Does anyone feel a slight touch of guilt wash over them when they think about how they treat their leggings?
Well, we’ve been there, which is why we’re unpacking the not-so-scary mystery behind washing our Alo leggings the right way.
Once upon a time, our brains formulated this complex theory that washing our leggings properly demands a process more involved than rocket science. So we continued to toss our leggings into the washing machine, cross our fingers, and swallow the lump in our throat that’s telling us this is a no-go.
It’s time to end this rocky relationship between the washing machine and your leggings. Like ASAP.
As a brand who works tirelessly to engineer leggings that amp up your life in and out of the studio, we also think it’s important to prep you for success on how to keep these looks looking and feeling as new as possible for the long haul.
You can uncross your fingers and take a deep breath—washing your activewear is not as cumbersome as you think.
Here are 6 steps on how to wash your leggings so they serve you beautifully for many years to come...
#1 Flip them inside out — prevents pilling & keeps the finish on your fave hot yoga leggings looking like new.
#2 Use cold water — hot water fades vibrant colors over time and causes fibers to shorten and shrink.
#3 Wash on a gentle cycle with like colors to keep your brights bright and your darks dark.
#4 Don’t wash with towels—towels are the enemy of leggings, it turns out.
#5 Do not bleach.
#6 Tumble dry on a low setting or hang dry.
Now that we’ve taken the rocket science out of the basic washing process, here are 5 additional tricks that’ll make your activewear feel like new (even after your 7-Day Barre Body with Adrienne Rabena).
If you’re not doing these things already, it may be in your activewear’s best interest to pencil them in...
1. Dry Before The Hamper
Many of our signature fabrics have moisture-wicking superpowers—meaning your go-to Airlift Legging is capturing all of that HIIT-inducing sweat, bringing it to the outer surface, and drying it quicker than you can say burpee. While the fabric works hard to do exactly what it’s supposed to, we need you to hold up your end of the bargain and all it takes is hanging those beauties up to dry after sweating and before adding them to the hamper.
2. Ditch The Softener
We know—you want the velvety feel of your Highlight Legging to last forever so softener seems like the move. While throwing in a cup-full of fabric softener revives and rejuvenates our bath towels, our leggings are like a well-oiled machine—they don’t need any extra help. We guarantee they’ll stay soft if you follow the instructions above.
3. Skimp On The Detergent
When you throw a load of laundry into the machine that’s been sitting in your hamper for a week, we know it’s tempting to be heavy- handed with the detergent. Find a good detergent that you like and—the good news—be sparse with it. All of the glorious tech that goes into Alo activewear needs only a touch of suds to get back to its magic.
4. Wash After Every (Sweaty) Wear
We get attached to our perfectly sculpting, breathable leggings—getting through a 1-hour spin class without their love and support is tougher than getting through a 5-year long-distance relationship. While you may be happy about heading for round 2 with your post-hot yoga leggings from the day before, we guarantee they are not. Your leggings last through lunges, jump squats, and splits all day long, but sweating on top of sweat doesn’t add to their longevity, so be sure to dry them and give them a wash after every major sweat. 
And that’s a wrap on how to wash leggings properly (not the rocket science you thought, right?). Here’s to gentle cycles, light suds, and many more days of sweating in our favorite leggings! Tag @Alo and tell us how many years those babies have been sweating with you.
