Top Tips for Lycra Care

Having a triathlete (or two) in the family can mean quite a few loads of lycra to wash each week!

Lycra garments come pretty hi-tech these days.  Most of us probably don’t read the sometimes complex washing instructions.  However,  triathlon and cycling kits don’t come cheap so there are a few pointers we should adhere to to keep our lycra in tip-top shape. The added chamois cream, vaseline and sweat lycra comes in contact with also means it needs some extra TLC at times!

So what is the best way to wash lycra? 

I put the question to my Facebook followers and I did some research online, and below are my top tips:  

Must do:

• Cold wash – or at least not too hot (I feel it sometimes needs 30-40 degrees)
• Gentle wash cycle
• Line dry
• No ironing

To help the smell:

• Few drops of lavender or your favourite essential oil
• Vinegar
• Bi-Carb

My experience after years of washing lycra:

• Wash it as soon as you can as that smell can get real nasty after a few days
• Don’t use fabric softener as it can wreck havoc with all the super techy fabric
• Don’t throw in gloves and hats which have velcro fastenings – they pull the lycra fabric
• Don’t forget to check pockets for goo packets still half full as it can result in a sticky wash – who knows what else you might find in pockets too!! Lights, tissues, money, credit cards….

Few tips from our readers:

• Wash lycra in delicates bags
• Hop straight into the shower and wash out instantly
• Add Canesten hygiene liquid in the rinse cycle
• Use a detergent specially formulated for lycra ( I question is it worth the spend?)

 A final comment….I was surprised to read on some online forums that people throw their lycra in the dryer but I would have thought this could result in shrinkage – especially if you are like me and forget it’s in the dryer! Does anyone really do this?

Have you got more washing lycra tips to add to my list?