Activewear is engineered fabric. The nylon, polyamide and elastane blends that make leggings hold their shape and sports bras stay supportive behave nothing like cotton in the wash — and treating them the same way is why gym gear goes baggy, pills or starts to smell after a few months.
Here's how to make yours last.
Wash activewear cold, always
Heat is the enemy of elastane. Hot water breaks down the fibres that give leggings and sports bras their stretch, and once that recovery is gone it doesn't come back.
Wash at 30°C or on cold. Your gym gear isn't dirty in a way that needs heat — it's mostly sweat and body oil, and cold water with a decent detergent handles that fine.
Skip the fabric softener
This is the single most common mistake. Fabric softener works by coating fibres in a waxy film. On cotton that feels soft. On performance fabric it clogs the weave, destroys moisture-wicking, and traps the bacteria that cause odour.
If your leggings have started holding a smell even after washing, softener build-up is usually why. Use half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse instead — it strips the residue and neutralises odour without damaging the fibres.
Turn everything inside out
The inside of the garment is the side that collects sweat and body oil, so washing it inside out cleans the surface that actually needs it. It also protects the outer face from abrasion, which is what causes pilling on high-friction areas like inner thighs on leggings and under the arms on tees.
For pieces with a washed or faded finish — like our vintage wash fleece or snow washed tee — inside out also slows down further fading.
Wash it soon after training
Sweat left sitting in synthetic fabric is what creates permanent odour. Bacteria feed on it, and once they've established themselves deep in the fibres, no amount of washing fully removes the smell.
If you can't wash straight away, don't leave it balled up in your gym bag. Hang it to dry first, then wash within a day or two.
Never put activewear in the dryer
Tumble drying is the fastest way to destroy performance fabric. The heat degrades elastane, and the tumbling action stretches and stresses seams.
Hang dry in the shade instead. Direct Australian sun will fade colours quickly, especially on darker pieces. Most activewear is thin enough that it dries in a couple of hours anyway.
Use a mesh bag for sports bras
Hooks, clasps and adjustable straps snag on other garments and get pulled out of shape in the drum. A cheap mesh laundry bag solves it.
Never wring out a sports bra — squeeze the water out gently and reshape the cups before hanging.
Wash fleece and heavyweight cotton separately
Cotton fleece sheds lint, and that lint clings to synthetic fabric. Wash your hoodies and sweatshirts in a separate load from your leggings and bras.
Quick reference
- Water temperature: cold, or 30°C maximum
- Detergent: a small amount of liquid detergent — powder doesn't always dissolve in cold water
- Fabric softener: never
- Drying: hang in shade, never tumble dry
- Ironing: not needed, and heat damages synthetics
- Storage: fold rather than hang leggings, so the waistband doesn't stretch out
The short version
Cold water, inside out, no softener, air dry. Do that and a good pair of leggings will hold its shape for years instead of months.