Laundry Pro

You can extend the life of your kit by following these simple steps. For most people, it’s not only better — it’s faster and simpler than what you’re probably doing now.

1. Do not use commercial laundry detergent. Tide, All, Gain, and others contain harsh and unpronounceable chemicals, masking agents and perfumes that will age your kits much faster than any ride. Instead, use a sports wash detergent like Hex, Nathan or The Laundress Sport. 

1a. Use less detergent. About half the recommended amount. It seems counterintuitive, but less detergent will get your clothes cleaner because all the detergent will rinse out. Extra detergent stays in your clothes, along with the dirt and smells. 

An excellent alternative to detergent is half a cup of white wine vinegar, because of the way that it cuts oil. 

2. Water temp is key 

Many sportswear products recommend cold water wash, the problem is cold water doesn’t properly wash your clothes because it doesn’t dissolve the detergent and dirt. Don’t believe us? Take a kit recently washed in cold water, put it in water and give it a little squeeze. You’ll see the water suds with soap. If the wash doesn’t get all the soap out, you can bet the dirt and oil are still in there too.

Most water taps running just cold are about 52º, which is too cold. You want to wash your kits at about 58-62 degrees Fahrenheit (14-17C). That's called cool on some charts and warm for others; so it's ideal if you can set the actual temp or at least monitor the machine's thermometer. Any hotter than about 65 and you’re in danger of damaging your clothes and causing color fading and bleeding.

3. Set on Fast cycle, quick spin

“The 30-minute wash cycle is my number one hack,” - laundry legend Patrick Richardson

Long wash cycles are overkill and don’t do anything to get activewear any cleaner but cause more wear. 30 minutes is enough to do the trick. On most machines, this is the express cycle. Think of it like an interval for your clothes: faster is better than longer. They’ll come out dryer, and they’ll suffer less abuse. 

4. Hang Dry

Air drying is best for next-to-skin garments. The dryer can bake in sweat, stains, and odors. Instead, hang-dry your kits when you can; nothing will disinfect, preserve the lifespan and leave your clothes as clean as little sun and fresh air. One important exception is shell fabric, which will get a refresh from a quick spin in the dryer. 

If you have to use the dryer, throw in some wool dryer balls, which will reduce drying time by almost ½ and will help extend the life of your kit. If you have a problem with static electricity in the winter, ball up some aluminum foil and throw that in the dryer as well.

Or, Wash By Hand

Wash by hand in the kitchen sink. Don't use dish soap or laundry detergent, they’re way too harsh and hard to rinse out. Fill up with warm water then add a gentle detergent like woolite, or a few pumps of foaming hand soap or shampoo - a great alternative on the road in your hotel or Airbnb if you dont have any sports wash handy.

Gently manipulate for a couple of minutes; don’t twist or maul — let it sit in there for about 20 minutes. Drain and run cool water over your kit, swish the clothes in the cool water and let them sit for 4 mins and drain gain. Do another swish with cool water and your water (and kits) should be clean. Roll up clothes in a towel for 5-10 mins and then, if you can, hang them out in the sun, or at least near a window. 

Follow these four simple tips and you’ll be amazed at how much you can extend the life and appearance of your favorite cycling kit. You’ll look better, save time and money, and as a bonus, you get to become even more insufferable while explaining the finer points of your cycling obsession to your friends. 

More

Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets! Like glass on the road, they’ll wear out your kit faster. They coat your clothes with silicon, cutting their ability to absorb and diminishing your clothes' breathability, which is half the point of your hi-tech sportswear fabric to begin with. They are also highly toxic and terrible for the environment.