If you’re like us, we can agree that we spend way too much money on lululemon. It would be a waste to have your favorite lululemon apparel destroyed because you did not wash it properly.
Therefore, it’s important to take care of your lululemon because one day you may want to resell it or have your favorite lululemon pieces last a long time.
Related: What are lululemon’s Core Products?
If you decide to resell your lululemon on the secondary market, the better condition it is in, the higher you can price it because it was well taken care of.
Align leggings are probably the most finicky of lululemon products and you want to make sure you take care of them.
First and foremost, we always want to encourage the following washing instructions for all activewear. Wash on cold, gentle cycle with like colors using activewear or gentle detergent. If you can remember this then the battle has already been won.
Taking care of lululemon apparel is not complicated. We’ll discuss what you SHOULD DO and SHOULD NOT DO below.
What You SHOULD DO When Washing Your lululemon
#1 Always Read the Care Instructions
All lululemon products have a riptag that explains exactly how to care for your apparel. If you have a hard time remember the details, we recommend taking a photo of a rip tag before you remove it and save the washing instructions digitally.
You can find all of lululemon’s care instructions on their website.
#2 Use the Appropriate Detergent
Yes, the right detergent makes all the difference. Make sure you use a detergent that is appropriate for athleticwear fabrics.
We recommend ACTIVE Laundry Detergent. This activewear detergent is made specifically for activewear and comes in a powder form.
We also recommend using powder over liquid detergent, as the powder will dissolve and thoroughly clean your activewear.
ACTIVE Laundry Detergent
#3 Hang Dry Whenever Possible
We LOVE activewear because hang drying is not only great for synthetic fabrics, it’s also great for the environment. It uses less energy and preserves your clothing for years to come.
It’s also OK to tumble dry on low from time to time. Machine drying removes all the excess lint that is often leftover by hang drying. Just remember to keep the temperature LOW.
While all lululemon fabrics are pre-shrunk, each time you machine dry your lulu, it does cause some shrinkage.
#4 Wash With Like Colors
lululemon fabrics can bleed, especially if it is a brand new item. We recommend washing colors together, whites together and darks together.
I bought a neon pink limited edition Cool Racerback tank and it bled on EVERYTHING during a machine wash. All my clothing became a faint pink. Boy oh boy was that a lesson learned.
#5 Wash With Like Fabrics
Make sure to wash your Luon pants with other synthetics to prevent any snags caused by rougher fabrics. Similarly, you would wash denim with denim, cotton with cotton, and etc.
If you want to learn more about the different types of lululemon fabrics, check out our lululemon fabric guide.
#6 Wash With Cold Water
We always recommend washing with cold water because it will preserve the fibers. Hot water will cause the fabric to warp, lose its elasticity, and therefore shape retention. If you want your leggings to continue hugging you in all the right places, wash with cold water!
#7 Wash Activewear Inside Out
If you have fabrics that have colorful patterns or are pill prone, make sure you turn them inside out before washing. This practice can prevent fading and further pilling of your activewear.
#8 You Can Leave the Bra Cups
It’s not necessary to remove bra cup inserts when washing your clothing. We immediately hang ours to dry afterward and it has never stunk or been a major issue.
You can remove the cups and let them dry separately if you want them to dry more quickly.
#9 Use a Washing Bag For Items Zippers and Buttons
Hardware on lululemon can brush against other delicate items and cause pilling, fraying or tearing. We recommend using a washing bag to wash your items with hardware separately. This will protect your apparel against accidental abrasion.
One bag that we highly recommend is the GuppyFriend bag. Most activewear fabrics are made with synthetic fibers that deposit into the ocean each time you put them through the washer. These are known as microplastics.
The GuppyFriend bag catches and prevents 99.5% of microplastics from entering our oceans and affecting marine life. Simply remove it from the bag and throw it into the garbage.
Other brands have started providing microplastic wash bags and filters as well. Wolven and Girlfriend Collective are a few other companies working towards making the world a better place.
Guppy Friend laundry bag
Wolven Microplastic Wash Bag
What You SHOULD NOT DO When Washing Your lululemon
#1 Do Not Wash Your lululemon With Towels
Washing your lululemon apparel with towels is a sure way to cause pilling and stretching. The cotton from towels will rub against the delicate lululemon fabric and cause pilling, or little balls of lint on the surface of your fabric.
Pilling causes your leggings to look used. Luckily pilling can be removed with a fabric shaver.
Related: Best Fabric Shavers to Remove Pilling
#2 Do NOT Dry Your lululemon in the Dryer
The heat from machine drying can cause the fibers in your lululemon apparel to warp and lose their elasticity.
Some products can be tumble dried on low, but at Schimiggy Reviews, we never take that chance. We always dry on a hanging rack, such as this one.
#3 AVOID Washing With Bleach
Bleach is a hard no because it can destroy the Lycra and spandex in lululemon’s proprietary fabrics. The chemicals will quickly break down the fibers and cause your pieces to lose shape retention.
Bleach also causes discoloration and will turn your white fabrics into a yellowish color.
If you do need to brighten your whites, opt for using OxiClean™ to remove stains and brighten your whites.
#4 Do Not Use Fabric Softener
Fabric softener is a big no-no. It will cling onto your fabric fibers and cause it to lose its sweat-wicking capabilities. Fabric softener will create a wax-coat around athletic fibers and can also trap in odor.
If you accidentally get fabric softener on your activewear, wash it on cold with only detergent to remove the fabric softener. Do not let the softener sit over time as it will absorb into your fibers and become hard to remove.
#5 Do Not Let Your Fabrics Sit Soaked In the Hamper
While many activewear fabrics have antimicrobial qualities, which means the fabric prevents bacteria from living or growing on the surface, we recommend against throwing wet and sweaty clothing into the hamper. This can cause your activewear to become stinky nonetheless and affect other clothing in your hamper.
Always hang dry your sweaty apparel and THEN throw your activewear in the hamper until the next wash.
And if your activewear does stink, we recommend soaking your problem pieces in OxiClean™ and then throwing them into the wash.
And if that doesn’t work, you can try adding 1/4 to 1/2 cups of white vinegar to your wash. You can also soak your pieces in cool water with baking soda overnight, then wash as usual.
Where to Find lululemon Care Instructions?
Here are care instructions from the lululemon website.
Care instructions are also located on the product tags. I usually take a photo of my tags and refer to them at a later date.
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