How to wash competition leotards
Posted on - 29th June 2021
Olympique offers fabrics that are produced to meet stretch and quality standards. We take tremendous pride in having the best leotards in the industry.
We are market leaders in performance apparel, and it is important to advise you of certain fabrics plus practices to avoid.
Some fabrics are more susceptible to wear and fading than another traditional long wearing, durable fabrics.
How to wash fragile fabrics
Olympique would advise extra special care when washing fragile fabrics, following these guidelines -
Repeated wear and washing can cause the fabrics to fade or lose foil. Alcohol in all aerosol products, such as hairspray will affect these fabrics. We would recommend covering garments before applying. Perfumes and body lotions could also affect fragile fabrics.
Deodorants and perspiration can cause fabrics to colour bleed, fade or lose foil, especially when the two colours meet under the arms. Using a pure crystal deodorant that doesn't contain Aluminium Chlorohydrate is recommended.
Mesh can potentially be damaged because of the rigours of certain routines, where person to person contact adds stress to the fabric.
Colour transference or colour bleed happens when a white or light colour fabric combines with a bright or dark colour fabric. While this is a common industry problem it can become quite noticeable under certain conditions, such as when a light colour garment is worn under a dark colour warm-up or short and/or when damp garments are left in gym bags.
Fabric softeners will negatively affect the adhesives used in garments which causes the foil on fabrics to discolour and the embellishments to fall off.
Washing instructions for all fabrics
- Garments must be washed separately - Turn garments inside out and use a mild liquid detergent, gently hand wash in a large volume of cold water and rinse immediately.
- Do not allow the garment to soak - Pat dry using a clean towel and use a thick plastic hanger to air dry.
- Do not use fabric softeners - Fabric softeners negatively affect the adhesives used in gymnastics leotards, causing the foil in the fabrics to discolour and the embellishments to fall off.
- Do not dry clean - Dry cleaning uses harsh chemicals that could damage the fabric and embellishments of the garments.
- Do not iron - The heat from an iron can melt or discolour the delicate fabrics of leotards. Excessive heat also weakens the adhesives used to attach the embellishments to the leotards and will cause them to fall off.
Get in touch with any questions
If you have any questions about washing gymnastics leotards, please contact Olympique today.