Lifestyle: How to Care for Activewear.

Activewear has been big business over the past ten years. I will admit to being a bit of a activewear fan - exercise use has always been a big priority for me and with some sensory issues around clothing activewear can sometimes be my safe place.

But in all the 20 or so years I’ve been donning activewear, it’s only in the past few years I learned how to look after it. High quality activewear is made with a purpose - usually to wick away moisture while you workout - but there is a downside to this. Often these fabrics are made from synthetic materials and can leach microplastics when washed. Also, as the intensive production on these fabrics isn’t the best for our environment (yes, this does include bamboo) means that it’s in our planets interest for us to get our activewear to last us a lot longer so we don’t keep having to replace it.

The fabrics in activewear are technical and should be treated differently to your usual clothing. Let’s get into how to look after your activewear:

Try and wash less.

Activewear doesn't really get dirty, it’s more it wick away your sweat and can get a little bit pongy - unfortunately synthetic fabrics don’t really air well however there are some great specially made garment sprays on the market meaning you may be able to extend your wear to two workouts. My favourite is Attirecare’s Active-Wear spray.

How to wash.

This is really important with activewear - how you wash it and what you wash it with with extend the life of your activewear but also stop it aging fast or pilling/bobbling. Activewear must be washed with similar fabrics and not with any other type of fabric - putting it in your machine with cottons and linens will mean instant pilling or bobbling. Additionally, using fabric conditioner will kill the elastane in your activewear meaning you’ll quickly get holes or the fabric will stiffen and rip. I have a dedicated laundry basket for activewear so I can be sure I can wash them on their own.

Your washing machine will probably have a fitness or active setting on it. I’ve always found this to wash my activewear perfectly. It’s a short cycle at just under an hour at 30ºC with a gentle spin speed. I recommend using a gentle, natural detergent (making sure it isn’t an all in one with fabric conditioner) - something like the strips from The Green Co are ideal. Again, Attirecare have a great one for this purpose. If you workout quite intensely and have really sweaty activewear you can soak in a sink with 1 part white vinegar and 4 parts water before you put into the washing machine. Make sure any zips are done up and if possible any garments with zips should be placed inside a wash bag to minimise damage on your other activewear.

Drying.

It’s an absolute no-no to put your activewear in the tumble dryer, you’ll be damning it to a short life span and also you’ll get pilling big time. All through the year activewear should dry fairly quickly on a rack - just make sure each item is spaced out well.