Using the gym we all have our specific style we are comfortable, but when these clothes are sweat in, stretched often, maybe torn, scuffed, washed often, how do you extend the life of these battered clothes??
I am not a laundry pro here so any tips are appreciated!
But the other things I do are look for more lycra materials especially in tops and sports bras, I find the cotton tends to hold the sweaty smell more so, unless it is washed right away, and I'm not awesome with getting laundry done asap....I have at least enough clothes to generally not have to wear anything more than once a week so that helps in less wear...and I wash cold water with a scoop of oxyclean always...I've never had any gym clothes "break", rip , etc....but I am always shopping for a good deal and pickup new stuff frequently to rotate in when I find it CHEAP.. at least then I don't feel bad about dropping serious money on stuff I'm going to rin
i wash clothes every day to every other day and dont really have any problem with the sports bras that have lycra in them. the cotton ones get worn quickly but i only have a few of those. my lycra capris dont seem to wear at all, i love them. i wash everything standard with detergent and fabric softener. i do have probably 30 sports bras but i mostly wear my favorites over and over.
hmm...I have yet to buy anything new LOL! I am a thrift store junkie, started out of necessity and has stuck as I figure why waste money on new stuff when I can pick up like new (or sometimes new) stuff at my fav thrift store I have gotten the best lycra sports bras there, the 50 or 60 dollar ones from specialty stores even. Now, I have decided that once next spring gets here I am going to invest in a couple of new outfits if I have reached my goal by then...but if I can find what I want at the thrift store I won't need to buy new.
As far as laundry, I just wash mine with the regular stuff and have had no issues with them. I did buy a sports bra at the thrift store once that looked and felt great initially, but after I got it home it had a spot on the inside that was like charred...like it had stuck in a too hot drier..but I just tossed it (so I lost a buck, oh well).
I always keep an eye out for sales. Particularly at Sports Authority. I also look at the expos at shows - both local and at the big ones like the Olympia & the Arnold. I've gotten some killer deals and also dropped some major coin depending on what the item is. I also cruise Target and occasionally Old Navy.
I also wash all my gym clothes in cold water and hang them up to dry. I never put spandex in the dryer.
If you get a funky smell that won't go away , a little soak in some Odo-Ban goes a long way. You can get this by the jug at Home Depot. I used to use it regularly to rinse out my dive gear when I used to dive a lot. Let me tell you how nothing stinks like yesterday's wetsuit that you didn't rinse out. There aren't words for the stench.
Cold water seems to be the trick for me! I wear my gym clothes til they start getting holes haha women's clothing is expensive as, especially if you buy brands..
As for gym wear I've torn/stained/worn out many pairs of gym shorts and wifebeaters...and I don't buy the trendy styles. Just those 5 buckaroonie ones at Walmart do me well. Cold water and a mild detergent work for me and I air dry them so I manage to make my cheapie wally-wear last me over 2 years!
I use to care about my gym closes... but after having two kids and sometimes having to bring them I wear what ever i can get find and into the quickest ..LOL 1 day i had on two different brands of sneakers...I didnt even notice till i got home???