I try to not put my “wicking” material training clothes (bike shorts, shirts, etc) in the clothes dryer as it seems to change the material some…and it seems to shrink very easily (even on delicate settings). What do most of you do? Hang dry?
My expensive ones get hung dry (tri shorts/top, cycling jerseys, cycling shorts, etc). My cheap poly workout shirts from walmart go in the dryer. I have not found that they shrink. I don’t think that lycra, spandex and poly typically shrink. Cotton does.
I use the dryer and don’t notice any changes. On a related note make sure you use a powdered detergent as the liquid can leave a thin layer of film on the material that screws with the wicking.
I hang it all up to dry. More than anything, it seems that clothes just last longer w/out the dryer.
Never! Hang dry only
I just hang everything up to dry. In two days everything is dry. Plus it saves on the electric bill by not running the dryer;-)
I do put a “few” things on delicate. I read the label… I never put anything with stretch in it. The bottom line, my top of the line stuff NO.
On a related note make sure you use a powdered detergent as the liquid can leave a thin layer of film on the material that screws with the wicking.
Really I did not know that. I have to use HE detergent because I have a front loading washer. I don’t know if they make power detergent in HE.
Cycling clothes, running shorts, swim jammers, and tri-suits get lined dried…All of my Under Armour shirts and the like get the dryer.
Depends on what type of liquid detergent you use, most of high tech fabric ones are liquid. I usually pop mine in the dyer in air only mode for about 20 mins then hang them. I find they tend to smell nicer when they are hung dryed also.
I always hang dry as the stuff dries fast anyway and I do not want to increase the chance it will get picked by something. Plus for the items I put in the dryer I use the static cling sheets like Bounce and you should not use those for items that are wicking.
It is OK to use liquid detergent on wicking shirts/shorts/etc. The items that require powered detergent will say so on the lable. Typically the items requiring powered detergent are waterproof/water resistant clothing. The liguid detergent can mess with the water proofness/wicking on those items. If you have a water repellant jacket, look at the label as it most likely will say powered detergent. But for coolmax shirts and the like it is OK to use liquid, just never use fabric softener.
no.
save your money by saving energy and avoiding buying unnecessary replacements for your synthetic clothes by hang drying.
If it looks like something that will dry on its own within the hour(running shirt,cycling jersey,running pants,swimsuit) I hang it to dry. If it looks like something that will retain water(bike shorts,merino socks,bike gloves) I put it in the drier.
Everything goes in the dryer here.
No idea.
They get thrown in the dirty clothes basket and a few days later are hanging up in the closet ready to go.
Ahhhh wives you GOTTA love em 
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Well, my g/f does the laundry, and she hang dries everything. But… I call b/s on not drying things. My best friends machine dry everything in the winter, and they have some > 10 year old bike shorts that are still in fine shape. They don’t get rid of them because they have real chamois, which is ridiculously expensive these days but feels soooo nice.
As for wicking, as far as I know, it’s fabric softener that’s the bane of wicking clothing, not the dryer. I also have an old Patagonia long underwear top that wicks just fine, even if it’s gotten a little ratty, and I’ve had it for 17 years. And yes, it has been through the dryer on many an occasion.
I put it in the dryer on “air fluff” (just runs air through) when I’m in a hurry.
If I spent more than $25 on a piece of exercise clothing, I will not dry them in a dryer - hang dry only. Not really due to shrinking, but mainly to wear and tear in the machine (heat, tangling, etc.).
FYI: Heat kills lycra/spandex and elastic. This means both hot water and hot air.
Heat also warps nylon and tends to set-in body odors in polyester (Coolmax, Dri-Fit, Under Armor, Synth Fleece, etc)
99% of performance fabrics are made from polyester, nylon, and lycra/spandex. (To keep this on-point I’ll bypass a long discussion of my recent discovery of non-itchy, 100% Merino Wool as a wonderful, yet pricey, performance fabric for both winter cold and summer heat and humidty without retaining body odor. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.)
Machine drying hastens pilling, and pummels every type of fabric.
Performance fabrics are designed thin so that they will delicately balance both wicking and breathing. Think “second skin.”
Would you dry your body by standing in the wind tunnel blowers outside a car wash?
Would you friction-rub your shirts together in your hands in front of a high powered hair dryer for 20 to 40 minutes? Sounds like a prescription for premature wear. I think workout apparel gets enough of a workout during our, uh, workouts.
From my experience, air drying will make your workout apparel last at least 5 times longer.
Penguin Sportswash, Cold Water, Protective Mesh Laundry bags, Hang Air Dry inside or in the shade.
I’ve got a Nike Dri-Fit mock turtleneck purchased in 1991 that’s done countless runs, rides, ski days, etc. Minus one pucture wound/hole from an epic trail run years ago, it still looks and smells like new (thank you Penguin Sportswash). It’s never seen the inside of a dryer, and, other than my own body heat and radiant heat from direct sunshine during workouts or races, it has never been artificially heated.
BTW, no, all my workout gear doesn’t date from 1991…
I think it’s fabric softener, actually, that ruins the wicking properties.