washing apparel

ianbar

i just wondered what people did to wash all their gear? obviously spending all the money we do on our kit you want to keep it in top condition. does anyone have any special if ways they wash their gear?

Moonbiker

l use a washing machine.

bill_gates

I got new Endura neoprene overshoes recently and have not yet felt comfortable to whether these should be put through the washing machine every time or not. So far, I've washed them once in 5 uses.

Moonbiker

I hand wash my gloves

bill_gates

The inners of my shoes and also my helmet straps are due a bit of a clean. I did buy Purple Harry's sanitizer product but this doesn't clean, only applies fresh aroma. Not keen to put my helmet or shoes in the washing machine.

navrig2

Everything goes into the washing machine at 40 degrees with ordinary washing powder (Daz in our house).

So far nothing seems to have suffered even my sportwool/merino mix jerseys.

Neoprene is pretty robust and will take regular washing although I tend to wash my Endura Equipe about once a month.

fatsmoker

Wash your helmet in the shower (snigger snigger), dry it on the washing line.

bill_gates

fatsmoker wrote:

Wash your helmet in the shower (snigger snigger), dry it on the washing line.

What product should I use to clean the helmet in the shower?

dennisn

Moonbiker wrote:

I hand wash my gloves

Great post. I can't decide if it's sarcastic or not.

dennisn

There are some(can't come up with a name right now) detergents that claim to do a better job at getting the stink out of polyester gear than regular detergent. I've seen it on sporting goods stores shelves.

pilot_pete

From my experience you do need to be careful choosing your washing detergent. For my cheaper cycling stuff anything works, but for more expensive gear with more 'fancy' fabrics I found that bio detergents bleached the colour out of black shorts (Assos). They became very dark grey colour over time.

So, what to do? I changed to a non-bio sports wear specific detergent. I have used a few and all work very well. Specifically Halo Sports Wash, Ecover (can't remember the exact sports version) and currently Tesco Expert Sports and Workwear. All seem to clean my gear withour causing fading. Something else that helps prevent fading is to wash the gear inside out.

On badly 'splattered' winter gear I have in the past used Vanish Pre-wash Stain Remover, but again, only on the cheaper gear which tends to be tougher. Try to rinse mucky stuff off before putting in the machine and wash it before it dries on preferably.

Oh and neoprene overshoes - I wash mine after every winter ride. Turn them inside out, do up any zip and velcro closures and make sure there are no velcro 'hooks' that are exposed that can snag your clothing. They come out perfectly clean and have not suffered as a result. Mine are BBB and have just completed their second winter, which is pretty good in my opinion.

PP

fatsmoker

Bill Gates wrote:

fatsmoker wrote:

Wash your helmet in the shower (snigger snigger), dry it on the washing line.

What product should I use to clean the helmet in the shower?

I use my shampoo

simon_masterson

Halo detergent, in the machine cold or at 30 on the sports cycle (which basically seems to soak it for ages). I run a rinse cycle beforehand. Jerseys and shorts inside out, caps and gloves in pockets.

I use the Halo for the antibacterial properties and my kit definitely smells nice, but the fabric feels soft as well and my kit is in good condition. No stretching or discolouration to speak of. I don't have anything posh - mostly DHB for shorts and jerseys at the moment - for what it's worth.

apreading

Halo says not to use for wool products, like Merino. I have done a test short sleeve top and it didnt explode - do people happily wash expensive merino with Halo? If so, why do they say not to?

MattC59

Persil non-bio liquid. Simple as that. I've used a number over the years, including Halo sports wash (which is pretty good) but this is by far the best. It doesn't do any damage to fabrics or colours and I'm happy to wash my Assos shorts or my Rapha/Shutt sport wool jerseys in it.

Helmet pads get washed in a mesh bag or a jersey pocket that has a zip.
Gloves get rinsed in cold water, if they're lucky. I tend to just wear them until they disgust me, then throw them away.

simon_e

What does it say on the label?

