Originally Posted by
wgscott
I put them in the washing machine and dryer. You wear out bike shorts by sitting in the saddle, not by washing the sweat and trace amounts of urine and infected prostate discharge out of them too vigorously.
I machine wash immediately after completing rides before bacteria has a chance to set. I literally walk in the house, and directly to the laundry room and toss my kit/gloves/socks in, and I run the Hand Wash cycle (one click past the Delicate cycle), and I use Woolite Dark detergent, which doesn't have the brightness enhancer that gives lycra the ugly shiny sheen. I lay everything flat to dry. Modern front loaders are pretty efficient (electricity and water), and my kits are pretty $$$, so I'm not losing sleep about just washing those.
I disagree that bike clothes aren't worn out by washing. I personally think washing causes more wear than wearing them. When I washed and dryed my kits with regular clothes, they only lasted a season. Since using Hand Wash and laying flat to try, they last several years.