Gym Clothes and Hard-shell – the Care Advice to Keep Them Fresh

Fashion Industry's Equivalence to Tech

Most functional garments are made with a special purpose. They are either manufactured with a specific blend of textiles that keep you cool while working out, or it’s outerwear with an engineered membrane that will keep your dry. Wool can of course be used as functional wear, and we have written all you need to know about taking care of wool here. Workout clothes are often made of different synthetics blends; like polyester or elastane. Brand names you might recognize are spandex and lycra.

Pros with Activewear

Naturally dirt repellant
They are elastic and therefore comfortable to wear
Not prone to wrinkle when washed or worn
Cools you off when you’re sweaty

Cons with Activewear:

Synthetic fabrics are oil based, made from a nonrenewable source
They release micro plastics when washed. Place them in a Guppy Bag when you’re washing. A Guppy bag is a laundry bag that collects micro plastics from your synthetic garments
They don’t technically breathe and may smell after being worn just once
Synthetics won’t retain heat while wet, in contrast to wool. If you wear synthetics as a first layer and sweat heavily, you’re at risk of becoming dangerously cold if the temperatures are low

Washing Your Gym Clothes

Most gym clothes made from synthetics, like elastane, should not be washed in high temperatures. Since they rarely get dirty – most often just smelly – a short eco-program at 30ºC will do.

Use a liquid detergent, preferably our Odor Control Detergent, specifically made to remove bad odors from fabrics (it is, of course, easily biodegradable)
DON’T use fabric softener! Besides being bad for the environment, it will also destroy the stretch in your elastane clothes
Hang dry – do not tumble

Hard-shell Clothes and Outdoor Gear

Hard-shell clothing is treated with impregnation or a membrane to become waterproof. When you wear them, it causes a tear on the waterproof surface, and after about a month of daily use they will have lost some of their abilities. The membrane on children’s overalls and hard-shell pants are worn down quite fast. To maintain the waterproofing, you have to re-impregnate. Choose a spray who is free from PFC:s (substances that are dangerous to animals – and humans too – and not biodegradable) and most preferable, ECO-labeled. The waterproofing is often better reactivated if you dry them in a drying cabinet after spraying, but please double check the care label if it’s advisable.

Washing Hard-shell Clothing

Did you know that you can brush off the worst dirt from your children’s’ hard-shell pants? Use a clothing brush, like our Vegan Clothing Brush, on dried mud and dust. When it’s actually time to wash, you should opt for an easy care-program, maximum 40ºC. If the clothes are splashed with saltwater, or if they’ve become very sweaty, it’s also time to wash. Salt, fats and sweat make the garment lose its abilities.

Use a liquid detergent, preferably our Odor Control Detergent, specially made to remove bad odors from fabrics (it is, of course, easily biodegradable)
Place them in a Guppy Bag that catches all micro plastics
Don not use fabric softener
Dry them in a drying cabinet, if you have access to one – it will reactivate the waterproofing

But what about airing gym clothes or synthetics?

We often preach about how you should air instead of washing clothes that only smell a little funky. But this holds true for material that breathes; like cotton, viscose, linen and wool – natural fabrics. Most outdoor gear or gym clothes are made from synthetics that technically cannot breathe (synthetic fabrics are a form of plastic). For that reason, it’s quite fruitless to hang them outdoors to air.

If you want to minimize your washing, we recommend our Clothing Mist, a lightly scented bacteria culture that will instantly neutralize bad odors. The Mist is effective on all kinds of fabrics and can be used to refresh both your hard-shell and workout clothes.