Why do workout clothes say not to use fabric softener when washing?

Question

Also fleece clothes say this on their label as well.

Answer 1

Fabric softeners create a residue which clogs the fabric and fleece not allowing proper wicking. Too much detergent or super softened water can do this too. If you have clogged your clothes, all is not lost. It can be easily fixed.

We use washable diapers on our baby which have fleece. The diaper maker recommends the following procedure to return the fabric/fleece to normal. I did these steps by hand and fixed the problem of soft water washing on my baby's diapers.

1. Get a good detergent like Allen's Naturally.
2. Run all of your diapers through a plain water hot wash.
3. Run all of your diapers through a hot wash with the full recommended amount of detergent.
4. If the problem is bad, repeat step three.
5. Run a cold rinse. If you have hard water you may want to add a water softener such as Baking Soda or Calgon Water Softener to soften your water and help release any left over detergent.
6. If you still see bubbles in your rinse run another cold rinse.
7. You can either sun your diapers or tumble on low.

Answer 2

I use to work at Kmart and according what I was told.. fabric softener weakens clothing and
also makes clothing unbreathable therefore it
makes it undesireable for sweat release. Also
who the heck wants soft work clothes? I've tried this one pair of work pants washed with fabric softener and another pair exactly the same not washed with fabric softener. Even though the latter was subjected to more wear and tear the Fabric softener washed pants torn
first! So if U want your work clothes to last as long as they can under normal use don't use any Fabric softener!

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do workout clothes say not to use fabric softener when washing?
Also fleece clothes say this on their label as well.

Answer 4

Should You Use Fabric Softener

Answer 5

Using fabric softener on some items can make them less absorbant than they should be. I suspect that's why workout clothing shouldn't be washed or dried with fabric softener.

Answer 6

Are you putting them in a gym bag? That could be the musty smell problem, if they are picking any odor up. If so, just scour your bag out with disenfectant wipes and let it air dry. If you wear them to the gym, then that shouldn't be the problem. What I would do, is wash them as usual, but put about a cup of white vinegar right on the load then start the machine. Vinegar is magic on odors, cleans water build up on your machine, protects colors, etc. Washing the load with vinegar and soap should keep them really fresh. Also the towel you are using at the gym should be washed with vinegar as well, that could be transferring odor. Use a clean one every work-out. If all that fails, change to a new soap Gain keeps clothes smelling freshest the longer, don't wear any lotions or perfumes that could cause a reaction to your clothes while sweating, and you should be all good. Good luck on tracking it down! Also,,, Don't worry about the smell of vinegar it will not be on your clothes, they just smell fresh and clean and it softens them also!

Answer 7

I saw this on the Martha Stewart show once. It has something to do with making the fabric unable to be absorbent. Work out clothes should absorb sweat (Under armor). When using softener it blocks fabrics ability to do this. It takes time for it to build up though. The suggestion that helps remove the build up, is to wash your clothes ( this show was in reference to towels) with a cup of vinegar in the regular wash.
The reason fleece say not to do this is because when wearing outdoor winter gear, like fleece, it is important to not let sweat accumulate on the skin because it could be deadly in extreme situations. AKA freezing temps.

Answer 8

Water it turns out, isn't very good at getting things wet. Just as water beads up on wax paper, it can sit on top of fabrics rather than soak in. The culprit is "surface tension," an electrical attraction between water molecules that keeps water bunched up. It's the job of the main chemical in detergent, a "surfactant" to weaken this electrical attraction. Balls of water collapse and spread out, so detergent actually makes water wetter. Surfactants dissolve fats and substance that get your clothes dirty. Their molecules are shaped like tadpoles. The "heads" are attracted to water. The "tails" dissolve in the fabric's greasy dirt. Dirt litterally flows down the drain leaving the gym clothes clean and vacuuming their dirt right out of the clothes. NOW, when you use fabric softener it's like putting oil in water. It creates a barrier for the detergent to clean the clothes well and in the long run leaves your clothes dirt. That's why you aren't supposed to use fabric softener on gym clothes.

Answer 9

It could leave a residue. I still use it with fleece and workout clothes, I just set my washing machine on an extra rinse cycle and I've never had a problem

Answer 10

Because fabric softener after time will thin you fabric. You will en d up with holes where you may not or maybe you would want them to be. :)