pakossa

I know they say you shouldn't use hot water or detergent on cycling clothes, but . . . well, isn't hot water and detergent the way to get rid of bacteria and all that yucky stuff? I used to just throw the stuff in with my regular laundry (cold water, but with detergent). Then I used just cold water. Seems like after I switched I had a lot more trouble with saddle sores. (Or is this just an age-related thing?) So, what is the best way to wash the stuff?

koolerb

My shorts and jerseys go in the washing machine on delicate with towels in cold water, and they hang dry. Can't get rid of that funky sweat smell though. Even after a wash its still there. There has to be a better way.

katsrevenge

Hmmm.... Borax powder or Oxyclean?

I use both on spandex stuff with no issues. The Borax removes all smells and traces of biological materials too. I prefer it but it can sometimes be harder to find then Oxyclean.

flatlander_48

I use liquid Arm & Hammer detergent. There is a variant with OxyClean. I also use Kookaburra Wash for my wool and wool blend riding clothes as it is designed for wool. If I happen to have dirty synthetics at the time, they also go in with the Kookaburra Wash load. Everything is washed in cold water and air dried.

intransit1217

I do the machine/ cold/ hang thing most times. Once in a while I'll hand wash with dial soap.

JBHoren

cyclist2000

I use detergent with a delicate cycle and hang dry. if you are worried about bacteria then hang dry outside with the shorts inside out. The UVs should kill the bacteria.

KBentley57

As far as I know, all my bike clothes get washed with the towels on a cold/cold cycle, with detergent and fabric softener. Hang dry. They smell great too!

jon c. 

cold water and detergent, gentle cycle, hang dry. never had a problem with odors. make sure you let the sweaty clothes air out and dry if you aren't washing them right away. funky smells often come from damp clothes wadded up in the laundry basket.

flatlander_48

I can't stand the smell of fabric softener and I don't use it.

Nermal

That's good, flatlander. I've heard that fabric softener interferes with wicking anyway, and isn't really great for cold weather fabrics, either.

Anyway, fabric softener is how women mark their territory. If they catch a whiff of it, they usually move on since very few single men use the stuff.

cyclist2000

I have heard the same thing about softener and wicking. I have also read that it interferes with the ability of towels to absorb moisture.

cyccommute 

When in doubt follow the manufacturers care instructions. They are all similar to Pearl Izumi's. You don't have to hand wash bicycle clothing nor do you have to hang it to dry. I've been machine washing and drying mine for over 20 years without any appreciable harm to either shorts or jerseys. Some of my shorts and jerseys are over 20 years old!

dprayvd

Shorts&tops sequestered in a pillowcase (the pad often receives a water-rinse pre-treatment, i.e., wear them in the shower ), then the loaded pc and whatever not-heavy-or-abrasive-when-wet items into the drum. Not abrasive to me is no: buttons, zippers, rivets, laces, Velcro, or otherwise blingy items.

A cup 'o vinegar with the detergent, and the "softener" tank filled with more vinegar. Vinegar helps with the stink (lotsa bf info regarding this, but this friendly reminder took but a moment to restate ).

Hot or cold, up to you.

Never the dryer. El Sol is good.

dprayvd

Cycc, even low-temp dryer action has killed the elastics in every lycra/spandex item I've used (I remember killin' all my Max Muscle stuff lol). Shyte item sooner than better things, but still.... I do like the speed of all this dryer business, however, I get double the life outta my clownsuit/s from the passive drying, making it subjectively worthwhile. UV kills the lycra eventually. My shorts' always die first at the leg-fronts. And when the tipping point is crossed, they just turn to bags lol. Using that acid I mentioned in my previous post surely must accelerate the process, but it's either that or stink eight different ways from Sunday, changing-out shorts with every rear tire.

You holding a secret?

disclosure: I've mad skillz at the laundry thing, but I mean, don't we all?...

Dirt Farmer

Throw washed and dried clothes in the freezer overnight.

Kills the bugs that cause the stink.

dprayvd

Freezing is good. An essential fight the stink arsenal item.

A five-gallon pressure cooker. Now there's the goods. I've been forever thrifting and since this perceived need, well no luck yet.

bikepro

I wash cycling clothes alone, in hot water with laundry detergent with no additives, with an extra rinse. I sometimes let the shorts dry in the sun as well. Don't do this too often because it will damage the spandex material.

Looigi

+1 on borax or Oxiclean. I find the latter a bit more effective. These will definitely kill odor and microbes. (never chlorine bleach or fabric softeners!) Machine wash (preferably a front loader or other non-agitator type) and machine dry on moderate settings. I'll sometimes use some pre wash spray on the chamois and let it sit for 20 min or so prior to laundering.

Agree. Sun for extended periods is bad as the UV will degrade the fabric.

cyccommute 

I've never had a problem with using a dryer. At home my washer and dryer have a "Sport" setting which is a little gentler than other settings but not as gentle as "Delicate". During the winter time, I'm doing 2 large loads of bicycle laundry a week and I really don't have time...nor the desire... to do that much handwashing or air drying.

Drying in heat is somewhat beneficial to the Lycra (aka elastane) in the fabric as well. From the Clothing Dictionary

The polymer that makes up Lycra isn't like "normal" rubber. Butyl rubber is harmed by UV and heat but elastane will actually get back some of the stretch when heated and cooled. I'm not sure what your clothing is made of and I have had some shorts die after years of use. Usually the fabric at the front of the shorts develops tiny breaks in the fronts of the shorts where you pull them on and stretch the fabric the most. However, that only occurs after years and years of use. Like I said, I have some shorts that are 15+ years old and have been washed and dried their entire life. And the failure may be due to the other fabrics with which the Lycra is used. Lycra is only a small percentage of the entire fabric.

fietsbob

Another argumentative thread over "Best" :-


After a while, the dryer heat cooks the spandex elastic threads in the fabric ..
then the nylon becomes more see thru.

on my long bike tour I saw to it I had a clean pair of bike shorts
to put on every morning.





...

Looigi

Most common cause of see-through shorts I see are guys who have gotten a lot fatter since they bought the shorts a year or two ago. What causes see-through in older garments is them becoming threadbare. The fabric's threads lose fibers and bulk becoming thinner and less fluffy allow light to pass through between the threads. It's not the spandex fibers. Fabrics become threadbare mostly from mechanical stress, most of it incurred in washing. Agitator type machines are the worst.

linnefaulk

I use Charlie's Soap with the washer on delicate and line dry.

Washing right after you ride will help kill any bacteria before it can multiply. Chamois lubricants can help eliminate bacteria. Peroxide or vinegar can also be added to help kill bacteria.

dprayvd

I gotta say, I don't understand your saying this:
Castelli, pI, Pactimo, Nike, Bergamo, Hind, Adidas, Performance, and a few others. I'm into my third pair of Aerotech, which I've come to like.

These aren't some swapmeet bargain finds. This business is somewhat standardized with regard to the textiles, no?

Maybe I'm not the laundry-san I think I am

I'm off to the Clothing Dictionary.

cyccommute 

Lycra is used with all kinds of different fabrics. Some are nylon blends and some aren't and the quality of the nylon blend can be higher or lower depending on the price point. To be honest, most of the shorts that have worn out on me (after many years of use) have been Performance brand. I think all of my current shorts are Pearl Izumi.