Soap and water: how to wash your workout clothes and shoes

Not only should you be smart about training, but also about the care of your sportswear and footwear. To make things last longer and continue to please not only with their functionality, but also with their appearance, they need to be properly cared for. For example, it is better to wash running shoes in a special laundry bag, training uniforms – in cold water, and from conditioners and should be abandoned. We tell you how to keep your sports shoes and clothes in order.

Sneakers: you can’t wash them

Most manufacturing companies recommend washing athletic shoes exclusively by hand. However, as the experience of runners shows, your favorite sneakers can well survive machine washing if you follow some rules.

It is definitely not worth experimenting with shoes made of natural or artificial leather, as well as if there are glued elements on them – after washing they will be separate from the sneakers. But pairs of synthetic materials, as a rule, are strong enough to withstand more than one wash in the machine. However, laces and insoles are still better to take out and wash separately. If we are talking about individual orthopedic insoles, they should be washed by hand – thoroughly and with soap.

Before throwing the shoes into the drum, you need to wash the sole to clean it from dirt, leaves and other debris that could get into the treads during outdoor activities. You can use toothpicks or matches, for example. Then put the sneakers in a special laundry bag. An alternative can be an old pillowcase or a towel – they will fill the empty space and soften the impact of shoes on the walls of the drum.

Wash sneakers should be on the most delicate program and at a minimum temperature – hot water or prolonged washing can deform the shoes. For drying, it is convenient to use paper towels. First gently blot the shoes, removing excess moisture, and then tamp new dry towels inside to keep the shape. You should dry your sneakers away from the radiator and other heat sources.
If you doubt that your shoes will survive machine washing, you can hand wash them. Use soap and special brushes. For the soles, use a brush with a stiff pile, and for the textile part, use a soft one.

Sports uniforms: vinegar, cold water and no conditioner

Sweat is not only an unpleasant odor, but also bacteria. If you don’t wash your sportswear for a long time, they become embedded in the fabric, and it’s not so easy to wash your uniform. It is best to do it regularly – after each training session. If for some reason you can’t wash your clothes at once, you can soak them in a solution of distilled vinegar and cold water in a ratio of 1:4.

For washing sports uniforms, it is better to use specialized gels, because ordinary powders can not always cope with their task. Most workout clothes are made of elastane, which repels water well. However, in the case of washing, this property often does more harm than good – the material absorbs powder, it clogs in the seams and can provoke an allergic reaction.

It is also worth refraining from using laundry conditioner. It softens the fabric by enveloping it. But in this way it also retains bacteria and unpleasant odor. Moreover, the conditioner has a negative effect on the elastic properties of the uniform. A safe alternative for sportswear is the same distilled vinegar – add half a cup to the conditioner section before the last rinse cycle.

It is best to wash training uniforms in cold or warm water, but in no way in hot water. High temperatures have a negative effect on the structure and elasticity of the fabric and can cause it to shrink.

Accessories: freshers and sprays

Facilitate the care of sports shoes and clothes can special accessories and additional means. For example, a temporary solution to unpleasant odor in shoes can be mini deodorants – freeshers. They are small balls, often filled with wood pulp with aromatic fragrance. Although manufacturers claim that freeshers have antibacterial properties, it is better not to abuse them, but use them as an addition to the basic care. If your sneakers are made of materials that are extremely sensitive to washing, you can use special antibacterial sprays. However, even they do not guarantee the complete destruction of bacteria in the same way that thorough cleaning of the insoles with soap and water does.

To preserve the appearance of sportswear and shoes, you can use water-repellent agents. Sprays and impregnations will help protect them from rain and dirt, which will reduce the number of washings, which means things will last longer.