Most of mine go in the washing machine at 40ºC with Ecover laundry liquid. Merino gets handwashed, the NBL Light is so fine I don't want it going in the machine for over an hour. It only takes a few minutes after brekkie while my coffee is brewing
Overshoes get a quick rinse in the sink if they are really mucky (which was every week in the recent rainy season but far less often otherwise). I think tumble drying does the most harm so avoid using one if at all possible.

If you've just spent £150 on Assos bibshorts I can understand if you were cautious but there's no need to make it complicated. Technical sports wash stuff is overrated IMHO.

drlodge

Washing machine, gentle 40 degree wash, tesco coloured washing liquid. Just like most of my other washing.

kajjal

Just use small amount of powered in a quick 40c 15 minute wash and let it dry on a rack.

secretsam

fatsmoker wrote:

Wash your helmet in the shower (snigger snigger), dry it on the washing line.

+1 - and use some nice shower gel to wash them. I use those lemony shower gels anyway so that seems to work fine.

craker

My 7yo goretex raincoat has just come out of the wash and the velcro cuff tighteners have come apart. The sail repair tape I'd used to fix some rather bust seams has come loose too. Maybe time for a new coat? Also my pX merino top came out of a wash recently just about big enough for my 6 year old lad to wear. You have been warned...

apreading

Most of my cycling stuff says 30C, always stuck to that to be safe. Used Aerial/Persil non-bio up till recently but just tried some Halo wash on some tops that I wore to spin classes over the winter, which seemed to start smelling very quickly and the Halo instructions say this is because the bacteria isnt killed by other detergents, hence why I am trialling it - will only use when needed though as its not cheap! Just wondered why they say not to wash wool in it and whether I could get away with my Merino - what could it do that wool wouldnt like?

drlodge

I wash my merino stuff in Tesco bio liquid at 40 degrees with no issues.

simon_masterson

apreading wrote:

Most of my cycling stuff says 30C, always stuck to that to be safe. Used Aerial/Persil non-bio up till recently but just tried some Halo wash on some tops that I wore to spin classes over the winter, which seemed to start smelling very quickly and the Halo instructions say this is because the bacteria isnt killed by other detergents, hence why I am trialling it - will only use when needed though as its not cheap! Just wondered why they say not to wash wool in it and whether I could get away with my Merino - what could it do that wool wouldnt like?

Some woollens have a tendency to shrink. Others seem to be fine with any detergent. I like wearing merino on and off the bike and one top (a jumper I bought from a charity shop; clearly already shrunk by the previous owner) I have is very snuggly for winter cycling but I have had to stretch it back out again several times after washing it with the rest of my kit with Halo. If I wash it with Woollite, it doesn't shrink.

Frank Wilson

God give me strenght.

ianbar

God give me strength

think you googled the wrong website

cattytown

I use Halo. I also use laundry bags and wash everything inside out. I also take care with Velcro. So far everything seems OK.

I avoid conditioners, and normally line dry everything.

I also normally put towels in with cycling gear rather than run a very light wash, and the towels seem to dry better for no conditioner etc.

Paul.

tmg

How did I find my way onto Mumsnet again

macleod113

i use normal asda own brand colour detergent. the other half has been moaning about the sweaty smell coming from the spare room so i now wash kit every day rather than every 2-3 days after commuting, sports wash and line dry. no issues even with the Aldi Merino stuff (fallen apart almost in 6 months light use)

hanhamreds

I give mine to my Wife.

apreading

ddraver

Hmm, well perhaps i'm a bit precious with mine then

i wasn my bike kit together with other sports kit only and use a sensitive detergent or if I'm flush a sports wear specific thing (usually what ever is cheapest off of Wiggle/CRC). usually on the 30deg Delicates setting.

The main reasons are that it cuts down washing something sensitive on a high heat or with something damaging by accident (been there...) and that i find that normal detergents can encourage itchy cracks. Plus, as said, the sports wear stuff makes synthetic base layers less rank on lower temp washes.

The Merino stuff i have (not a lot) usually goes in with my standard wolly jumpers that need more careful handling anyway