HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WASH MY GYM CLOTHES?

One of the downsides of being a fitness enthusiast is the massive pile of laundry that builds up everyday. It can be tempting to do a quick smell test before throwing on your favourite gym clothes again. However seeing as we are unable to smell our own body odour (This is called Odour Fatigue) then this is a terrible idea and will certainly not impress your gym crush when you bump into them in the gym stinking of BO.

When we workout, bacteria metabolising sweat from our underarms creates odour on our bodies - sounds lovely really. This is transferred to the fabrics we wear along with the bacteria. Some workouts are less intense than others and don't leave us dripping in sweat. So do we really need to wash our clothes after every workout?

YES! - Regardless of what type of workout you do, bacteria and yeast will still rub off on your clothes, especially if they are tight fitting. Those bacteria will still be on the clothes the next day and they will possibly be in a higher number if they have multiplied. Wearing these clothes again will expose your skin to fortified-bacteria or yeast and increase your chances of developing a skin infection or irritation. You will probably smell twice as bad too. 

Some clothes don't smell as bad as others and studies have shown that cotton clothing fares a lot better than polyester. This has nothing to do with the amount of bacteria present but more to do with the fabric makeup. It's unhygienic to wear the same workout clothes again and the reality is that you should be washing your clothes after every workout. It's part of Gym Etiquette 101 and the better you smell then the better chance you have of wooing that gym crush. Smell good, workout better. FACT.

If you have enjoyed this article then please share and comment down below for topics you would like to see discussed in future blog posts. Don’t forget to Subscribe to the blog and follow us on Social Media.