I’m a Cleaning Editor, And I Just Realized I’ve Been Making a Huge Laundry Mistake for Years

Working at a lifestyle magazine, our meetings often consist of people sharing their own habits to see if they’re the only ones doing something in a specific way. I often have hot takes: I still sort my laundry, I wish everyone would grow alternative lawns, and I honestly hate color drenching.

Sometimes, though, there is a right and a wrong way of doing things. And I recently learned from my coworkers that I’ve been doing one aspect of my laundry very wrong.

My Big Laundry Mistake

We were recently in a meeting where someone asked if people still sorted their laundry, and I volunteered to tell everyone about the way I do my laundry.

Because I usually wait a bit too long to do it, I have to split up my laundry into multiple batches. I’ll usually divide whites from colors, and put towels and workout clothes in their separate pile for hot washing.

Wide eyes all around the room. I knew I had done something wrong. I tried saving myself by mentioning that if my load is small enough, I’ll just wash the whites and colors together in cold water. That wasn’t it.

Apparently, you’re not supposed to wash exercise clothes in hot water. Ever.

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How to Wash Workout Clothes the Right Way

Now that I’ve done my research, I know what I was doing wrong, why, and how to do it right.

I thought that by washing my workout clothes in hot water it would boost the disinfecting properties, much like is true for towels. But, because high-performance activewear has a lot of elastic and synthetic materials, this can actually cause clothes to shrink, stretch, warp, and lose their elasticity.

So, I’ve adjusted the way I launder my workout clothes.

• Wash with cold water on a gentle cycle, with a mild detergent.
• Add a splash of vinegar for odor and bacteria management if needed.
• Air dry or dry on low heat.

I also don’t add clothes that has sweat on it to my laundry basket until it has dried, and I wash after every use; that hasn’t changed.

What to Wash in Hot Water

Let the record show that I was right about washing my towels in hot water; it helps kill bacteria and allergens. Depending on the material, this is also true for bedding. I have linen and bamboo sheets, so I don’t put these through hot cycles, but other materials do well in hot water.

Because the main purpose of washing hot is to kill bacteria, baby clothes and reusable diapers should always be washed on hot. This might lead to a bit of shrinking, depending on the material, but unless it’s wool it should probably be okay.

Similarly, pet bedding and blankets should be washed on hot. Whites can be washed on hot if you’re looking to add more bulk to a hot load, and, of course, anything exceptionally filthy should take a spin on hot.

Just be sure to treat any and all stains before putting anything through hot water, otherwise the heat will seal in the stains and make them nearly impossible to remove down the line.