Sportswear Care Guide: How to Take Care of Your Activewear?

We all know that our workout clothes are a companion to comfort and convenience. However, consistent movement during workouts tests the sportswear to its limits. Sportswear care is as essential as it takes care of your comfort during the workout. 

Caring for activewear is not about restricting your workout intensity to prevent wear and tear. Instead, it’s about carefully washing and drying your sportswear so that they can be your workout partners for a long time. 

As activewear features technical fabrics with functionality, it needs a specific wash for better maintenance. We understand this and curated a trivia about how to take care of your activewear. So, let’s get started! 

Why is Your Activewear Pilling?

In most cases, activewear pilling happens because of friction exerted during the workout and washing. Harsh detergents damage the top layer, tear the fabric threads of your activewear, and lead to those fuzzy balls. Not only the sportswear, it may happen to any cloth in your wardrobe.

While sportswear manufacturers use high-quality materials to prevent pilling, proper care can be helpful. We recommend using a gentle cycle during the washing and air drying to prevent pilling. Also, you can buy DIY gadgets designed to remove pilling from activewear without compromising the quality. 

Top 6 Sportswear Care Tips to Preserve the Efficiency and Durability

Let the sweat evaporate

After an intense workout session, you might prioritize tossing your sweaty, smelly activewear into the washing bucket. That’s where we all make the mistake! The odors and bacteria in your sportswear can linger for longer and spread to your other clothes. 

One of the best sportswear care tips is to let your workout clothes breathe. It’s important to leave your sportswear for a few hours and let the sweat evaporate. Not only will it prevent permanent odors, but this process will also enhance the washability and overall life of your activewear. 

Limit washing temperature

Most sports clothes contain a blend of elastane and spandex, which makes them vulnerable to heat damage. If you wash your sportswear at a high temperature, the fabrics can shrink and lose elasticity. As a result, your activewear will lose its comfortable fit and functionality. 

We recommend keeping the water temperature below 40°C and conducting a cold wash to keep your workout clothes in great shape. Besides this, zippers should be washed in a mesh laundry bag to prevent fabric snagging and damage to the drum. 

Turn inside out

Here comes the most popular sportswear care tip of all time! Activewear spotlights a slight sheen on the outer coating for vibrance and functionality. For instance, self-cleaning sportswear has a special coating that keeps it tidy without consistent washing. 

Turning your activewear inside out before the wash can maintain its vibrance and outer coating. Don’t worry! It will still get a proper wash and get rid of bad odors. Moreover, this process becomes more important if you have custom jerseys with team logos and exterior detailing. 

Use a mild detergent

Thanks to moisture-wicking fabrics, sportswear wicks away sweats, but odor-forming bacteria remain. It means your activewear needs an effective but not harsh detergent for immersive cleaning. 

While a light detergent will not eliminate the odor, a harsh detergent can destroy the quality of your sportswear. We recommend using a mild detergent that doesn’t contain optical brighteners or fabric softeners. These elements block the micropores of your workout clothes and hinder their moisture-wicking functionality. 

Dry the activewear

Besides washing, an appropriate drying method is a cornerstone of sportswear care. You may have options like tumble drying, air drying, and drying in direct sunlight. So, which one to choose? As discussed above, heat significantly reduces the quality of sportswear and its elastane fabrics. 

Air drying with a clothing rack can be a great option to dry your activewear. If you’re worried about creases and wrinkles, you can hang bottoms from the top and tops from the bottom. Use the inside-out technique while hanging logoed activewear. 

Eliminate bad odors

Undoubtedly, the sportswear care tips discussed above will eliminate bad odors, but some bacteria are just too stubborn. If you’re experiencing a strong perspiration odor in your sportswear, you can try stain remover bleach. 

Quality products come with sodium percarbonate and deodorant properties for stain and odor removal. However, poor bleach can be a double-sided sword. We recommend avoiding the use of stain removers unless it’s really necessary. 

The Bottom Line

In the end, it won’t be wrong to say that sportswear care is not rocket science but a commitment to appropriate washing. New-gen sports clothes spotlight an epic blend of high-quality materials and enjoy a long life. With appropriate washing and drying, you can maintain their durability and performance for the long term. 

TD Sportswear provides clear washing and drying instructions on all sports clothing. Along with that, we put a cherry on the cake with immense customization options. Quality meets customization at TD Sportswear. What are you waiting for? Customize your sportswear today!