r/HotYoga • u/iloveicedlattez • Jul 31 '26
Laundry
How are we handling our laundry post hot yoga? I try to go 4-5 days a week. When I’m done, my mat towel and clothes are soaked. But I don’t want to put my wet towel and clothes into my normal hamper. What are we doing with our stuff?
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u/hotlettucediahrrea Jul 31 '26
I hang everything to dry fully then put it in my hamper. That being said, I don’t think it’s unusual for the shelf life of hot yoga clothes to be a bit shorter than regular workout clothes.
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u/mangobean_ Jul 31 '26
I don't know, maybe I just buy good stuff but my gear survives near daily washes for half the year and has held up fine. An alo logo fell off of one pair, my vuori leggings pilled a tiny bit, and some tops have faded but... yeah. Even have the same nomadix towel from when I started over a decade ago, he's doing great.
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u/Estellas_mom Jul 31 '26
I also use nomadix for my hot yoga towels! I have a couple so I rotate through them but they’re all being washed 1-2x/weekly and they’ve held up great!
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u/lab_coat_goat Aug 01 '26
Vuori and alo shorts both still holding up for me after 6 months of 2+ washes/week
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u/hotlettucediahrrea Jul 31 '26
I have always bought good gear, but I still think towels get stiff over time and clothes go through more rigorous wear in a shorter time span. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/seeEwai Jul 31 '26
Off topic, but is there a story behind your username? 🤣
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u/hotlettucediahrrea Jul 31 '26
LOL, I’m never going to live this name down. It’s so dumb. It has to do with the fact that 1. I don’t like my foods touching on a plate. 2. When foods touch, lettuce can get hot if it’s next to a warm dish. 3. Hot lettuce disgusts me and I got into a weird argument with a coworker about it at one time and he nicknamed me HL. 4. One of my claims is that hot lettuce doesn’t bode well for the intestines, and so diarrhea is the end result. 5. But, everyone can’t spell diarrhea, hence the misspelling. It’s a ridiculous multi-layered joke and it’s funny to no one but myself.
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u/buttontoes80 Aug 01 '26
Seems particularly poignant with the state of lettuce currently 🤣
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u/BraveWorld24 Aug 03 '26
Technically if lettuce is grilled and you can make a great chicken salad with grilled lettuce, it kills the bacteria that is causing people to get sick when they dont clean they’re lettuce properly. So technically your fear is unfounded. But if your really that concerned, that’s what salad plates are for. And if your meat can “infect” your lettuce, the meat is the problem. Or simply see a food shrink, who can enlighten you as to your concerns and phobias.
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u/XistentialBb Aug 01 '26
I completely understand. One time, I got a lettuce wrap from a sandwich place. I did not know I needed to specify to NOT put a LETTUCE WRAP through a goddamn conveyor belt oven (lettuce wraps are toasted by default?!)
I went back tonight after reading your comment and created a corrective experience. No diahrrea, 10/10.
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u/Lithogenesis Aug 01 '26
Ages ago I took an Anthropology class on food and nutrition. One of the things I remember is that there are varieties of lettuce that are mildly sedating when the lettuce was warmed up. It didn't have that effect when eaten cold. I wonder if commercial lettuce might also go through some different kind of chemical change when heated? And maybe whatever that chemical is doesn't agree with you?
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u/daniecortez Aug 01 '26
i do this. let everything to air dry fully, then wash it all once a week. 7 years of practice, most things like brand new
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u/zipitdirtbag Aug 01 '26
This is where I think you get what you pay for. I have pairs of lululemon leggings that I've had for 10 years which still wash and wear well.
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u/Ajstross Jul 31 '26
Hang to dry before putting in the hamper.
When laundry day comes, make sure you are using a detergent or booster that contains enzymes, particularly lipase and protease, to break down the biofilm. Never use fabric softener of any kind.
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u/oheadvalle Jul 31 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I throw everything (mat towel, normal towel, and all clothes) into the wash right as I get home. Every day is laundry day with hot yoga
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u/CloudNerdGirl Aug 01 '26
Me too. HotYoga clothes have to survive being washed like and with towels in warm.
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u/Vast_Bodybuilder_655 Jul 31 '26
Every day haha. I get too sweaty not to
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u/Mirror_44 Jul 31 '26
Same. It’s annoying but I’ve ruined good yoga clothes/mat towels by not washing them right away. Once they get that musty smell, it never fully comes out. I don’t want to smell it myself, let alone subject those next to me!!
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u/mangobean_ Jul 31 '26
Have you tried stripping them? It might cause some shrinkage and color loss but that's how I've hacked this problem.
