How To Make Your Lulus Last Longer Than a Celebrity Marriage

Is Lulu Lemon comically expensive? Yes. Do the seams of the clothing sometimes come undone a little too close to the time in which the clothing was bought? Certainly. Will that deter me from living, breathing, eating, and dying in them? No. Never.

I am the FIRMEST believer in the saying “look good, feel good,” and while Lulu robs me of most of my income, the euphoric state I enter when I slip on a pair of their pants is not something I’m even considering giving up. However, what I HAVE given up is my abhorrent treatment of them. I get disgustingly sweaty when I workout. If I were to compare my sweat pores to another’s, I imagine it would be like an apple to a grape. As of late, when I’m returning my clothes to their immaculate state, I’ve been giving a little extra tender love and care, and I’ve really noticed a difference.

Improper washing and senseless missteps have the potential to destroy or significantly reduce the longevity of your workout attire. If you have any interest in keeping your ego-boosting-go-to’s in rotation for years to come, here are six helpful hints on how to wash your clothes so that they stay in as great shape as you will.

1. Use the right detergent. Sport-specific detergents assist in fighting odor from intense sweat sessions and remnant bacteria. Many of these detergents are also made to protect technical sports fabric.

2. Use the right AMOUNT of detergent. Hey over-achievers, did you know that too much detergent can actually cause a new kind of stink? Since washers only put in enough water to wash out a set amount of detergent, the excess detergent gets left behind in your clothes, creating a perfect humble abode for fungal growth, which can lead to that lovely mildew smell.

3. Turn those babies inside out. Most of the sweat and bacteria is on the inside of the material, so don’t make the washer work more than it has to (trust me, it won’t). This will also help to protect the color and any kind of detail on your clothes (ahem, LULU WE’RE LOOKING AT YOU.)

4. Do not go near fabric softener. This is probably the cardinal rule of activewear maintenance. For one, fabric softener coats the clothing, which can trap the bad smells. Secondly, coating can build up over time and damage fabric. And thirdly, if your activewear is moisture-wicking (Lulus claim to fame), fabric softener will inhibit this technology.

5. Bieber got it right: use cold water. More specifically, use a cold, gentle cycle to prevent shrinkage and the breakdown of materials. If you opened your eyes once in a while before your 7 a.m. spin class, you would notice that on just about every piece of activewear you own, the instruction label says cold-water wash only.

6. Don’t touch that dryer. Air-dry ‘til the death of me (or my leggings). This prevents pilling, decoration dulling, and melting off (particularly reflective detail) and assists in the overall lifespan of your product.

If you take away anything from this post, just please, I absolutely beg of you, don’t be the girl that smells. Nobody in the history of anybody will like you.