# Best way to clean cycling bibs and shorts



## Ranger Pride (Jun 11, 2005)

Wondering what the consensus is on the best way to clean cycling shorts and bibs are. do you turn them inside out to better clean the chamois or does that cause the chamois to wear out faster? Cold water or warm? Hand wash or gentle cycle and what detergent? 

I am starting to spend a little more on my bibs and want to make sure they last as long as possible.

Thanks


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## dead flag blues (Aug 26, 2004)

I throw my stuff in the washer with normal cycle, warm wash, cold rinse, and eco-friendly washing powder. 

For super smelly stuff, i pretreat with 'Sport Wash' or 'Win', then wash normally.

Wool stuff gets washed on gentle, cold/cold, with 'Sport Wash' or 'Win'.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*Life is too short not to machine-wash*

Everything goes in the washer with ordinary detergent, gentle cycle, warm wash and cold rinse (just for the energy savings). I do take some care with my two wool jerseys, but I don't actually wear them very often so it's not a hassle.
All clothing comes with care tags--follow those and you'll be fine.


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## Ranger Pride (Jun 11, 2005)

What about turning the bibs inside out to expose the chamois? Is this a good or bad idea?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*It don't matter, I think*



Ranger Pride said:


> What about turning the bibs inside out to expose the chamois? Is this a good or bad idea?


No advantage, but no harm if you do, IMO.

I machine wash, cold water, regular detergent, gentle or intermediate cycle (I have a front-loader, so it's gentler than an agitator, anyway.)

Most important: air dry (no heat).


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

I wash riding stuff in cold water on the gentle cycle. I use about half the detergent I would use for normal clothes, but augment with about a 1/4 cup of baking soda.

In addition, I'll place gloves and other articles with velcro in one of those zipped net pouches to protect from the velcro damaging my jersey and shorts. 

Everything then get hung and dripped dried.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Front loading washing machines work well. They splash the water around with the clothes and avoid the agitator that is the source of much of the wear on clothes. The payback is reasonable on water/energy costs alone before considering the value of extending clothing life.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

Machine wash cold, line dry, just be sure to zip up the zippers so they don't get damaged.


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## Dinosaur (Jan 29, 2004)

I don't think if makes a difference if you turn them inside out or not. Soap and water still gets to that area anyway.

I throw my stuff in the washer after each ride. Cold water, gentle cycle, hang dry. Detergent-whatever my wife has laying around.

Some shorts last longer than others. Expensive shorts/bibs seem to hold up longer.
Better to have several pair to rotate, but don't buy them all at the same time, otherwise it's likely they will out start to wear out at the same time. I do have some Velo shorts that have outlasted the other 2 I bought at the same time about three years ago.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Regular*



Ranger Pride said:


> Wondering what the consensus is on the best way to clean cycling shorts and bibs are. do you turn them inside out to better clean the chamois or does that cause the chamois to wear out faster? Cold water or warm? Hand wash or gentle cycle and what detergent?
> 
> I am starting to spend a little more on my bibs and want to make sure they last as long as possible.


We wash (nearly) everything the same: cold water, liquid detergent, no-heat drying. Lowest energy cost, and easiest on the clothes. I close the Velcro on my wife's cycling gloves so they don't get stuck to things. Items with GoreTex have to be washed with powdered detergent.


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## tconrady (May 1, 2007)

jupiterrn said:


> Machine wash cold, line dry, just be sure to zip up the zippers so they don't get damaged.


+1 

That's what I do....and do it in the gentle/delicate cycle with only cycling items.


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## Slartibartfast (Jul 22, 2007)

I zip all zippers, close all velcro closures, and turn all cycling clothing inside out. I wash all non-fabric-softener stuff (like most cycling kit) together, in cold/cold during warm weather and warm/warm during cold weather. If the tag says line dry, that's how I do it. If the tag says low dryer, that's how I do it. My experience is that if the tag says low dryer, it really is okay to use the dryer.

I use powder detergent for all my washing, and I double-rinse my cycling stuff.


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## doughboy_88 (Aug 22, 2006)

.....


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## thebadger (Jul 27, 2002)

I turn the clothes inside out. With the jerseys, the zipper pull is on the inside and has less chance of doing any damage. It probably makes no difference with the shorts during the wash cycle but they seem to dry faster when the chamois is exposed to air. If I wash them inside out then I don't have to turn them inside out for the drying process.


