Why sportswear needs different treatment
Functional shirts, running tights and team kits are mostly made of synthetic fibres that wick sweat away and dry fast. Those very properties are lost if you treat them like cotton: too much heat makes the fibres limp, fabric softener coats them like a film, and the sweat smell sits deeper afterwards than before.
So if you want to wash sportswear without it losing its shape and function after a few months, you don't need a special machine, just the right settings. At the laundromat Ludwigsburg you choose the temperature and programme yourself, and the price stays the same whether it's 30 or 40 °C.
The basic rules
- Read the label. It usually says 30 or 40 °C, often "do not bleach" and sometimes "do not tumble dry".
- Liquid or sports detergent rather than powder, which can settle in dense fibres. You may bring your own detergent to the laundromat.
- No fabric softener. It clogs the fibres and holds on to odours. Simply skip it at the terminal.
- Turn inside out and close zips. That protects prints and seams.
- Don't overload. For the sweat to really rinse out, the laundry needs room in the drum.
If it still smells after washing
- Don't leave things damp in the gym bag after training; air them out and wash soon.
- Choose 40 instead of 30 °C if the label allows it. At the laundromat that costs no more.
- Use a sports detergent designed for sweat odour.
- Dry thoroughly, in the dryer at 30 or 40 °C if permitted.
If none of that helps, too much detergent is often the cause: residue settles in the fibres and holds on to the smell. Then wash once with less detergent and don't fill the drum too full.
Common mistakes when washing sportswear
- Washing it with towels: terry cloth sheds lint, and the lint clings to smooth technical fabrics.
- Drying too hot: 60 or 80 °C is meant for cotton. Functional shirts and running tights belong on 30 °C.
- Fabric softener "for the scent": it coats the fibres, so the shirt wicks sweat less well and smells again sooner.
- Days in the gym bag: damp, sweaty clothes are the perfect breeding ground for odours. Better to wash straight after training.
A tip for the laundromat Ludwigsburg: sportswear in its own 8 kg machine, towels and cotton in the next one. Both run at the same time, so you don't lose any time.
Team kits for clubs and squads
If you wash the kits for your club, you know the drill: 15 shirts, shorts and socks after every match, and the home machine runs three times in a row. At the laundromat a complete set goes into one 18 kg machine, everything is washed the same way and is dry after a good hour. With a shared discount card for the team fund, the €50 top-up level means you effectively pay €10.20 per XXL wash instead of €13.50.
The discount card works like a team card: the treasurer tops it up once, and whoever's turn it is with the kit bag takes it along. Nobody has to advance cash, and every payment comes with a receipt for the club accounts.
Outdoor jackets with a membrane
Rain and ski jackets with a membrane belong in the machine at a low temperature with a little liquid detergent; fabric softener is especially harmful here. Many manufacturers then recommend a gentle round in the dryer, because warmth refreshes the water-repellent finish. What applies to your jacket is on its label.
Thick ski jackets or several rain jackets at once have more room in the large XXL washing machine with 18 kg. More on bulky items under Large washing machine at the laundromat Ludwigsburg.
And the trainers?
Running shoes, football boots and trainers are not allowed in the machines at the laundromat. The reason: during washing and spinning they bang hard against the drum, damage the machine and usually get ruined themselves. This house rule applies at all 7 Wash&Go laundromats.
It's better to clean shoes by hand with a brush. You can take out insoles and laces and treat them separately. Anything made of fabric that you wear on your body, on the other hand, is in good hands in the washing machine.
To Stuttgarter Straße after training
The laundromat is open Monday to Saturday until 10 pm, so there is still time for a load after evening training. You can choose between 11 machines with 8 kg and 3 XXL machines with 18 kg. Directions & hours
The laundromat Ludwigsburg is right in the town centre, next to the Friedenskirche on Karlsplatz and opposite the Residential Palace. By car you park right outside the door; by bus you get off at Karlsplatz (lines 421 and 533). Coming from Kornwestheim or Bietigheim-Bissingen, you're here quickly by S-Bahn.