How to Care

To help you take better care of your beloved gym clothes, we broke down some of the best things you can do to keep your workout gear looking and feeling fresh for longer. Here are seven things to help you care for your items properly.
   
 1.    You should let your clothes breathe before washing

While your initial thought might be bury your smelly gym clothes at the bottom of your hamper, letting them air out before washing them will make them much easier to clean. When you take them off, hang your workout garments somewhere they can dry out to make getting the odors out at laundry time a breeze.   

  2.    Wash your gym clothes in cold water

Believe it or not, hot water might hurt your dirty gym clothes more than it could help. Extreme heat can actually break down the elasticity of stretchy textiles, like the material of your yoga pants and running shorts, leading to shrinkage and a shorter lifespan for your clothes.    

 3.    Don’t machine dry them either

Just like hot water can hinder the longevity of your gym clothes, so can hot air. Instead of drying your workout gear on high heat in the dryer, we suggest air drying them out on a special hanger or clothes rack, or at least using the lowest possible heat setting.     

4.    Stay away from fabric softener

While it might seem like an easy way to eliminate odors in your dirty workout gear, using fabric softener can be counterproductive. Turns out that fabric softener—both in liquid form and dryer sheets—can damage stretchy fabrics and create a coating on your clothes that actually traps smells—so for the sake of your gym clothes, avoid it at all costs.  

   5.    Wash inside out

Washing your clothes inside-out will help safeguard colors, but it can also give your dirtier items—a.k.a. your active wear—a deeper clean in the washer, too. Considering that the inside of your clothes is where all the gross body bacteria accumulates turning your workout gear inside-out before washing will give them a more direct and thorough clean.   

  6.    Don’t use extra detergent

If you thought adding a little extra detergent to the wash would help clean your active wear better, then think again. Too much soap makes it difficult for your washing machine to rinse your garments thoroughly, and soap buildup is a magnet for sweat buildup up and funky smelly fungi.   

  7.    Add an odor eliminator

When all else fails, you can always count on a good odor eliminator to keep your gym gear smelling fresh for longer. For an all-natural odor remover, add a half-cup of white vinegar to your wash’s rinse cycle. And for something a little more fragrant, try an anti-odor laundry booster.

If you have any specific questions on your items you can always contact us at info@pcheebum.com