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## Mr Wood (Feb 23, 2006)

fougasg said:


> in cold/cold during warm weather and warm/warm during cold weather.


There is no need to rinse in warm. Cold water rinse will work just fine and save some energy.

+1 on "warm" wash in winter. Measure the temp of your cold water once the washer fills (use an instant read food thermometer) If your cold water is below 65 F, the detergent does not work well. By using the "warm" setting in winter, it brings the water temp up high enough.

Here's my rules:
1. Work out clothes inside out
2. Zippers zipped
3. Velcro closed
4. NO FABRIC SOFTENER
5. Regular cycle
6. Anything that says "dryer" on the tag goes in the dryer, everything else gets line dried. If in doubt, line dry.
7. If you have some items that the stink just won't wash out of, add some Simple Green to the wash (1/4 cup)


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Get a Wife*

I just throw them on the floor as I strip naked for a hot shower. Two days later they magically appear on in my cycling closet. 

Rumor has it that they are done on the gentle cycle in our front load washer and then put on the drying rack to dry. Warm water if they are particularly nasty. 

ALWAYS protect your stuff from Velcro tabs. Use POWDER detergent as it rinses out better.


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## mikeyp123 (Mar 9, 2007)

Gentle cycle, warm wash with woolite, cold rinse, hang dry. Warm wash probably does a better job killing bacteria.

I also bleach my washing machine about once a month.. best way to kill fecal bacteria, yum.


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## rogerstg (Aug 1, 2007)

Mr Wood said:


> 4. NO FABRIC SOFTENER


+1 :thumbsup: 
And that means NO DRYER SHEETS too - since they contain fabric softener. It breaks polypropylene fibers and causes them to snag lint from other garments.


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

Try half the amount of detergent and use white vinegar. It helps with the smell.


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## Ranger Pride (Jun 11, 2005)

Thommy said:


> Try half the amount of detergent and use white vinegar. It helps with the smell.



Thanks for all the tips. I showed my wife the comment about get a wife. Somehow that didn't go over too well. I ahve heard about using a little white vinegar for the smell although that has not really been an issue except maybe with the gloves. I just want to wash this stuff with care to make sure I get as much life out of it as possible.


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## rogerstg (Aug 1, 2007)

Vinegar is best when put in rinse water, not with detergent. Since vinegar is acidic, and detergent is a base, they effectively neutralize each other if combined.

BTW, a little vinegar in the rinse water used to clean water bottles does a good job to prevent the soapy taste on your next ride.


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## de.abeja (Aug 27, 2006)

rogerstg said:


> Vinegar is best when put in rinse water, not with detergent. Since vinegar is acidic, and detergent is a base, they effectively neutralize each other if combined.


I stopped using fabric softener for my regular clothes and put white vinegar in the softener dispenser, clothes come out really clean and zero soap residue! 

Cycling gear- non-perfumed/dyed detergent, cold H20 ,slow cycle , air fluff in the dryer.


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## Becky (Jun 15, 2004)

Cycling clothes get washed in their own load on delicate cycle (to save water- there's not a lot of heavy soil to clean away, just sweat). With 2 of us riding, it adds up to a full load of clothing pretty quickly.
Simple detergent- no fragrance, softeners, nothing. 
~1/3 cup of washing soda (in the laundry aisle at the supermarket) gets added to the detergent if stuff is really sweaty and rank.
The softener cup gets filled with white vinegar to get the soap residue out- everything wicks much better since I started doing this.
Cycling stuff gets line-dried- better for the clothes, the environment, and my electric bill.


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## jmoryl (Sep 5, 2004)

My routine goes like this:

Take off cycling clothes, throw in bucket with a dash of detergent.
Fill with water using bathtub tap, swish around a bit.
Take shower.
Remove cycling clothes from bucket, squeeze out soapy water.
Throw back in bucket with clean water, rinse.
Squeeze out clean water, let dry over shower curtain rod.

Hardly takes any time over showering, not much wear and tear on clothes.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

All of my cycling clothes get the same treatment -- warm wash with liquid detergent, cold rinse, air dry. I have started using detergent with no additives or scents because, according to various clothing manufacturers, that can interfere with the wicking, wind-blocking and other properties of technical wear.


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