How to Wash Activewear Properly and Keep Workout Clothes Fresh

Your freshly washed gym top smells clean when you put it on. But a few minutes into your workout, a stale sweat smell starts coming from the fabric under your arms.

You washed the top after your last session, so why does it smell sweaty again so soon? And why does another top stay fresher through the same workout?

The fabric, the wash and what happens to your soaked clothes after training all matter. Here is how to care for your activewear, deal with stubborn odours and help your favourite workout clothes last longer.

Quick answer: Wash suitable activewear with our Detergent Sheets and Laundry Sanitiser. Both work in cold and warm water. Turn clothes inside out, pre-treat smelly patches, skip fabric softener and dry fully. If washing must wait, spread sweaty clothes out to dry.

How to wash activewear in a washing machine

1. Read the care label and pre-treat sweat stains

Check the fabric inside a top’s underarms, along a sports bra’s underband and around the gusset of leggings. These areas may need more attention than the rest.

Stiff or chalky underarm fabric can hold sweat, oils and antiperspirant residue. Aluminium salts in antiperspirants can contribute to marks on clothing.

Rinse fresh marks with cool water. For stubborn patches, use a stain remover approved for the fabric. Follow its treatment time and test a hidden spot first. Hard scrubbing can damage delicate fabrics.

Turn garments inside out. Fasten hooks and zips, use a mesh bag where needed and keep rough denim and lint-shedding towels out of the load.

2. Add Lucent Globe Laundry Detergent Sheets and Sanitiser

We recommend our detergent and sanitiser together for suitable washable gym clothes. The detergent’s cleaning agents lift body oils, while protease enzymes help break down protein stains. The sanitiser provides tested antibacterial action in the same wash.* Our detergent and sanitiser comparison explains these different jobs.

Our laundry detergent sheets are premeasured, with no caps to fill. Use one sheet for a standard 8 kg load, or half a sheet for a 4–5 kg load, following the pack for extra-dirty washing. Place the detergent sheet and one sanitiser sheet directly in the drum before starting the wash.

Both products work in cold and warm water. You do not need hot water for the sheets to clean and sanitise suitable activewear.

Do not use the sanitiser on delicates. Check treated or specialist sportswear for restrictions on laundry additives. Our guide to sanitising laundry without bleach explains the method further.

3. Choose the right wash temperature and cycle

If the label says to wash in cold water, follow it. You can wash gym clothes at 40°C only when the care label permits it. A 30°C maximum does not allow 40°C.

Use a gentle cycle when the garment requires one. Gentle washing and a short refresh are not the same thing. Choose a full sportswear or synthetics cycle that suits the clothing and its level of soiling.

Check the load limit for your chosen programme; it may be lower than the machine’s full capacity. Leave the drum loosely packed so clothes can move through the water and dissolved sheets.

4. Skip fabric softener and dryer sheets

Fabric softener can coat the fibres with a thin layer that makes clothing feel smooth. Those deposits can interfere with moisture-wicking fabric.

Performance fabrics wick moisture away from your skin and spread the sweat out so it can evaporate. Softener deposits can disrupt that process, leaving a top feeling clammy during exercise even though it smelled fresh from the wash.

The residue can also hinder odour control. Adding more softener to smelly workout gear can leave more coating to wash away.

Used softener once by mistake? Rewash the clothing without it, following the care label. The garment is not automatically ruined. Leave out dryer sheets too, since they can leave deposits.

5. How to dry workout clothes without losing their shape

Air-dry in shade with space between garments. Avoid prolonged direct sunlight where the care label advises it, and check thick bands, seams and bra padding before storing the clothes.

A dry outer layer can hide a damp cup underneath. Remove sports-bra cups for separate washing and drying if the maker directs you to.

If the label permits you to use a dryer, use the lowest heat setting allowed. High heat can weaken stretch fibres or cause shrinkage. A low setting is still unsuitable for clothing labelled do not tumble dry.

What to do with sweaty workout clothes after exercise

A sports bra rolled inside a wet towel stays damp. Those folds hold moisture against the fabric, giving odour-causing bacteria a warm, wet place to grow.

