Laundry

[OakLeaf]

I don't worry about MRSA... or sweat for that matter... or even the other secretions which can be pretty profuse.

It's the other bugs, the garden variety ones, that will migrate from one orifice to the other ones in close quarters, getting wiped around by that big chamois wiper and assisted by whatever lube I'm using. Even if I did take a shower immediately before riding (which most of the time I don't - a thorough @ss-wiping with a damp washcloth usually does it for me when I'm starting a ride in the early morning - sorry if that's TMI )

I'm not easily grossed out, and I am really relaxed about bacteria (if that video I linked to didn't already give you a clue). I think most of the hype about bacteria these days is just silly, and actually hurts people's health by (1) killing beneficial and balancing bacteria, (2) promoting resistance in "bad" bacteria, and (3) exposing us all to harsh and toxic cleaning chemicals.

But I do not re-use underwear without washing them. That just does gross me out.


ETA: PS, yes, sunlight (UV) is a powerful antimicrobial. Just turn your jerseys inside out so they don't fade too badly, and don't leave your things in the sun for hours after they're dry, as the UV will also degrade the chamois.

[alpinerabbit]

Another laundry question though. No smell, is it just me, or does the sun work wonders on sweat stench?!

Yup, and other smells. I once hung smoky clothes out (from a bonfire) and it went away.

[Irulan]

This is a bit more labor intensive, but you could hand wash the spin shorts.

Just a small amount of Woolite in the bathroom/kitchen sink does the trick.

<<<pulls out her anti Woolite soapbox>>>

Woolite is overpriced. It's basically a detergent with fancy conditioners to soften thing back up from the harshness of the ingredients. Use a couple of drops of dish soap, or, if you are concerned about "being gentle" on your clothes, use baby shampoo. It's way cheaper anyway.

(WIN is just detergent with oxyclean already added to it. Again, save a few bucks and don't fall for the hype)

For super stink, try an overnight soak in Biz combined with Oxyclean. That should do the trick.

....puts soapbox ( sorry about the pun) away....

[Eden]

Ecover delicate wash http://www.ecover.com/us/en/Products...icate+Wash.htm

works great for getting out sweat smells, plus its all plant based and biodegradable - much better than woolite

[kajero]

I was thinking (I do that sometime): I wash my heart rate monitor strap when I am in the shower. Why couldn't I take my bike shorts in the shower, wash them, put them in a plastic bag, and take them out to dry when I get home. I take the monitor strap and put it in the car to dry if I don't go home right away. Why not do the same with the bike shorts?

[kajero]

I wear work out shorts to spin class. It is only an hour long, and I don't feel the need to have a padded short for such a short amount of time. Plain old work out shorts are very inexpensive compared to the cycling shorts.

You are right about wearing workout shorts. The trouble is that I have really bad vericose veins on my legs. The bike shorts compression on the veins makes my classes much more enjoyable. Actually I wear capris (knickers) most often because they compress to mid-calf. My doc wants me to have the more problematic veins removed, but I am not sure I want to.

I also seem to ge a very sore seat if I don't wear the padded shorts.

[ttaylor508]

I was thinking (I do that sometime): I wash my heart rate monitor strap when I am in the shower. Why couldn't I take my bike shorts in the shower, wash them, put them in a plastic bag, and take them out to dry when I get home. I take the monitor strap and put it in the car to dry if I don't go home right away. Why not do the same with the bike shorts?

I take my bike shorts in the shower with me and simply use shampoo to wash them. Then roll them in a towel to remove most of the water and hang to dry. I will have to try the drying in the sun trick though. My shorts don't get that funky smell, but my jerseys do. Too bad I live in the NW and we don't have a lot of sun this time of year.

[aicabsolut]

I live in an apartment building where I have to pay for laundry. So I generally wash all my cycling stuff in the sink immediately after a ride. After a while, once I've accumulated enough to do other laundry, I will throw the spandex in the washing machine. I find there are pros and cons to machine vs hand washing. With enough hand washing, for some reason the shorts start getting stretched out. Eventually, they start getting a little saggy in the wrong places which can lead to chafing. Somehow, machine washing (usually in a front-load washer or in a regular one inside mesh bags) helps them regain a little shape. The same goes for gloves that are getting a bit stretched out with age, especially those that can go in the dryer on low heat.

Hand washing (with detergent) also doesn't seem to get all the chamois cream out. I'm not that worried about that from a health perspective, because I wash them well enough to get rid of odors (and, I assume, bacteria--I do not use scented soaps), and the chamois cream I use has antibacterial ingredients. So then the next ride, I've got a softer chamois with less chamois cream applied. Fresh out of the washing machine, the fabric feels rougher and I worry about crossing the fine line between not enough cream to be comfortable and too much. Put a little too much cream on and get caught in heavy rain, and it can be kind of gross.

I never reuse shorts, especially after spinning. I get so grossly sweaty spinning indoors. Ew. If I'm running low on shorts, I'll just wear regular athletic capris. I don't really need cycling shorts for most spin bikes. So if you have to choose between having something to wear on a road ride and having something to wear to spinning, save the shorts for the road.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Always wash em. Always always. Even if I had them on, and rode a mile and then turned around for whatever reason, I still wash them. I

So here's a question for ya. I'm tired of using the free n clear ones because well, it seems there might be some alternatives out there. I need one that is nice to my skin (like Dreft minus the $10 price tag) and I would like it to not be tested on animals. And bio degradable. I'm thinking some of the Eco ones might work but I wasn't impressed by some of their other products. I want my clothes to be clean but not that weird oily clean that you get with Tide. Or it feels oily to me anyway. I guess I'm a goof.