How to Wash and Care for Activewear So It Lasts

Activewear fabric is engineered to stretch and recover, but that engineering wears out faster than people expect if it's washed the way regular cotton clothing is. The fix is mostly about what to avoid, not extra effort.

Wash cold, with similar colours

Hot water speeds up the breakdown of elastane's elastic fibres, which is the single biggest reason leggings and sports bras gradually lose their snap-back and start to sag at the knees or waistband. Cold water washing slows that breakdown considerably.

Washing with similar colours matters more for synthetic blends than for cotton, since nylon and polyester pick up dye transfer more easily.

Skip the fabric softener

Fabric softener works by coating fibres in a thin waxy layer, exactly what a fabric built to wick moisture away from skin doesn't need. Over repeated washes, that coating builds up, moisture-wicking drops, and the fabric can start to feel less breathable and slightly less stretchy.

It's a habit carried over from washing cotton that works against synthetic activewear.

Air dry instead of tumble dry

Heat is the fastest way to damage elastane's stretch recovery; a single high-heat tumble dry cycle can do more damage to a legging's fit than a dozen cold washes. Air drying takes longer, but it's the difference between a legging holding its shape for years versus a season.

If drying time matters, a low-heat or no-heat setting keeps the damage down; skip high heat entirely for anything above roughly 10% elastane or spandex.

Store folded, not hung

Hanging fitted pieces, especially leggings and sports bras, by a waistband or strap puts sustained, one-directional tension on exactly the seams and elastic meant to stretch evenly in every direction. Over weeks, that can permanently stretch out a waistband.

Folding and storing flat avoids that entirely and takes no more time.

Swimwear needs an extra step

Chlorine and salt water are harder on elastane than sweat is. Rinse swimwear in cold fresh water as soon as possible after wearing it, even a quick rinse, before it dries with chlorine or salt still in the fibres.

Then follow the same cold-wash, no-softener, air-dry routine as the rest of the range.

In short

• Cold water, similar colours.
• No fabric softener.
• Air dry, or low heat at most.
• Fold, don't hang.
• Rinse swimwear promptly after wear.

These five habits are the difference between activewear that holds its shape for years and activewear that needs replacing after a season. For the fabric science behind why, see our fabric guide, or start from the full activewear guide.