You've spent money on new workout leggings and now you want to take the best care for them possible so they last workout after workout and year after year. So you're left wondering what's the best way to wash your leggings or yoga pants in the washing machine.
Take a piece of advice from us. We have been making tights for years now. We know tights. And with these few simple steps, you can do it too! Follow these 5 easy steps to take care of them.
If you do it right, you’ll have amazing gym tights for thousands of workout hours. If you follow these steps your leggings will:
- Maintain their technical qualities such as compression level, size, 4-way stretch, length, body shaping qualities and high waist.
- Stay true to its colour or printed pattern.
Keep in mind that if you’ve been unfortunate to wash your tights or sportswear “wrongly” a couple of times, you should be fine. Our tights are made of high quality, long-lasting fabric. These tips are just a best practise guide.
BARA Sportswear’s best practise: Sportswear care taking guide
If you’ve done a hard impact workout with a lot of sweat, we recommend that you wash your tights/leggings/sports bra after use. If you’ve barely sweated, hang the tights, t-shirt, sports bra or sportswear up for drying/ventilating. This will also prevent it from smelling.
If mixed in wash over time, it may damage the synthetic fabric, making the gym legging lose its technical qualities such as anti-shake, 4-way stretch, compression and overall quality.
Can tights go in the washing machine?
Yes, gym tights and leggings can be washed in the washing machine. Make sure to wash them at maximum 30°C (approximately 86°F). If your washing machine has a wool program or a program for fine textiles, silk or technical wear, use that.
We also recommend that you use a washing program with low spin. Hard centrifugation over time can damage the tights technical qualities.
Can gym tights be washed with other clothes, such as jeans, towels, sweaters etc?
We would not recommend that you wash your gym leggings with other textiles. This is because leggings, yoga pants, tights and other sportswear often are made of synthetic fibers, and synthetic fibers don't like to be mixed with other laundry items. Jeans, sweaters, towels and cotton T-shirts are a particular no-no. When washed together, the cotton fibers will produce lint that will stick to the synthetic fiber. Over time, this may damage the synthetic fabric, making the gym legging lose its technical qualities such as anti-shake, 4-way stretch, compression and overall quality.
We suggest that you have a laundry basket designated for sportswear. When the basket is full, wash the sportswear together. Keep in mind: It's best, even when washing with similar fabrics, to turn the leggings inside out to reduce friction on the outer finish.
What do you wash gym leggings with?
Use a mild detergent when washing your gym tights, or a detergent designed for sportswear. You can also use Milo (A Norwegian Wool Detergent). Try to avoid detergent with bleach. Don't use fabric softener, as the fabric softener clogs the natural knitting and the natural ventilation in the tights. A fabric softener will also set like a thin film on the fabric. Over time this will cause the tights technical qualities to deteriorate.
Summary: What do you wash gym leggings with?
- Use a mild detergent when washing your gym tights
- Or use a detergent designed for sportswear/wool clothing
- Don't use bleach
- Don't use fabric softener
Can tights/sportswear go in the drying machine?
No, never use the dryer after washing your tights/sportswear. All sportswear should be hung on a drying rack. The fabrics technical qualities will make it dry fast at room temperature alone.
How do you wash white/light coloured leggings?
White leggings should be washed as regular leggings. We would not recommend that you wash your gym leggings with other textiles – wash only with other sportswear. Do not use bleach. If you get a tough stain you need to get rid of, try using "Gallesåpe" (Bile soap) on the stain. This soap can be used on everything that can be washed in the machine and removes stains such as oil, fat etc. Use the soap as described on the instructions.
Summary: How to wash white/light coloured leggings?
- Wash as regular leggings
- Don’t mix twitch other textiles
- Do not use bleach
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If you get a stain, use “Gallesåpe” (Bile soap)
How often should you wash your leggings?
It depends on your workout. If you get really sweaty we would recommend that you wash it right after use. If you're doing low impact workouts, such as yoga, you can easily just hang it up for drying and ventilation – but DON'T leave it in your gym bag.
But, will the tights be clean at only 30°C (approximately 86°F) in the washing machine?
Yes, your tights/leggings or sportswear will be clean and perfectly safe to use even if you wash it at a low temperature. We used to think that clothes needed to be washed at a minimum of 40°C to be properly clean. This is a myth, as science shows that with a good detergent, laundry at 30°C is just as good. The plus side? By lowering the washing temperature, the clothes last much longer, and it’s better for the environment!
Still not sure how to wash your tights? Take a look at the washing instructions on the tights or contact us.
