensure excellent qualities of breathability (Dry-Tec+), softness and lightness (SoftLight), and color fixation (DC4 Long Life Color) so that their intensity and brightness do not deteriorate over time or with washing.
There are a series of tips and tricks for washing sportswear that will help you care for and clean it. Some of these tips or tricks are well-known and popular, but there are others you might not know that can help prevent your technical clothing from deteriorating prematurely or smelling bad despite being clean.
It is advisable to always wash technical clothing after each use
It is advisable to wash the clothes you run or go to the gym in after each use. Even if there are no visible dirt stains or you think you haven’t sweated, it’s always advisable to wash your garments after a workout.
Even if you haven’t done intense physical exercise, it’s very likely that you’ve sweated, especially in the armpit area.
Furthermore, if you’ve exercised outdoors in an urban environment, your clothes may have absorbed pollution, especially if you live in a large city where air quality reference levels are not met. There are other aspects that can cause invisible “dirt” such as dust, pollen…
Likewise, if you’ve been exercising in a gym (in contact with surfaces other people have used), it’s necessary for hygiene reasons to always wash your clothes after use.
Tips and recommendations for washing sportswear in a washing machine
Sports clothes should ideally be hand-washed with a neutral soap, but we understand that lack of time will lead you to use a washing machine. That’s perfectly fine!
Some washing machines already include a specific program for washing sportswear or synthetics (microfibers). If you can’t hand wash and use a washing machine, you can follow these tips and recommendations for the good of your technical clothing:
- Group all your sportswear and do not mix it with other fabrics.
- Use a cold water program or a lukewarm water program (30º-40º) and, if possible, one that is not excessively long.
- Be careful with detergent! Do not use detergents with optical brighteners. Use neutral liquid detergent/soap (better than powder). If you can use a specific detergent for sportswear, even better.
- Do not use fabric softener.
- Bleach is prohibited in any sportswear washing process.
- Be careful with zippers or rivets. Avoid mixing your technical clothing with garments that have zippers or metal buttons and/or rivets that could cause snags or tears.
- Always wash inside out to prevent deterioration of prints, logos, or brands.
- Hang it inside out to dry in a well-ventilated place and, if possible, without direct exposure to sunlight.
Tumble dryer and iron are prohibited
Once the clothes are washed, it’s best to hang them immediately (never leave them inside the washing machine because, even if clean, humidity can make them smell bad and force you to wash them again).
Technical clothing is usually designed to dry quickly, so forget about the tumble dryer. Using a tumble dryer, even for a short time, can easily damage your sportswear. Hot air poses a high risk to technical clothing because it can cause it to shrink or deform irreversibly.
The iron, like the tumble dryer, is a lethal enemy of sportswear. Most technical clothing doesn’t wrinkle, but even if it did, the solution would not be to use an iron because the heat will immediately damage the fibers and possibly burn the garment, rendering it unusable.
Remember, in addition to knowing how to wash your sportswear to make it last, you must also consider what not to do to prevent it from deteriorating prematurely due to prolonged use.
I know how to wash sportswear, but… how do I remove bad odors?
You already know how to wash sportswear correctly, but sometimes it can happen that despite being clean, it doesn’t smell good. We recommend our article 3 tricks to eliminate bad odors in sportswear if you want to know more.
The first recommendation to avoid bad odors in sportswear as much as possible is never to store it damp or leave it in the dirty laundry basket while it’s damp, much less if it’s soaked with sweat.
It is also advisable to prevent sweat from drying before washing. When sweat dries, bad odors can easily appear in clothes and cannot always be removed with washing.
As a third preliminary recommendation when washing sportswear, remember that you should avoid fabric softener because it is a substance that can enhance the bad odor of sportswear.
When washing sportswear, it’s important to remember…
Follow this ten-point guide of tips to wash sportswear and extend its lifespan without it developing unpleasant or bothersome odors:
- Always wash after each use.
- Never leave clothes inside a closed sports bag for longer than strictly necessary.
- Leaving sweaty clothes in a dirty laundry basket or bag for days is a very bad idea. If you don’t plan to wash sportswear immediately, it’s better to hang it (preferably not in direct sunlight) or leave it in a ventilated place. Never store it damp, much less soaked with sweat.
- If you use a washing machine for sportswear, always use short programs with cold water or water not exceeding 40º.
- Use a neutral detergent/soap without optical brighteners.
- Always wash clothes inside out.
- Do not use bleach or fabric softener.
- Do not use a tumble dryer, and ironing is prohibited.
- Do not expose clothes to the sun for drying.
- Store clean, dry clothes in a moisture-free place.
And finally, remember that 42K technical t-shirts and garments can be your training companions for a long time if you give them certain care and don’t wash them carelessly, but unfortunately NOTHING IS ETERNAL.
If you want to know more about all 42K running technical garments, you can visit our online shop.
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