How to Wash Athletic Clothing

While athletic clothing can be a necessity for even the most leisurely workout, it can prove problematic when it comes time to wash it. Set-in stains, mud and general stinkiness can make athletic gear difficult and downright unpleasant to wash.

• 
  

  Wash athletic clothing before
  wearing it for the first time, following the manufacturer's
  directions.

  
  

• 
  

  Allow the clothing to dry
  completely if mud is present in the fabric. Then, once dry,
  carefully scrape the dried mud off of the fabric using a plastic
  tool such as a spoon to avoid cutting or damaging the garment.

  
  


• 
  

  Rinse out any clothing that is wet
  with sweat after a workout to prevent the smells and any other
  stains from setting deep into the fabric. Rinse in the shower while
  you bathe or separately in a sink with water.

  
  


• 
  

  Add approximately one cup of white
  vinegar to the final rinse cycle in the washing machine when washing
  athletic clothing.  

  
  


• 
  

  Spray any stains or other problem
  areas such as sweat stains with white vinegar diluted with water and
  kept in a spray bottle near the washing machine or in the laundry
  room.

  
  


• 
  

  Add a tablespoon or two of baking
  soda with the laundry detergent before washing the clothing in the
  washing machine.

  
  


• 
  

  Avoid drying athletic clothing in the dryer; instead, hang
  them to dry and consider hanging athletic clothes outside to dry in
  the sun, which will help to kill any bacteria left behind that may
  cause odor.