How to make your workout clothes last longer?

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6 Tips to get more out of your workout clothes, save money and the planet

Workout clothes are designed to support you in the best possible way while you are out running, cycling or pushing your limits at the gym. This is ensured through a special design, fit, manufacturing as well as fibre content of workout clothes. Examples are flat seemed or no tags, so they don’t irritate your skin or special panels to ensure extra breathability where it is needed most. 

Fibre content, meaning what the fabric of the garment is made of, also plays an important role in the garment’s performance during your workout. Workout fabrics are designed to protect you from the sun, keep away the bad odour, keep your skin dry and make you feel comfortable. Ultimately, they serve a purpose to keep you warm and protected in any season.  

 

Given the unique functions, our workout clothes provide us with, it should be no surprise, therefore, that they might need a little more maintenance than your usual everyday t-shirt. Here are some tips that apply to all workout garments irrelevant to the fibre content: 

 

  • Avoid using fabric softener as it tends to coat the fibres which reduce the ability to absorb the moisture
  • Avoid using the tumble dryer which makes gym clothes lose shape and also reduces the quality of the garment. This can also cause a garment to shrink.
  • Don’t leave your gym gear in your bag, take it out to air or if it’s time, put it in the wash right away.
  • Wash your gear inside out, the inside is usually dirtier, and this method also protects the more technical side of the garment. 
  • Avoid hanging your active gear and rather fold and stack the items.  Some fabrics are stretchy so hanging them can cause them to stretch out.
  • Wash your activewear in cold water to prevent fading and to preserve the shape.

 

While you most probably want to wash your synthetic garments after each wear (with good reason as they tend to stink quickly), when it comes to merino wool garments for sporting adventures, you are actually encouraged to wash them less. Merino wool lasts longer if you take advantage of its natural odour resistance, stain resistance and ability to bounce back to its original shape allowing you to wear your garments more and wash them less. Merino wool workout garments should therefore only be washed after the second or third use – it’s a mind shift that is easy to make in times of water and power shortages. 

 

Finally, when you are looking to buy a new workout garment, pay some attention to the quality of how it is made and what it is made of. Stop buying the same shoddy quality over and over, and rather invest in quality and learn to take care of it. 

 

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