CaliforniaCarlie

Have you ever been working out then suddenly get a little whiff of what seems like week old body odor…..Instantly I always think it is me, I get super uncomfortable and start obsessing over figuring out if it is me or someone around me. Smelling bad is my worst nightmare as a fitness instructor, because I get close to clients when correcting form. Most days I’m in my activewear all day from 6am – 9pm and I don’t want someone to pass out from my stench. Or be like one of those cartoons that walk around with a green smoke cloud!

But if you love wearing workout clothes and smelling fresh, I’ve got 5 tips for you to try during your next laundry day. These tips will help you keep your clothes looking and smelling like new!

1. Don’t let sweaty clothes sit

Most of us will take off our nasty sweaty clothes once we get home and toss them into the hamper or maybe just in a pile on the floor…same thing right? Either way doing this right after a workout, your clothes will probably stay damp and sweaty for a few days before we’re actually able to wash them. This is just asking for gross smelling bacteria to grow and the odor to set into your clothes even after you wash them.

After an intense workout you should hang dry your clothes to prevent bad odors not only on your workout clothes but also so your normal clothes don’t start to smell in your hamper. I like to set mine aside to dry overnight before putting in the hamper.

2. Turn everything inside out

Turning your clothes inside out, makes sense when you think about it. All of your sweat and dead even skin cells are on the material on the inside of your clothes, so by flipping them inside out you’re actually washing the dirty part of your clothes where the sweat and skin cells are.

This is also really important to protect your clothes from fading, snagging and to keep your foil logos looking like new. I don’t know about you but I was taught to turn my jean inside out to prevent fading and also to place my delicates in a separate bag. You should be putting the same care into your fitness pieces, after all they do cost a lot of money! 

3. Fitness Specified detergent

Having the proper detergent can make a big difference in smelling like a grassy meadow with hints of lavender or like the current Guinness World Record holder for body odor…. You don’t want to be that person! There are specific detergents that can help fight against odor causing bacteria in your clothes. I also love using Downy Unstopables in the fresh scent.

The day after I used Downy Unstopables for the first time, I was in a class and we did a forward fold, I suddenly felt like I was in a commercial. I got a whiff of my clothes and everything around me just stopped while I kept smelling my clothes. Kinda weird when you realize you’re in a class just smelling yourself. Haha but no shame I smelled damn good!

While it is nice to have that fresh and clean smell in your clothes you need to also make sure you’re not overdoing the detergent. Using too much can actually make your clothes stink, it’s like the story about the three little bears but with your workout clothes. While too little doesn’t clean your clothes, too much could be worst. Washing machines use the same amount of water even if you add more soap, so all the excess detergent will stay in your clothes. Making your clothes the perfect home for fungus and mildew to grow. 

4. Use the Proper Settings

Fitness clothes are not cheap but they can last you a long time if you take proper care of them. When washing use only cold water and on a delicate spin cycle. This will help prevent fading, shrinkage and the fabric from breaking down.

5. Hang to Dry

Extreme heat is the easiest way to ruin your super cute workout clothes. You can quickly go from fabulous to fading in two washes! The best way to ensure your clothes don’t fade, pill, melt or shrink is it air-dry them. Since I live in the city and have little to no space it’s hard to find a place to actually hang my clothes  to air-dry but it’s possible if you love your active wear as much as I do. Just get creative. 🙂

Do you have other tips for taking care of your activewear and making it last? Let me know in the comments!