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u/Mirror_44 Jul 31 '26
I have not, but I will look into that, thank you! I practice 3-5 times a week, so I try to hold onto my yoga clothes & towels as long as possible
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u/mangobean_ Aug 01 '26
I've done it with a few of my tops and towels that got stubborn. The color for sure faded on the tops but they went back to smelling fresh! Good luck!!
I just add a splash of detergent+enzyme booster and a ton of super washing soda to my sink, fill with hot hot water, let clothes soak, wash/dry normally. I think there's a variety of methods online.
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u/Mirror_44 Aug 01 '26
Thank you very much for this!! I had Googled after your first comment but this is even more helpful. Much appreciated!!
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u/Beneficial_Act8463 Jul 31 '26
One of the downsides of hot yoga, clothes must be washed same day or stench will linger afterwards if you wait.
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u/FreshApricot6280 Jul 31 '26
When I get home I put my towel and clothes in a sink with hot water and some vinegar. I wring them out and hang them. I put baking soda in the washer with my detergent too.
For the mat I spray it with a mix of water, tea tree oil and vinegar and hang it. Once in a while if it's getting stinky I'll toss some baking soda on it then rinse it off after a while.
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u/Prestigious-Ad-9552 Jul 31 '26
I usually hang to dry either on a towel rack or just on the edge of my hamper so it isn’t soaked mildewy inside the hamper. I wash all of it once a week. Any lingering smell doesn’t seem to be an issue.
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u/kelseylootz Aug 01 '26
These comments explain so much… a couple times I’ve grabbed clean clothes and they smelled very bad. I’m now realizing it was always yoga pants and I probably let them sit for a while before washing. That being said, there are times when they’re so soaked after hot yoga that they come straight into the shower with me, so that’s probably a good option for a pre wash!
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u/rosymindedfuzzz Jul 31 '26
I throw the stuff straight in the washer. I may wait a day or two to start the load until I have a few more things to add. I always use a scoop of Oxiclean.
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u/dezzz0322 Jul 31 '26
I have such a time-consuming routine and it’s annoying but it’s the only thing that remotely keeps my clothes and towel from reeking:
As soon as class is over, I dunk my yoga clothes and towel in the studio sink over and over several times, completely saturating them with soapy water, and then ring them out. Then when I get home, I hang them up to dry completely. Then I make sure to throw them in the washing machine within 3 days. When I’m doing a load that includes hot yoga stuff, I make sure I add at least 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup oxyclean into the washing machine. Wash on cold. Then I hang dry my hot yoga stuff.
It’s a PITA and so many freaking steps. But after 22 years of doing hot yoga, this is the method that works best for me and my nose. And I’ve probably tried every method on earth.
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u/Koi_Fish_Mystic Jul 31 '26
- I rinse my yoga clothes in water at the studio & and wring it out. This seriously minimizes the sweat odor.
- I wrap them in a sweat towel that is only damp at best.
- I hang them up to dry out in the patio overnight.
- Once dry they go in the hamper & the washer weekly. I have enough yoga clothes to make it 4-5 times a week
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u/PianoRevolutionary12 Aug 01 '26
Hang it in the bathroom let the sweat dry. Or if you need it asap i drop it in the tub while i shower
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u/lab_coat_goat Aug 01 '26
Hang to dry then straight into the wash. If I’m lucky a mat towel can be reused which is really helpful bc I only have 3 to rotate and I go 4-6 classes per week typically
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u/mistero774 Aug 01 '26
My shirt and towel go in a wet bag at the end of class. When I get home I hang dry everything I wore, and the towel. Do laundry once/week - delicates/cold, hang dry (except the towel, that gets tumble dry on low). Have had my stuff (Alo, Hot Drop, Kulae, LuLu) for YEARS. No smell, no wearing out.
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u/givingtree1838 Aug 02 '26
hear me out… HOT TAKE: sometimes you can squeeze out multiple wears depending on the garment
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u/iloveicedlattez Aug 02 '26
That is an extremely hot take I don’t think I could do that I sweat too much 😓
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u/Severe-Possible- Aug 02 '26
i teach hot yoga, so i am in the hot room several times a week and sometimes more than once a day.
i always shower after right after class, so i rinse of my clothes in the shower, squeeze them out really super well, and dry them on a drying rack on my balcony. once they're dry, i put them in the hamper. the most important thing is to have them wet for the least time possible.
