My riding gear always tends to come out of the wash almost as dirty as it went in. Does anyone have any tips for getting my whites whiter?? I can't really be bothered with hand washing and all that faff, do the pre-wash options on my washing machine do anything? I use ecover washing liquid (cos I is green) and don't ever use fabric conditioner or anything, any help gratefully received!

Stop washing it in cold [40c] water – bang it up to 80

Buy one of those modern electrically powered washing machines and stop putting all your gear in the bath with the mother in law.

I use a vanish stain remover and leave it on for 10 mins. Bang the machine on super hot (uplink +1) and happy days.

stupid question I am married

its done by magic

I used to chuck some vanish in till I read the packet, it doesn't like wool apparently! I do use a fairly cool wash, will whacking the heat up not shrink my beloved riding gear? (I am aware I could read the labels, but my clothes are upstairs and I'm not, and I value the STW wisdom!)

I'm with saladdoger (no, not married!)

I sling my dirty kit in the washing machine room and then when I want to wear it I take it out of my riding kit drawer. No idea what happens inbtween!

Use a pre wash spray. It's like carpet cleaner in that you have to put it on, it will dislodge any grease and or dirt from the fabric, then stick it in the wash.

I use the 'Wash Enhance' and 'Extra Rinse' buttons which tends to do the trick. I don't know if all washers have em but there should be some program to deal with it. Never tried ecover but I do use that newfangled concentrated stuff, it's supposed to be greener!

Given you use woolen clothing and Ecover, there isn't much hope for you. As a lentil-weaving neu-age type, we expect you to smell.

erm washing machine powder normal wash not too full errr magic??

though sometimes I do get the floor to drawer version

Take off filthy cloths…dump on bathroom floor and leave. Then wife comes along and the next thing I know they are neatly folded in the draw 🙂

I to have a wife. However I do the hard bit myself. If its peeing down and I am plastered I run the hose pipe over the bike and myself then chuck the soggy but less dirty mess on the floor by the machine that eats socks.

I stuff it in the machine with all my other clothes. Comes out loverly 🙂 Ariel Gel cold wash.

I ride in the rain.

nappy sanitiser kills bacteria which reduces the odour.

If it's muddy it goes in the shower with me then in the machine at fifty which isn't hot enough to melt it. Not all the muck comes out but don't really care

The maid always seems to take care of cleaning my gear

30 degee wash with persil. I don't wear mincey white clothes though!

40 deg on a normal cycle with non-bio powder, always comes out clean. I'm certain the fact it's a Bosch machine helps too

Buy brown, green and black clothes.

My mum washes most of mine but she does it with the rest of the washing @40 with the ariel liquid stuff

I give it to the person that lives under my stairs. They take it to the local river and handwash it for me, then run round the garden with it until it's dry.

normal synthetic wash 50 degrees for technical stuff. Throw in your trail shoes as well the clothes stop the banging noise 😀

just use the machine, but give up on ecover.

and don't expect you white mtb kit to stay white. by all means wear it, just put up with it only being white once. it's not like you're a mahogany tanned roadie god (i presume), so white kit isn't compulsory

Ecover = naff. We had the same problem until I put my foot down after being fed up of them not getting clean. Now on persil powder and all is rosey. Same washer, same wash cycle etc

ppfft. White bike gear. WTF do you expect??

I was mine on 30 with bog std tablets. Comes out the machine clean and nice.

The husband is very good washing bike kit… doesnt always end up in a drawer though. Sometimes the bike even gets cleaned too!

30 degree wash with Fairy for sensitive skin types. If it's been a very muddy ride I do wash off the excess mud in the sink before bunging in the washer. No problems here.

Where can you get a maid? That sounds good.