Originally Posted by
cyclezealot
All lycra is supposed to be a wicking/technical material. I wash it as any other clothes item, except for bike shorts , I put in a laundry bag to protect them from wear and tear...And , of course I have them air dry. Water proofed jackets/pants is the exception. I understand waterproofed materials are subject to having water proofing materials being damaged by regular soaps. So, I use a soap called Nikwax for technical materials. Still, ever year or so, I am told it is necessary to spray you waterproofed clothes with a waterproofing spray.
LYCRA® from DuPont is a fiber that is mixed with other fibers to make clothing. By itself is has no wicking capability. It just stretches many times its original length and returns to that length.
Unlike rubber...which it replaces...LYCRA® isn't degraded by heat. Heat, in fact, helps refresh the fiber's stretchiness. It's a very good idea to tumble dry LYCRA® clothing. You don't want to do it hot since the LYCRA® is blended with other materials that may be heat sensitive but using a dryer on LYCRA® won't hurt it.
The care instructions for
GORE-TEX® state that you can use liquid or dry laundry detergent just don't use fabric softener. This is typical for most other breathable fabrics. I don't use fabric softener on any bicycle clothing just in case it's incompatible with something in the mix. GORE-TEX® clothing can also be dried in a dryer and they suggest you do so because it refreshes the water resistance of the fabric.