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Golden tips for washing and maintaining sportswear

Sweating during a workout is fine, but no one wants to put up with the unpleasant smell of their workout clothes after the workout. Since sports clothes are designed for proper ventilation during exercise, washing sports clothes in the wrong way can damage the fibers of these clothes.
5 important tips for washing sports clothes
Sports clothes need to be washed after each use. Drying your sweaty workout clothes and wearing them again the next day creates layers of bacteria and dead skin cells. By observing the following tips, wash your sportswear in a more effective way and help increase their lifespan:
• Wash sportswear with cold water
Cotton shrinks when exposed to heat and loses its ventilation properties. Do not use hot water during the process of washing sports clothes and minimize the exposure of sports clothes to heat.
• Dry the sportswear at a low temperature
Home dryers generally dry clothes at temperatures close to 82 degrees Celsius. This heat can damage the fibers of the sportswear and even reduce the size of the clothes.
• Do not use an iron
Since the polyester in sportswear does not withstand high heat, ironing can cause the fabric to melt and ruin it.
• Do not use bleach
In addition to damaging the sensitive fibers of sports clothes, using bleaching liquid also causes the color of the clothes to disappear. You can use white vinegar and baking soda to clean stubborn stains without damaging the sportswear.
• Avoid putting sports clothes in the dry cleaners
Most sports clothes are made of cotton and polyester fibers and therefore do not need to be dry cleaned. Also, daily washing of sports clothes makes using a dry cleaner an expensive option. You can save time and money by washing your sports clothes at home.
Washing sportswear by hand
1. First, fill the sink with 4 parts of cold water and 1 part of distilled white vinegar. Using vinegar as a preliminary rinse causes the bond between dirt and fabric to loosen and at the same time does not damage the fibers of sportswear.
2. Immerse the sportswear completely in the solution so that it soaks in the vinegar and water solution for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Drain the sink and then rinse the sportswear completely to remove the vinegar smell. Fill the sink again with cold water and dissolve some mild detergent in it.
4. In the next step, spin the sports clothes in soapy water for a few minutes so that the detergent penetrates the clothes fibers. After ensuring that the sportswear is completely clean, drain the sink and rinse the clothing with cold water.
Washing sports clothes with a washing machine
1. In the first step, mix distilled white vinegar and cold water in a ratio of 1 to 4. Submerge the sportswear in it to soak for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Most of the dirt in the sportswear is on the inside of the clothes, so before washing the sportswear in the washing machine, turn it inside out. This helps to preserve the color of the clothes during washing.
3. Regardless of the amount of unpleasant smell of sportswear, use the specified amount of laundry detergent, which is usually about 2 teaspoons. The reason for this specified amount is that excess detergent accumulates in the clothing fibers and creates a suitable environment for the proliferation of bacteria and fungi that produce bad odors.
4. Set the washing machine to a slow cycle and use the lowest possible water temperature to wash sportswear. Using hot water and spinning too much can damage the fibers of sportswear and reduce its lifespan.
5. Allow the sportswear to air dry. If you have to put clothes in the dryer, use the lowest possible temperature to avoid damaging the clothes fibers.
Solutions to maintain sportswear and increase its lifespan
1. Remove stains quickly. Since sportswear should be washed daily, preferably use the mildest detergent and the coldest possible water for washing. Removing stains as soon as possible will reduce your need to use strong detergents and hot water, and your sportswear will last longer.
2. Use a mesh bag. Placing sports clothes in a mesh bag, in addition to preventing the clothes from stretching, also prevents different parts of the sports clothes (such as zippers, straps, etc.) from being damaged in the washing machine.
3. Air dry silk, wool and synthetic fibers. There is no need to put other fibers in the dryer, provided that the lowest temperature is used. Although, in general, drying sports clothes in the open air preserves the color and shape and increases the life of these clothes.