How to Wash Sweat Shorts and Sweatshirts

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I don’t know if you can tell this, but I really enjoy sweat shorts.

Unfortunately, most of my sweat shorts have found their way to Goodwill because I didn’t wash them properly.

I’m sure that most of you feel that washing sweat shorts is an easy task and this can be true. Don’t forget however, that all sweat shorts are different. I have ruined far too many sweat shorts after washing them just once.

Here are five top tips on how to wash sweat shorts and sweatshirts to avoid issues.

Wash with Cold Water

Cotton shrink when it is exposed to heat. 1 Key Way to prevent your shorts from becoming spandex is to minimise their exposure to heat. Many people feel that their dryer is what shrinks close, but washing machines can be just as responsible for the problem. Warm water can also pull color from fabric and so you should keep your washing machine set the cold to keep your sweat shorts vibrant.

Tumble Dry on a Low Setting

Make sure the tumble dryer on a low setting. The average tumble dryer generates up to 180°F. This heat is going to shrink your shorts. On top of this, polyester waistbands don’t handle heat well. Repeated exposure to heat stretches them out and breaks down their elasticity.

Avoid Ironing

I know the stylish among you will love having tight seams but polyester melts when exposed to too much heat. If you need to use an iron on your clothes, then use it at the lowest and coolest setting you can. Let’s be real though, if you are ironing your sweat shorts then you’re doing something wrong.

Avoid Bleaching

There are lots of things that bleach is good for. It’s good at making hair blonde, it’s great for cleaning pipes, it can even help you get away with the crime, but it should never be used with sweat shorts. Bleach can break down natural cotton fibres if it is used too much. Much like you, I want your shorts to look as great as they did when you bought them. That’s why you should avoid using the hard stuff. If you really want to bleach your shorts, then I recommend using a non-chlorinated bleach such as Clorox 2.

Don’t Dry Clean Them

If you want to take your sweat shorts to a dry cleaner, then you’d better have the most expensive sweat shorts in the world. For the record they cost $630. But honestly, the material that sweat shorts are made from – polyester and cotton – can be safely washed at home. Save yourself time and money it takes to take them to dry cleaner and just wash them at home.

I hope you learned something from this article.

I’ve had a number of issues washing my sweat shorts and no doubt I’d have saved some pairs if I knew what I do now.

Try out these tips for yourself and let me know how they work out for you!


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