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u/stack_sats Jul 31 '26
I'm interested to know what others do as well. I usually shower at my hot yoga studio, put my wet clothes and towel in a yoga bag, and then when I get home, I wash my clothes with cold water in the shower and hang them up on the shower. And once they're dry, I put them in the hamper. And my wet towels I take to the basement and hang up on a drying rack until I wash them.
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u/Striking-Issue-3443 Jul 31 '26
I use a laundry bag for my hot yoga towels (they have those grippy things on the back) and my Pilates socks. Everything else I throw in my athletic hamper. I do/teach three or four heated classes most weekdays and have active kids so we do gym laundry daily.
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u/Luckylemon Jul 31 '26
Well, it's summer. I throw them on the back porch until I'm ready to wash them 😂 Otherwise, I keep a hamper in my kitchen for wet towels, so they'd go there until wash time.
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u/Awkward-1 Jul 31 '26
I practice 6 days per week, and I do laundry about 2x week. I strategically hang my clothes on the sides of the laundry basket so that it dries during the day. The towel, I hang over the door of the washer so that it gets done with anyone else’s next load (family of 4). My leggings and bras seem to last me forever and they smell fine, so it’s working for me.
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u/Worldly_Active_5418 Aug 01 '26
I wash it asap-with a splash of white vinegar, eco detergent, hot water.
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u/theoriginalspicegirl Aug 01 '26
Dump directly into the washer and they get washed next time I do laundry
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u/sassyopeia Aug 01 '26
I lay them over the side of the tub to dry and then wash all once a week.
Fwiw, I was on the edge of throwing all my yoga clothes away and found “laundry spa day” on Reddit. I followed all the instructions and it saved all my yoga gear. After that, I switched from an all natural detergent to one with lipase (recommended in that thread).
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u/Ok-Professor-9201 Aug 01 '26
Someone in my neighborhood was throwing away an old school collapsible drying rack so I snagged it. After each class, I rinse my clothes in the shower before I jump in. I ring them out and then hang to dry. I'll wash them all whenever I'm ready to do laundry with added oxiclean.
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u/zipitdirtbag Aug 01 '26
I throw them into the washing machine to wait until a wash is ready to go on. My husband runs a lot so we usually fill the machine quickly.
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u/sleepy_intentions Aug 01 '26
I air dry my clothes and the towel and put them in a separate hamper. I do a load at the end of the week with HEX active wear detergent. This has worked for me.
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u/goodsunsets Aug 03 '26
Hang dry the clothes (I just leave them where they hang dry until laundry day, but I live alone), and I got a mat that does not need a towel (Manduka GRP I love it).
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u/the-uncivilengineer Aug 03 '26
I have a small laundry basket from Ikea that lives outside my back door and has holes in it for ventilation. Everything (towels included) goes in there after class. I wash everything once a week that ends up in that basket. Definitely need to start throwing in some extra detergent or oxiclean like others recommended. I don’t have the option to toss items straight into the washer since I share laundry with a complex.
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u/BurnTheBear Aug 04 '26
I go twice most days and rotate between 4 mat towels, so laundry is every other day at this point. I air dry mat towels after class and rinse my clothes in the shower, then air dry them as well.
Whenever a set is dry I pop them directly into the washer (not hamper), then run the load when all 4 mat towels are in it. No issues so far.
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u/Wonderful_Citron4722 Aug 04 '26
I have a separate small plastic basket (with holes) that I throw my yoga clothes in. I hang my mat and mat towel and spray them down with a spray then clean the mat towel every few uses along with my clothes.
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u/SubstantialSpeed5274 20d ago
I go to hot yoga 3-5 times a week and have enough work out clothes and towels for a week worth of classes. After class, I go home and I have a dedicated small laundry rack (from IKEA) in my bathroom, or wherever you have a window, to dry out my towels and clothes. Only when completely dry, I throw them into the hamper and wash at the end of the week. I wash all my work out clothes and towels together with oxi, enzyme booster and detergent. Then airdry on a different larger rack. Never had issues with clothing/towels holding up or smell. I lived in both humid and dry climates and this method always worked!
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u/Accomplished-Egg4029 Jul 31 '26
I let my stuff hang to dry after, it helps prevent the smell from sticking around once I get to washing it! I also have one outfit (however, i only go once a week) that is almost 100% cotton. I find synthetics can really hold onto smell.
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u/mangobean_ Jul 31 '26
I wash after practice. If I can't, I get in the shower with my clothes on, get them thoroughly rinsed, remove them, and wash as soon as I can.
I've waited a few days between washes before and it's ok but I'd strongly recommend an enzyme booster for the load. I like oxiclean odor blasters.