Washing straight away? Put your dirty workout clothes directly into the washing machine. There is no need to dry them first.

Washing later? Empty your gym bag. Rinse sweat-soaked clothes in cool water to remove some sweat and salts. Gently squeeze out the water, then spread the clothes over a rack. Unfold leggings and open out sports bras so air can reach the gusset, underband and cups. Only when they're dry move them to a laundry basket.

Still at work? A waterproof bag keeps wet workout gear away from your other belongings. It also traps moisture, so unpack the bag when you get home.

A rinse removes some sweat. The clothes still need washing to remove body oils and other soil.

Why do workout clothes smell even after washing?

Body oils or odour compounds may remain on the fabric. Slow drying can also leave clothes smelling stale. The location of the smell helps you choose the next step.

• Underarm fabric or bra band: Turn the garment inside out and dampen the smelly patch. Apply a fabric-approved stain remover and leave it for the label’s stated time. Wash, then air-dry and check the same patch before using dryer heat.
• One polyester top still smells: Try a smaller load on a full cycle allowed by the care label. Leave out softener. An extra rinse can help with product residue, but oily soil needs detergent cleaning.
• Several unrelated items: Inspect the machine’s seal, drawer and filter. Clean them as the manual directs, then check that the next load dries promptly.

Should you pre-soak smelly activewear in white vinegar?

A pre-soak is not suitable for every garment. Some activewear makers prohibit soaking, and white vinegar does not replace detergent cleaning.

If you already air your clothes and have tried vinegar, another soak may repeat a failed step. Check for a residue patch that needs treatment and use a full wash permitted by the care label.

Why fabric affects sweat and odour

Performance fabrics like polyester dry quickly, but can hold smells. Polyester repels water and attracts oily compounds, so a top can feel dry while still holding skin oils and odour.

Laundering research found that tested odour compounds were harder to wash out of polyester than cotton. Reducing bacteria and washing away body soil are both part of caring for sweaty gym clothes.

In a study using simulated sweat, nylon and wool released tested odour compounds faster than polyester over 24 hours. These fibre tests do not rank every finished garment.

Also check for elastane or spandex, which adds stretch. Your favourite tights may be mostly polyester yet still need special care to protect elastic fibres and bonded seams.

Has the silver treatment stopped working, or does your top need a better wash?

Silver-treated activewear releases tiny amounts of silver ions. These interfere with bacterial cell membranes and enzymes, making it harder for bacteria to function and multiply. This helps limit the bacteria that produce unpleasant smells on the fabric.

So why might a top smell sooner than it used to? There are two possibilities worth separating.

The treatment may have become less effective. Some silver can leave the fabric during washing. How quickly this happens depends on how it is attached. Changes in the silver’s chemical form can also affect its antibacterial action. There is no single number of washes after which every silver-treated top stops working.

Or the fabric may still hold oily soil and old odour. Silver does not remove body oils or deodorant residue. A top can have an antibacterial treatment and still need a more thorough clean.

Before replacing it, follow the washing steps above: turn it inside out, pre-treat affected patches, use the recommended detergent dose, skip softener and dry fully. For compatible garments, our detergent sheets clean away soil while our sanitiser provides antibacterial action in the wash.

This can help you keep using the top, but it cannot replace silver that has washed away. Check the fabric once dry, then notice how it smells during your next workout. Improvement suggests the washing routine helped, although it cannot tell you how much silver remains.

A faded anti-odour benefit alone does not mean you need new activewear. If the top still fits, performs well and stays acceptably fresh with regular washing, you can keep wearing it.

How often should you wash workout clothes?

Wash sweaty tops, sports bras and leggings after each workout, even if they look clean. A dry hoodie worn over a clean top may need washing less often. Judge how each item was worn rather than washing every layer on the same schedule.

*Independent TÜV testing to ASTM E2274-24 demonstrated a 99.9% reduction in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Follow the pack directions and fabric restrictions. The claim applies to the bacteria tested.